"In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine."
The "seventh generation principle" comes from the Native American culture, where it was used to make decisions large and small. As I reflect on this, I wonder what would happen if today's leaders used this principle in their deliberations.
You probably don't need a reminder that we're in an election year, local, state, and national.
As I reflect upon where we are and where we might do good, I find myself thinking deeply about leadership, the type of leadership that got us here, and the type of leadership we need going forward. I'm asking myself a different set of questions these days, questions like:
How would things change if we had more mothers making decisions about big issues like: health care, education, and the environment?
I know fathers are concerned about their children's future too. But let's not kids ourselves, the research and our own experience tell us, mothers will do anything for their children, including making personal sacrifices today, so their children can have a better tomorrow. Mothers also know that every person walking this planet is another someone else's precious child.
As a businessperson I've seen what happens when leaders focus on short-term quarterly capitalism. It erodes morale, and creates a transactional relationship with employees and customers. It also threatens our communities. Taken to a national level, this type of short-term profit-at-all-costs mentality erodes our society. How might having more mothers at the decision-making table impact our laws and policies?
Who is our government meant serve?
Does our government exist to reward our top producers? Or is the purpose of government to serve the least among us? My spiritual beliefs tell me it's the latter. A question I often ask myself is, how would I want my children treated if they had been born poor? It's only by accident of birth that I was born to a college-educated couple with good jobs and a hard work ethic. I didn't create that for myself, any more than my children chose their parents. What kind of world do we want to provide for less fortunate children?
What happens when leaders lack empathy?
Any teacher or parent will tell you, empathy is a hard skill to teach. The ability to lean into and understand the feelings of another is crucial for leaders, and it's critical for successful personal relationships.
Lately I'm thinking about the impact empathy (or lack of it) has on our collective spirit. I've worked with organizations where empathy is in short supply. At first, it coarsens the culture, then eventually, it poisons it, as people turn against each other. When leaders lack empathy, it's contagious. People double down on their own agendas as a way to self-protect, and when everyone is focused on short-term self-interest, organizational failure follows.
As I think about our future, I find myself looking to the wisdom of the seventh generation principle. As Oren Lyons, Chief of the Onondaga Nation writes: "We are looking ahead, as is one of the first mandates given us as chiefs, to make sure and to make every decision that we make relate to the welfare and well-being of the seventh generation to come."
When they look back in time, what will the seventh generation think about the decisions we're making?
Lisa McLeod is a keynote speaker and consultant who helps leaders increase competitive differentiation and emotional engagement. She is the author of the bestsellers Selling with Noble Purpose and Leading with Noble Purpose.