Poging GOUD - Vrij
THE HIDDEN GIFT OF CHANGE
Mail & Guardian
|M&G 26 September 2025
When Greek philosopher Socrates declared that "The unexamined life is not worth living", he was talking to the ethos of conscious leadership that demands exactly that: the examined life.
-
And this examination is not comfortable. It asks us to look inward, to question motives and to confront the shadows of ego, greed and fear. It demands that we dismantle the fog of self-importance and step into the humility of service.
This is the gist of conscious leadership: It is not a title, nor a medal, nor how high we have moved up the corporate ladder, nor how many millions we have in the bank, nor the cars or houses we acquire. Neither is it about domination. True leadership is born in silence. It is the pause that opens the space to listen; the gentle turning toward our own centre, where clarity quietly waits. It is about surrendering to the deeper purpose of change. And is about standing steady in gale force winds, while guiding others with wisdom, presence and right action.
Change: that force that both terrifies and exhilarates us and challenges us when the world around us shifts and swirls. It is not disruption nor is it an adversary, it is something that teaches us and allows for our growth. This is the change that leads to transformation.
It asks us to unclench our hands, to release the illusion of control and to step into the flow of whatever is happening around us.
Change moves through our lives like the wind, sometimes gentle and sometimes fierce. It does not ask for permission and it does not wait until we are ready. At times it arrives quietly, almost tenderly, and at other times it comes like thunder, cracking the sky of our lives, bending everything we thought was unshakable and shattering foundations we thought were immovable. It is the one constant that we are given from the moment of birth. It is the pulse of existence and the silent rhythm beneath every step we take that carries us from one moment to the next. It confirms that nothing stays the same.
Dit verhaal komt uit de M&G 26 September 2025-editie van Mail & Guardian.
Abonneer u op Magzter GOLD voor toegang tot duizenden zorgvuldig samengestelde premiumverhalen en meer dan 9000 tijdschriften en kranten.
Bent u al abonnee? Aanmelden
MEER VERHALEN VAN Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Tbilisi's top sights and hidden treasures
Once overlooked by mainstream tourism, Georgia's capital Tbilisi has quietly become one of the most intriguing in Eastern Europe.
3 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
Tyrant in a hijab joins Africa's brutal boys' club
Democracy in Africa is once again on trial.
2 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
A right to pride!
This past weekend, we “celebrated” Africa’s oldest Pride, Joburg Pride, first organised in 1990 with pioneering activists like Dr Beverley Ditsie.
4 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
MK Party plans to grab KZN
A former Cogta MEC has said if the province is hung, then the government would have no choice but to call for an early election
5 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
Investors turn to alternatives for
Alternative Investments in Energy
3 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
UN report puts collusion with Israel on trial
Special rapporteur on Palestine has warned repeatedly that statements of concern do not save lives
4 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
A queen with a cause
Crowned Miss South Africa 2025, Qhawekazi Mazaleni is using her platform to spotlight speech therapy, literacy and the power of communication
5 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
Unmasking the 'whitenisation' of land: The myth of post-colonial neutrality in South Africa and Namibia
More than three decades after the formal fall of colonial and apartheid regimes, land remains stubbornly white in its ownership, its meaning and its power.
6 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
Zuma's legal bill nightmare
The former president is ordered to pay back the money as the tide turns
4 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Mail & Guardian
Biya: Four decades and counting
The longtime leader's BLGBTQI musician daughter urged the Cameroonians people not to vote for him
3 mins
M&G 31 October 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size
