We all understand what it means to be accountable to someone. A boss, a parent, a partner. It means we are responsible to someone, that we allow ourselves to be measured by that person, that we are obligated to answer to them. When we are accountable to a goal, a standard, or a mission statement, we allow others to measure our progress and success against those benchmarks.
What does it mean to be accountable—as an ally—on issues of oppression?
“I do not believe service and leadership are separable. Any good leader is first a servant of the people. So anyone who desires personal power and cares about personal gain can not be a good leader.” -Mike Rowe (CLF Member incarcerated in CA)
What do you believe are the qualities of a good leader?
“There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly…the problem is that concepts of power and love are usually seen as opposites…. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
How do you use love to inform your use of power?
“Responsible leaders keep lines of authority, power and decision making clear and visible.” -Starhawk, in Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery
How have you experienced responsible leadership in this way?
“It’s so easy to get lost in our fears; to feel all alone. It’s true that there are some fears we—you, me, everyone—must face solely on our own. Yet compassion is a choice to not allow all to be lost. Compassion is affirmation that we live in a shared world—and are better for it.” -Karen G. Johnston
How can offering compassion be an act of service?
