To be sure, we should all be GRATEFUL and THANKFUL for those volunteers who give of their free time to do what they deem best as already stated in previous posts - Lonehill: Grateful Thanks & A Simple Christmas Wish & Lonehill: Give Credit Where Credit Is Due .
To my mind, and ever since launching this long-standing community initiative way back in 2000, I have always been of the opinion that our Greater Lonehill Initiative has the potential to be one of the GREATEST Community Empowerment stories in the world.... with all of the MASSIVE advantages that would accrue to each of us as astute residents in such an international-profile community.
What we have currently is so far short of where we should have been at this point... and CAN be!
Michelangelo is said to have voiced what I believe holds our initiative back:
'The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it. Rather, it's that we aim to low and we hit it'.Spot on, Michy..!
Now don't get me wrong, I am not just criticising and waiting for others to deliver, I have actively and personally pursued the current LRA board to find a way to allow all Lonehill stakeholders - individuals with proven capability and skills - to participate in delivering on some MASSIVE objectives. This, to me, is quite simple to do.
As just one stakeholder, I have a range of MASSIVE ACTION projects ranging from raising an extra R100 000 p.m. to R500 000 p.m. for the LRA coffers, to MASS PARTICIPATION projects to bring the community together, to INTERNATIONAL recognition projects to have the eyes of the world on us.
And, I know that there are others who recognise that we have even greater potential than that... and they have just been ignored into exclusion and apathy.
Sadly, I have not heard even the faintest peep of a response from our local LRA leadership... not even to continuing the little ol' annual cricket match which I was challenged by the LRA Chairman to deliver on last year and did in short time... just in case the newbie leadership doubted my make-it-happen abilities... ;-)
C'mon LRA, in my case, your lack of response and/or decision-making ability is embarrassing... especially in the light of your recent Eskom-bleating session on Radio 702. At worst, it is just plain 'ol bad manners and a lack of common courtesy not to respond to serious community stakeholders who take the time and trouble to give of their input.
Does anyone know of a community of our size who can do something with an extra couple of hundred thousand rand each month for their coffers?
No point wasting a great idea... ;-)
In closing, the thought arises again as to what was the single most significant difference between what we did to launch this initiative and make the MASSIVE impact on the community that we did versus what it was that dumbed our initiative back down towards the mediocrity of typical apathetic community structures. I pointed to this in the post - OPEN Inclusive vs. CLOSED Exclusive - in which I offered a possible description of what people may say/think at the extremes of each style of leadership.
The 'OPEN Inclusive' extremist may say openly: 'Hey, I don't like you and/or your opinions, but I acknowledge what you're good at, so select your role and I'll wish you the best of success in greatly improving the lot of our community and give you all the information you need to be successful - now get on with it and deliver.'
The 'CLOSED Exclusive' extremist may or most likely, may well not say (but instead, act out on this mind-set): 'Hey, I don't like you and/or your opinions and I'm going to make it as difficult as possible for you to have any part to play in this community. I'll leave if you do. It's you or me! There is no room for the two of us.'
The more I think about it, what I am perhaps describing here is the difference between MATURE Leadership versus immature 'egoship'.
The latter being what we seem to see emanating from almost all levels of our national leadership - from political, to essential service providers, to national sporting body execs, et al. There seems to be more a focus on individual ego, power and control than in the general interest of the publics served.
What blows my brain, is that I have seen the very individuals who vocally question the apparent lack of common-sense of our national leaders perpetuate the very same stupidity of 'egoship' when they themselves step into a position of community authority. Go figure.
My challenge to our LRA leadership is to find a way to include EVERYONE who wants to contribute in their way to this community becoming a world-class initiative. At the moment, your current leadership style leans towards the 'CLOSED Exclusive' model.
Let's get back to the 'OPEN Inclusive' style that launched the very initiative and funding platform that allows you to get your personal leadership ways today.
Regards
Trevor Nel - Lonehill Resident
011 - 705-2790
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