Leadership. It’s a word that challenges and befuddles the (mostly self-proclaimed) movers and shakers of the business world. Unfortunately, those who strain the greatest in attempting to describe and teach leadership to others are the same folks who fail miserably in being any sorts of leaders themselves. They’re usually middle management or, at best, corporate executive submissive types who just sit, heel and fetch on command for the company status quo, attempting to pass such behavior off as “leadership”.
Dissent is the least appreciated yet possibly the purest demonstration of leadership. Consider the fact that there have been so many dissident leaders in recorded history. I won’t bother to list examples, and there are a wide variety of dissidents whose actions have resulted in both good and evil results. Still, I can't help but surmise that innovation and progress are necessities which could have not truly happened in modern civilization had it not been for those brave enough to question the status quo from time to time.
From what I have witnessed and experienced in this world, I feel strongly that any true change results from leadership through dissent as opposed to unquestioning devotion to questionable dogma. Dissent, more often than not, is leadership through the dialectic of the search for truth. We need more honest evaluation in our leaders from all levels of society, and therefore perhaps we need more questions asked from ourselves as well as among us all.
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