If this is your first contact from us this year, then Happy New Year!
In my last post last year I commented on our 2011 in terms of self-realisation, collaboration and stewardship – the guiding principles of Global Leadership Foundation. I thought I might begin this year by sharing a little about our logo, and in so doing explain a little more about what we mean by those principles.
Our most prominent logo is the white disc inside a yellow square. But that is actually the third in a series of three symbols we use as our full logo, each symbol representing one principle.
The first symbol in this series represents our first guiding principle, self-realisation. We believe that leadership begins with knowing ourselves: understanding our preferences and styles and the way these affect us and influence the way we lead and work with others. As such, the first symbol shows a person (the circle) completely separate from the square. The person is learning about self and their impact on others, whilst knowing that there is something greater that they need to understand (represented by the square).
The second symbol represents collaboration. Leadership involves engaging and enabling others to achieve success. Making a difference always relies on the collaboration of individuals, of which the leader is just one. In this symbol, the person (circle) is now overlapping the square, half way into it. The person now understands that to be in the world – to make a contribution to it – requires relating to and working with others.
Our final symbol represents stewardship. With the responsibility of leadership comes an obligation to individuals, communities, humanity as a whole, and the planet. It’s an obligation to ensure the sustainability and viability of all. We believe that successful leaders take responsibility for their own actions and the impact those actions have on others. The third symbol represents this principle by suggesting a person (circle) now completely inside the square, the person knowing that the contribution they make can be bigger than their own self and those around them.
This final symbol – our main logo – represents the culmination of all the work we do, and the inspiration which drives us to establish programs like the Leadership Experience and associated support work at Tetepare.
We remind ourselves often of our guiding principles: they are central to the way we make decisions about the direction of Global Leadership Foundation. We continue to be thankful that our logo is simple but powerful enough to help us stick to these principles.
Gayle
Happy new year to you too Gayle. The simplicity of your symbols and explaination provides an easily understood representation of where we may be on our leadership journey. I am finding myself in the collaboration stage with my new role at the moment with a state of ongoing development in the other two.