TED - A World Leadership group
19-year-old William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born inventor. When he was 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called “Using Energy” and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home.
After reading about Kamkwamba on a blog (which picked up the story from a local Malawi newspaper), TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down (though his home has electricity, William’s family had neither a phone nor email access)
He then invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Invited to the stage, Kamkwamba talked about his invention, and shared his dreams: To build a larger windmill to help with irrigation for his entire village, and to go back to school.
Following Kamkwamba’s moving talk, there was an outpouring of support for him and his modest but hugely promising work. Members of the TED community got together to help him improve his power system (by incorporating solar energy), and further his education through school and mentorships. You can read the ongoing details on his blog (which he keeps with help from his mentor).
TED community stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Their mission is: Spreading ideas. They believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. If this is not a world leadership group then I don’t know what is.
Their focus is about bringing out creativity, innovation and new ways of thinking. That’s what we need if we wish to change the world we’re in. It’s high time that instead of the old way of leadership of the “Lone Ranger� style leadership, we will have leaders that inspire each other and cooperate in creating a better world for all of us.
TED community is a world leadership group. They might not call themselves as a world leadership group, but in my opinion everything that is significant about leadership is being manifested in this community.
Feminine Leadership is about creating a world leadership group (without regards to sex genders) that embraces the qualities of Feminine energy. TED community does just that. It’s about sharing, it’s about exchanging and it’s about focusing on taking care of our world by finding new and innovative supporting ways to save it from going into the direction of destruction it has taken it to, in the last few centuries.
The most inspiring thing is that TED community is not just focusing on the big and famous names, but also on those simple, daily and courageous actions simple people take and allow them to be expressed also in the conference.
World leadership group means that it is a group that is open to everyone, not just to elite people. Everyone is invited and can make a contribution. We can all learn from each other, that’s why it’s called world group and not just one leader.
The age of Gurus and dogmas is over; it’s high time we realize that we can all learn from each other. It’s time for enlightened friendship to lead the way and not some powerful, charismatic person that we are all depended on. It’s time we all take our responsibility and share our knowledge and wisdom.
That’s what a world leadership group means for me.
The power of the TED community is such that when a person shares their dream on stage the community combine their efforts to help where they can.
To see the story of William Kamkwamba an example of a dream come true from nothing check this link.
Ask yourself what’s your dream and who can help you achieve it?
Have an inspiring day!
