Both of the readings focused on redefining leadership, or citizenship to better engage our current society. In McFarland’s piece on redefining leadership, there were several shifts in how leaders should be. It moved away from the traditional top-down style and more towards a collaborative, holistic, humanistic style of leadership that is prepared for constant change. This reading reminded me of the women’s leadership reading and the followership piece, because it called for recognition of leadership within the traditional follower group as well as calling for a more interactive leadership style.
I think the most important part of Williamson’s piece was when he stated that the foundation for democratic citizenry is “shared commitment to one another, our shared commitment to the common project of building an inclusive democratic society, and a shared willingness to take the concrete steps needed to bring that ideal into reality” (Williamson 20). This was similar to McFarland’s call for leadership, because Williamson wants us to all engage collaboratively and interactively together to make our democracy thrive. Hopefully, if leadership does shift towards the newer definition, Williamson’s vision of a more democratic United States will come to life.
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