To Aikya on Amma's Leadership

[Guest guest]

To Aikya

 

Re: Amma's Leadership Style

 

 

Dear Aikya,

 

I have been struck by Amma's Leadership Style ever since I first became

aware of Her, and the more about Her I learned, the more my heart was opened by

this incredible Mother's care for her children. Amma gets things done. She has

vision. She doesn't make a big deal out of it; She thinks of it, and then it

gets done ~ like Her many charities. But in addition to Amma's vision, which

is large and encompasses the whole world, the other aspect of Her leadership

style that has touched my heart very deeply is that She not only leads by

example, as someone said in an earlier post, but She gets in there and gets her

hands (and her saree) dirty.

 

I am reminded of several stories that I know of. One is when she had asked a

devotee to feed a cow at the ashram. The devotee didn't think it was that

important, put it off, forgot, etc. Finally, Amma went out and began feeding the

cow Herself. The devotee was devastated. Mother was doing what he had been

asked to do, but what a powerful lesson.

 

Another example is from an old issue of "Immortal Bliss." There was a

picture of Amma standing in the line, all muddy, helping to pass the fresh

muddly

bricks to build the ashram up the line to the people who were setting them in

place.

 

And how can any of us forget now, even though we did not "see" the image

with our physical eyes (yet we were told about it), how Amma waded right out

into the tsunami waters surrounding the ashram to direct efforts to move people

to safer ground, to take care of the animals, etc.

 

To me, in my experience (jobs and volunteerism) of both being led and being

in a leadership role, what makes the biggest difference to me, and, it seems,

to others, is that the "leader" is willing to get right in there and help

with whatever needs to be done, whether it is stuffing envelopes, helping to

update a mailing list, help making phone calls to people, etc. A "leader" who

holds him or herself aloof from others and merely directs is a leader in name

only. Amma is a true LEADER. Jai Ma! ~ Linda

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste, All,

 

My dear Linda, you said what I was thinking with my sun analogy; Amma is

involved, not a separate entity as many leaders are. I think I said it wrong

when I indicated I don't see Amma as a leader - I obviously do or I wouldn't be

a follower (-:

 

Amma's central, active, and intricately linked participation as a leader made me

think think of the sun- if She led as most leaders do, from an 'external'

overseerer perspective, our light would literally go out and life would fail.

Not so with most CEOs.

 

With great love,

Snehalata

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