Chile - culture and politics

As a life-long student of leadership, I can’t help diving into questions about how different countries and cultures view leadership when I travel. My recent first experience in traveling to Chile opened my mind to a beautiful country, people, and complicated history.

I traveled to Chile as the guest of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile as a speaker for the Latin American Summit on Education. I stayed for a full week in the old Bohemian section of Santiago – Barrio Lastarria – a convenient location to the Summit site and an amazing center for blending culture, food, art, and humanity.

Chile’s history includes indigenous peoples throughout the country. Chile is the longest country on Earth with a coastline that extends 4,270 km (2,653 miles). The Andes mountains separate it from Peru and Argentina who have contested the present land borders through numerous wars in the past. The beautiful natural area of Patagonia is at the far southern tip of the country.

The Spanish colonized Chile when Conquistadors pushed south from Peru in 1535. Valparaiso was founded in 1536 and Santiago was established in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia. Valparaiso, a multicultural center with seaman from many countries and social origins is known as the city where “everyone has a window on the sea” because of how the houses cantilever out from the steep hillsides surrounding the bay (see picture to right). Valparaiso was a vibrant center of trade as ships rounded the tip of South American all the way until 1914 when the Panama Canal opened and left Valparaiso bereft of traffic.

The political history of Chile includes a long and stable history of presidential and then parliamentary rule. The end of the previous oligarchies came with the rise of more liberal and socialist forces over several decades, eventually resulting in the election of Salvador Allende in 1970. Allende delivered on his socialist campaign agenda and disenfranchised the economic elite of Chile, which then spurred the U.S.A.-backed military take-over by Augusto Pinochet in 1973. A statue of Allende still stands among the central government buildings of Santiago, a reminder of the socialist period and the subsequent vicious dictatorship of Pinochet. These years (1970-73 with Allende and 1973-89 with Pinochet) resulted in lasting ambivalence about the military, police, and the role of public dissent. One of the most revered intellectuals from this period is  Pablo Neruda whose home in Valparaiso (picture to left) I had the chance to visit.

One of the results of Spanish colonization is that 70% of Chileans are Catholic. There was no separation between the church and state until 1925. The separation in 1925 reflected the growing number of immigrants from many countries around the world, particularly from Europe and Palestine during and after WWII. Although the U.S.A. often portrays itself as one of the most diverse and inclusive countries in the world, the evidence of Chilean diversity is quite visible, even in terms of religion. The most notable contemporary symbol of religious inclusivity was the opening in 2016 of the Bahai Temple at the foot of the Andes (pictured here).

The Mapuche indigenous people (and other tribal groups) are important today. They have been traditionally marginalized and now protest and even threaten terrorist acts to make their dissatisfaction known. The Mapuche and others like them have been underserved and are now the lower socio-economic strata of Chilean society; these groups are part of the challenge for educators as well as business and governmental professionals who strive to have Chile engage as a 21^st century international economy.

Reflecting on the historical context and current conditions of Chile, a fascinating blend of issues comes into focus regarding how leadership is viewed and embraced: 1) lasting impact of colonialism that established a clear hierarchy but one that deserved to be questioned, 2) tight and lasting bonds of family and tribe, 3) practical embrace of other cultures/religions based on the necessity of finding solutions to broad problems, 4) ambivalence about authoritative leading – whether for socialism or any form of government, 5) fear of public dissent turning to violence and terrorism, 6) recognition of the need to take risks and support for those who do.

Discovering Chile was a revelation for me and one that I regret not pursuing long ago. Americans are increasingly traveling, conducting business, and pursuing educational exchange with Chile and other Latin American countries but the public conversation about building relations and capacity is neglected in comparison to other areas of the world. I intend to continue to study, learn, and deepen my appreciation for the country and people of Chile.

Rosenberg - Nonviolent Communication

The effectiveness of leadership depends on numerous skills that vary in their importance across different situations. Communication is always on of the list and learning how to be effective by not raising defenses or imposing one’s will in leadership is a great asset. Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication: a language of life (2015) offers ideas about improving communication that are straightforward, with repetition of the principles in examples, which lock them into the reader’s thinking.

Deepak Chopra’s forward to the book references the nonviolent movement in India called Ahimsa, an idea originating from Mahatma Gandhi’s peaceful protests against the British. Ahimsa involves both action and consciousness, traits Chopra attributed to the way Rosenberg lived his life. There is a level of selfless awareness when we are able to feel one with nature, art, or music and it is this kind of peace that allows for a connection through compassion, even in situations involving conflict. This compassion is the foundation of nonviolent communication.

Nonviolent communication (the NVC model) involves four components; 1) observe what is actually happening in a situation without judgment, 2) state how we feel when we observe this action, 3) say what needs of ours are connected to the feelings we have about it, and 4) communicate the actions we request in order to make things better.

Rosenberg goes into much greater detail on what prohibits or helps to achieve honest and empathic communication. Moralistic judgments alienate by conveying a sense that something is right or wrong, compares things as better or worse, and also denies the shared responsibility that occurs in poor communication. Communicating through demand prohibits compassion. By contrast, the emotional liberation of being authentic in our communication allows us to respond to the needs of others out of compassion, something that becomes fulfilling both for us and the other person. Requests for concrete actions also help by avoiding vague, abstract, or ambiguous language. Empathy is then a result of respectful understanding of what others are experiencing, in effect getting into the mind and soul of the other person.

One might think that nonviolent communication would only be useful in mildly uncomfortable situations but Rosenberg indicates that NVC is most important when we are most distraught. He writes, “If we are truly angry, we would want a much more powerful way to fully express ourselves.” He asserts that NVC is a more powerful way to communicate our displeasure and move toward resolution for others and ourselves. Ultimately, the NVC process nurtures mutual concern and respect that honors the other person’s needs while helping both to realize their interdependence in the disagreement. Rosenberg reflects that this is the essence of Martin Buber’s “I-Thou” relationship where two individuals express themselves vulnerably and authentically, thus creating a deeper bond.

Corbett - You must change your life: The story of Maria Ranier Rilke and Auguste Rodin

Rachel Corbett’s book, You Must Change Your Life (2016), is a detailed biography of the shared artistic journey of Rainer Maria Rilke and August Rodin. While the biographical background of these very different artists is fascinating, the most compelling aspect of the book for me is the light it sheds on the idea of empathy. The popular use of empathy is primarily in counseling and psychology. However, according to Corbett’s analysis, “What we understand today as the capacity to feel the emotions of others is a concept that originated in the philosophy of art, to explain why certain paintings or sculptures move people.” (p. ix)

Rilke and Rodin struggled in their early artistic journeys, as many artists do. They experienced difficult childhoods, troubling times as they came of age, and disillusionment in striving for artistic fulfillment. The great thing for those who appreciate their art is that their tribulations allowed them to delve into their hearts, resulting in creative insight and genius that distinguished them from others.

Rilke began his adult years in Prague but moved to Munich, believing it was the intellectual center of Europe at the time. The Munich Secession of 1892 began five years before Gustav Klimt started the movement in Vienna. The dominant philosophical tradition in German-speaking countries was the study of how individuals functioned within broader societies – phenomenology. While phenomenology and psychoanalysis began to flourish, the study of art (aesthetics) emerged along side these disciplines. The combination of these three disciplines was used to explain what makes something a work of art, leading to the idea that a viewer was an artist as well as the creator when ‘einfuhlung’ (feeling into or empathy) allowed the viewer to literally get inside the art. Psychologists (including Freud) then turned this German art history notion into what is now recognized as empathy, or the ability to relate to or understand another person.

Rodin’s early sculptures were not well received. The first to be embraced was The Age of Bronze and it struck such a chord that the French government purchased a version of it for the city of Paris. This purchase came with a second commission to design the entrance for the new Museum of Decorative Arts; this commission would become Rodin’s life-long work, The Gates of Hell. A version of the sculpture for which Rodin is most noted, The Thinker, was incorporated into The Gates of Hell. The Gates of Hell depicts people absorbed in a “nightmare of their own passions. Love was war, desire undid reason. To him, hell had nothing to do with justice; punishment was the condition of the living.” (p. 51) Ultimately, it was Rodin’s own gallery at the 1900 Exposition Universelle (which the Eiffel Tower dominated) that brought him to unquestioned prominence as an artist, admired for his ability to portray the rough humanness of his subjects.

Rilke and Roudin were introduced by two women who were artists as well. Paula Becker, a former sculpture student of Rodin’s, and Clara Westhoff invited Rilke to join them at the German artists’ colony, Worpswede. Westhoff and Rilke became lovers and were later married, a decision that sidetracked Westhoff’s ambitions as a writer in similar ways that Rodin overshadowed Becker as her teacher/mentor. Rilke’s characterization of marriage was, “I consider this to be the highest task of the union of two people; that each one should keep watch over the solitude of the other.” (p. 72) As Rodin’s protégé and Westhoff’s dear friend, it was Becker who introduced Rilke to Rodin, eventually resulting in Rilke authoring a biography of the great sculptor. The introduction and study for the biography resulted in a period of deep connection between Rodin and Rilke, one which engendered in Rilke a belief that art emerged only through sacrifice and hard work. This was fundamental to Rilke’s literary works, which were informed by “einsehen,” a process going beneath the surface to the heart and deep emotional connection.

For those who want to more deeply understand the amazing artistic revolution of late 19^th and early 20^th century Paris, Corbett’s book is a treasure. Rodin and Rilke were associated with most of the Parisian intellectual and artistic elite of the day, many of whom congregated, or lived at, the Hotel Biron (now the Musee Rodin Museum in Paris). Corbett’s reflections also track the tempestuous relationship of the two artistic geniuses who sometimes connected deeply and at other times feuded and sought distance from each other. They lived at a time when art was representational yet mystical, providing those who view or read their work a glimpse both into themselves and others. Both men were ravaged by their own genius but it is unlikely either would have wanted it another way. Indeed, when Rilke considered psychotherapy with Freud, a colleague urged “that the risk that analysis posed to his creativity was too great. It might well chase out the angels along with the demons.” (p. 239)

Is the era of management over?

Leadership scholars often debate the difference between management and leadership. Some scholars become offended by the implicit (or not so implicit) message that management is focused on routine, control, and maintenance of the status quo while leadership tackles the more important concerns of unleashing human potential, addressing questions without a clear solution, and leading humanity forward through creativity and innovation.

The World Economic Forum takes the debate to another level by raising the question, "Is the era of management over?" The title reflects some hyperbole but the changing, complex, and flat world which we now inhabit is leaving far fewer opportunities for just management. Even the simple questions these days seem to take on much wider implication when the issues on the table have ripple effects that extend far beyond the immediate environment.

In an interesting and corollary article on investing in leadership, the responsibility of organization leadership is seen as building culture so that all "think, dream and act like a leader. It's about taking initiative and being unwavering in one's positive and constructive influence on her organization's attitude, excellence and outcomes."

I'm with those who see an increasingly narrow niche for management and call for greater attention and use of real leadership in a 21st century interconnected world.