New York Times Best Selling Author (Leader Shift and A Thomas Jefferson Education) and Freedom Scholar Oliver DeMille recently published Freedom Matters: The Connection Between Career, Business, and Freedom. In it, among other things, he posits that there are seven types of leaders that are necessary for freedom to flourish in a society. According to DeMille, "The Future of freedom depends on leadership." (DeMille, p. 15) DeMille's seven kinds of leaders are family leaders, religious/ethical leaders, business leaders, education leaders, media/artistic leaders, community leaders, and government leaders.
DeMille contends that freedom will thrive when all seven types of leaders are equally strong in the society. Conversely, according to DeMille, if the types of leaders get out of balance, that is two or three become stronger and more influential than the others, freedom is weakened and becomes at risk of being diminished or disappearing altogether.
The idea that freedom is dependent upon leadership for its very survival is not shocking. After all, Maxwell contends that "Everything rises and falls on leadership." (Maxwell, p. xxx). Freedom is no exception. What DeMille does is break it down and into smaller subsets of leadership and defines an intricate symbiotic relationship between the seven. The whole idea is intriguing!
I will spend the next several weeks drilling down into the seven kinds of leaders described by DeMille and explore the roles and relationships that each has to the others as they contribute to the preservation of freedom. Stay tuned, it should be an exciting journey!
References
DeMille, O. (2015). Freedom matters: The connection between career, business, and freedom. Cary, NC: Obstaclés Press.
Maxwell, J. C. (2007). The 21 indispensable qualities of a leader: Becoming the person others will want to follow. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
