Reflection of Transformative Leadership

“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” 
― Bruce Lee

            When I read these chapters I could not help but think about the philosophies of Bruce Lee, a childhood favourite of mine J.  The mixture of East Asian philosophies and how they’ve merged with Western philosophy is a unique fusion of cultures and expectations.  This fusion of cultures and expectations is interesting because of a central argument piece that Carolyn Shields discusses in chapter five about relationships being a key to equity and inclusivity.  Bruce Lee was a primary example of this living in both east and western cultures, he wanted to belong but “did not” belong in either culture.  The “balance” that he had to create while having his feet in both worlds must have been extremely difficult.  The quote above highlights the understanding that the “expectations” that one culture might embody is not necessarily true in another culture.  This is where the piece of being mindful and being aware of your surroundings can create ‘thoughtful leaders’.  Bruce Lee was just that, a thoughtful leader, in that he went through the process of reflection and introspection to make appropriate decisions that benefit the whole group rather than the individual but not dismissing the individual during the reflective and introspective process.  He was able to hybridize his conflicting philosophies to create his own unique perspective on what he believed would benefit the greater whole.  This is where I think Shields and Lee share a similar philosophy on the development of community and the transformative capabilities a “thoughtful leader” can achieve. 

            This perspective of what I believe Bruce Lee fostered, ties nicely into the concept of fostering global citizenship.  As is stated by Shields, “transformative leaders must also show concern and raise awareness” (Shields, pg 242), to create a globally interconnected citizen.  In Alberta, our Social Studies 10 curriculum is based on creating a global citizen through the understanding of globalization via political, social and economic case studies.  So, are students in Alberta in grade 10 social studies becoming global citizens?  A cursory look at the students who graduate from high school in Alberta would say yes.  The majority of students are engaged and ethical, and foster global citizenship when they leave school.  We hope that students that leave high school in Alberta are ethical and critical thinkers.  The key to fostering global citizenship is open-mindedness and having the ability to change society as Bruce Lee did when he decided to rock the proverbial cultural boat.  To close, I want to add one more quote from Bruce Lee that I believe resonates what these chapters discussed:

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.” 
― Bruce Lee

Literature cited:

Shields, Carolyn M. Transformative Leadership in Education, Routledge, New York, 2013.