I think some people don’t have the confidence to get involved. I know there are people who have great ideas, but they get stuck in the role of wife or mother and can’t move beyond to other arenas.
There is a perception that community leadership is a closed network. The same people seem to rotate through boards, and it is difficult to break in.
Other potential emerging sages are thought not to want the responsibility, or have the patience, or are afraid of group settings, or simply haven’t found the right civic activity to connect with their interests:
Download Article 1K ClubYeah, I know people for whom the community would benefit from their involvement. Usually their lack of civic engagement is because they don’t want the responsibility or they’re fearful of it.
I think some people hold great leadership skills in their own little world. You know, there are team sports and then there are sports that are just you against the world. It is a matter of being afraid of commitment and what it is going to entail.
I struggle with this because I feel there are people with more talent than me, and yet they choose not to be involved. Sometimes it takes so much effort and time to get things done, and they don’t have the patience for it. Looking at what happens in our community, it seems more like a 1 to 99 principle instead of the 80/20 rule. Things get done by 1% of the people, but this also means you can make a big difference if you are part of that 1%.
