Most of us have heard of  Slow Food, an international movement to preserve local food cultures that boasts over 100,000 members in 32 countries. And many of us are now becoming aware of  Slow Money, an ambitious effort to redirect investment capital to support local food systems. In the light of these inspiring examples, I have been thinking that it might be time to begin to explore the concept of Slow Leadership.

From David Homlgren's Permaculture Principles

In Permaculture Design, which underpins the Transition Movement, it is commonly said that we should observe our site for at least a year before making dramatic changes. And David Holmgren, one of the co-founders of Permaculture, reminds us to heed the principle of  “Small and Slow Solutions.” But how do we reconcile the wisdom of slowness with the tremendous urgency of our time?

This is a question that I have recently asked several Permaculture teachers who are friends of mine. Although I feel that I never got a fully satisfactory answer from any one of them, an intriguing idea began to emerge from their diverse perspectives: by proceeding at a natural pace and deeply observing the mindscape of our community, we might end up wasting less time overall. You can call it The Tortoise and The Hare Principle if you like.

So what might Slow Leadership look like in practice? I suspect it would start with cultivating authentic community, or “Laying the Foundations,” in the language of the Transition Movement. It would surface the passions of individuals and groups and connect them with work that needs to be done. And it would act as a catalyst, enabling self-organization and community empowerment to tackle the difficult challenges of peak oil, climate change, and economic crisis.  

This is definitely easier said that done. For many reasons, we may begin to believe that we have all the answers and that anyone who doesn’t agree with us must be wrong. We may try to control our creations when they really needs to be left a little wild. And we may chase after funding or compromise ourselves to meet the unrealistic expectations of others.

By saying this, I am not trying to propose that there is a right and a wrong way to lead. Neither am I trying to start a war between an old paradigm, based primarily on hierarchy and control, and a new one, based on equality and self-organization. Both approaches have gifts to offer us if we are open to receiving them. What I am saying is that we are already very familiar with Fast Leadership, and maybe it is time to give Slow Leadership its due.