A good leader is a servant to those who put their trust in him or her. I witnessed this from my late parents on the reindeer trail. They were residential school survivors and learned quickly to respect others and to care for others. This was passed on to us and although there were challenges, we tried hard in living under the motto of outreach.
My wife and I raised six children and we also fostered children in need of stability. I recall a little boy asking if he could call me daddy and one of our own said no, he’s not your dad. We later explained that his desire to belong was coming through in his question and she later agreed with the little boy.
No matter the age or the circumstance, there is a strong desire to feel and know we belong. There is strength and confidence knowing we belong. We want to be more engaged and giving as the sense of belonging becomes stronger. There is self-worth and self-esteem carries us through any challenge in front of us.
We also know of different agencies that claim to be there for our assistance; go to them, mental health nurse, family services counselors, wellness centers, elders. You may have a friend you grew up with and a level of trust has also grown in this friendship so you feel confident in speaking with them. If we don’t speak and let it out, it will grow bigger on the inside and soon it will need to release and if we are not careful it will explode.
So a good leader will become a better leader when there is open dialogue with those who have expressed their trust and faith in that leader.