The Edge Coaching

Regular readers of this blog know that for Leadership to be effective it must embrace Integral models. This is a key theme in my talks, events and programmes that I run. I guess the Integral approach is still relatively new and unknown, though I am encountering more and more people who are aware of it.

Reading the paper today I came across a sad example of the lack of Integral Leadership in South Africa as the world cup approaches.

In the South African province of Mpumalanga, close to the celebrated Kruger park, is the town of Nelspruit. A football stadium has been built here, costing £118 million - a stadium that will host four matches. The Mbombela Stadium towers over the houses and run-down school of Mataffin, next door. Mataffin is a crumbling collection of shacks many lacking electricity, functioning toilets or running water. Often residents have to risk drawing water from a pipe leaking into the mud. The inhabitants of Mataffin are poor, no one will be able to afford tickets to get into the stadium to watch the game. There are other issues such as corruption in the local government, violent police supression of the locals and so on.

Integral thinking would embrace the World Cup as an opportunity to make a positive difference to the locals and use the development drive to also raise the living conditions and education levels of the local community so all can benefit from this global sporting event. That would demand an Integral approach to allocation of funds and involvement of all parties in the process.

Clearly we have a long way to go.