NURTURING ISKCON LEADERSHIP

Since in our movement many leaders made many mistakes, we presently have a lot of mistrust and criticism of leaders, but that will not be helpful in gaining excellent spiritual leadership as Srila Prabhupada desired. Whatever we want to develop and improve, the only way is gradual cultivation and nurturing - to gain long-term quality results.

In my understanding, the duty of each ISKCON member is to contribute to the development of good leadership. It's not very hard to criticize, but it's necessary to contribute to a positive change. If we want good leaders in ISKCON we have to nurture them as valuable plants - give them attention, care, nurturing, facilitate their development, skills building, education.

A few ideas how to assist in this endeavour:

- Develop sincere relationship with a leader

- Wish him or her success in his service

- Give and receive feedback, both negative and positive

- Appreciate his/her willingness to accept responsibility

- Induce him/her to develop skills and constantly learn in order to improve

- Be friendly but firm when he/she makes mistakes or is criticized

- Attend to his/her needs or induce others to do so

I am sure devotees could come up with more ideas, but the main point is to start with the understanding that it requires time and cultivation. Leaders must have around them people who will support them and assist them in their leadership service. Assistants should be nonenvious and friendly. 


We may wish success to our leaders. Someone has to be a leader. So if one cannot take up a position of a leader himself, one may help them in some way to serve as leaders - better and better.