Democracy

I recently started singing with a local choir. A vote was taken at the last rehearsal about dress code for performances. Talking to other members, it was clear that a debate about this had rumbled on for many months. In the end, the vote was to choose between 'no change' (all black), or going to a mandatory white blouse for the women.

It would be easy to satirise this. But it's not easy to handle in real life. Everyone has an opinion, it's all subjective, so how do you reach a decision? Consensus is difficult, a 'leadership' decision may not be acceptable (perversely because it's not a very important issue), so what is the best course of action? Perhaps uncomfortable compromise is the occasional price of democracy.

McCain Decisions

There's been a lot of talk in the UK about the Republican choice for Vice President in this year's US elections (see here for one of the more interesting commentaries, especially about Ms Palin's media training). Whilst there has been much debate about the maverick McCain (and 'maverick' is one of those words that's supposed to be neutral but is almost always taken to be a negative), there's one thing I've not seen mentioned.

McCain appears to have made a choice based on limited information, instinct, and the need to move things forward. And guess what, for much of the time in office, a leader operates in a complex and changing environment, with incomplete information. Instinct, experience, luck, call it what you will, but they cannot just sit there waiting for perfect data in a perfect world.

Mr McCain, I admire you for taking a lead, and a risk. I think that shows you qualify for the big job.

Circus

You might remember some of the old films about circuses, the crises, the leadership struggles, how it all comes together on the big night. I saw a circus show yesterday (wonderful, magical, just go and see it), and was struck by the sheer scale of the challenge of putting together and running the show. It's not a permanent job (they only perform in what passes here for summer); many of the acts are small family teams from other countries, who decide to work with you for a season or two; the skill-sets are very different; language may be a barrier too. So the leadership challenge is formidable. These disparate teams are held together by the script, the design, and the vision. In fact they are held together by the energy and the vision of the leader. You can see it at work in this circus - the omnipresence, and force of personality, of the woman whose name is on the door.