by Robert Mertens, Chair, Subud California, August 2015-August 2019
It has been a pleasure to serve with you during my second term over the last 2 years.
My tenure has given me opportunities to exercise all of the 5 styles of “Co-active Leadership” at different times and in different situations. Sometimes I have adopted a particular leadership style intentionally and sometimes unconsciously.
I highlight these leadership roles with examples below to show my belief that accomplishment today rests more with small groups of people working together than with heroic “White Knights” commanding a charge onto a field of battle…. or, for that matter with our large institutions.
Pointing to new directions where possibilities live and common ground exists.
An example is our initiation (with Matthew Cooke coordinating) of the Subud APP project that is now in the hands of Sebastian Medina (our WSA Information Technologies manager). It can eventually become a platform for better worldwide Subud communication, useful and suitable to our current moment, especially younger people.
Matthew has told me that the project is temporarily stalled due to lack of money at WSA. I see it being completed as we completed the most difficult part of this new venture: overcoming resting inertia and moving into action. It will give a big boost to the pleasure and usefulness we all can have in connecting with each other around the world. Many paradigm changes in communication begin in California.
Co-equal cooperation with team members to produce a result. Working with our council, executive director, and committees we help lubricate the wheels of council decision, we are bringing forth our shared wisdom so that most decisions made by the council are either unanimous or nearly so. And, we are maintaining an atmosphere of collegiality and respect through differences of opinion.
Leader from behind
Occurs when a member of Subud, whether on behalf of the regional body, a center, or an idea, seeks support and it is given. Big oaks from little acorns grow.
In my 52 years in Subud chairman roles, I observe that ideas that become real start with 1 or 2 people. We gradually gather others around us as our ideas and projects gather steam.
In the role of Leader From behind, I am encouraging our Marin group and our region to co-develop our property there:
- To find community partners in projects such as ecological education (on the part of our property that is a “riparian” environment).
- To proceed on a path that can create affordable housing.
- To bring together workshop leaders in health and wellness practices such as yoga, energy work, and other natural healing modalities.
- To become a center of therapies for veterans to help them heal from the wounds of war.
I am also encouraging Rachmat Martin to work with our new PMC to institute solar power in centers such as San Diego, Santa Cruz and LA where it may be practical, and set an example that Subud is a leader among spiritual institutions in renewable energy.
Leader From the Field
The atmosphere of our time calls for intuition as we proceed. I believe that we are in the final stages of the “win or lose” and battle mentality that can dominate our hearts and minds.
To survive as a human race we now need to “change ourselves, to change the world”. We need to build bridges and take down walls. I am advocating that our regional helpers find ways to strengthen our unity and harmony by scheduling more between congress events and center visits.
I also propose that we reinstitute fundraising in California to better support helper and committee work here and at the national level. We will need a new vision for our members, identifying what can we now do differently to better “Put it Into Practice”. To do this, we can focus on bringing forth the entrepreneurial spirit:
- We can cooperate in bringing forth the entrepreneurial spirit.
- We can seed and encourage “Centerprise” initiatives that will generate continuing and expanding revenue streams, not only for California but also beyond.
Leader From Within
The place of intuition and inner guidance may often require quiet and a relaxed body and alert mind to function. The Latihan is giving each of us new opportunities to be with each other in a continually new and surprising way. It opens a way unexpectedly when there seems to be no way. When a new way opens up, a 3rd and 4th option appear, when before there seemed to be only 2.
Varindra Vittachi was our first Subud world chair (and continued for 25 years). He didn’t like the job and kept trying to get out of it every 4 years when we had our world congresses.
In fact he hid out away from the congress site at the beginning of our 2nd world congress in Briarcliff. He knew that Bapak would appoint him to continue for another term if he showed up. His strategy didn’t work however, because Bapak sent someone to retrieve him and bring him to the congress site. Bapak then chose him to continue as world chair every succeeding 4 years until Bapak died in 1987. May God bless them both.
I’m telling this story of Bapak and Varindra because of 2 famous sayings of Varindra and a story told of a member’s experience with Bapak that shed light on the Leader From Within.
Bapak: A member came to Bapak with a problem asking for advice. Bapak gave him advice. The member went home and dreamed. Bapak came to him in his dream and gave him the opposite advice. The member went back to Bapak and said “Bapak; you gave me this advice and then you came to me in a dream and gave me the opposite advice. What should I do?” Bapak: “Follow the advice of the inner Bapak.”
At the end of my second term as California chair, my committee and advisors were split as to what we should do in Marin. Quite a number of opinions and emotions were being expressed, with no consensus as to how the region should act and what we should do together.
A couple of months earlier I had asked Matthew, “What is our common ground? He said, “We love Subud”. When Bapak was asked, “What is Subud?.” He replied that the Subud members are Subud. “You are Subud.”
By the end of our July 19th Council meeting a consensus involving everyone’s input was realized. We are Subud.
May God bless each of you in your lives, our new committee, and all of us as we bring Subud into the future together.
Love and Blessings, Robert
