As a result of happenchance of the most serendipitous kind, I'm reading John C. Maxwell's 'Thinking for a Change'. Now, I didn't pick it up because of what's unfolding in Hamilton regarding LRT and all the associated discussions about leadership and vision, but a section I just came to really stood out for me. Which is why I'm taking the time to type and relate it. 

You can find many big-picture thinkers who aren't leaders, but you will find few leaders who are not big-picture thinkers. Leaders must be able to do many important things for their people:

-See the vision before their people do.  That's one of the reasons they are able to lead. Leaders not only see the big picture before others do, they also see more of it. This allows them to...

-Size up situations, taking into account many variables. Leaders who see the big picture discern possibilities as well as problems. As Max de Pree says, the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. Doing that allows the leader to form a foundation on which to build the vision. Once leaders have done that, they...

-Sketch a picture of where they're going. Too often when people present the big picture, it is drawn up as a bright image without any challenges or obstacles. That false portrait leads only to discouragement when followers actually take the journey. The goal of leaders shouldn't be merely to make their people feel good, but to help them be good and accomplish the dream. The vision, shown accurately, will allow leaders to...

-Show how the future connects with the past to make the journey more meaningful. Most people want to touch their past before they will reach out to their future. When they can do that, moving forward seems natural and right. When leaders recognize this need for connection and bridge it, then they can...

-Seize the moment when the timing is right. In leadership, when to move is as important as what you do. As Winston Churchill said, "There comes a special moment in everyone's life, a moment for which that person was born... When he seizes it...it is his finest hour."

Granted, we in Hamilton are limited in our perceptions of what's going on at City Hall by the media coverage we're provided, as well as the degree to which each Councillor's connects with their constituents. But these days, I don't think it's being too cynical to wonder just how much certifiable leadership is taking place in our local governance, nor is it being too skeptical to wonder just how much vision is present. Not to put too fine a point on it, are there any 'big-picture thinkers' on Council?

As I stated in a recent editorial addressing this very issue, leaders should be proceeding at all times with a sense of responsibility and pragmatism while consistently driving the city forward with vision. So our leaders should be inspiring residents to strive for something greater, a better, more liveable city, fostering a greater general ability to see the big picture...nurturing a collective vision of Hamilton.