So, Britain’s latest political drama has finally ended! Two brothers, David and Ed Milliband, fought a tight contest for the role of leadership of the Labour party and who would have thought that Ed, the younger brother, would have come from behind to gain the top job – but he did.
David had been favourite to win this hard fought contest but his political dreams were shattered by the unexpected result, and he has now decided to leave front-line politics. At the age of 41, he became the youngest British foreign secretary in 30 years when, in June 2007 former Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed him to the role. He appeared on the face of it to be destined to occupy the coveted top post of leader of the labour party but a cruel twist has denied him the labour crown.
Relinquishing a dream
So what is now in the mind of a man who has worked all his life for the leadership prize that in the end, he so dramatically lost?
First and foremost David will certainly have to ‘let-go’ of his dream to be party leader – at least in the foreseeable future and maybe forever. He will need to enter a place in his mind where visions are modified to match reality and new horizons have to be drawn to take account of facts and essentially he will be looking at recreating his personal dream.
In the immediacy of his failure, he will be bitterly disappointed and will, no doubt, blame either himself, or possibly others. That would be all too easy. But as the days go by, he will recognise that the abilities he has can take him to more than one place where he can excel because just as oil rises to the top of water, so will he continue to be a leader of men although he may well need some help to change direction.
So what dreams or ambitions have you had that have been left unfulfilled because you failed to pursue them?
You may have dreamt of being an entrepreneur and starting your own business but haven’t had the courage to try, or you may always have wanted to be a professional photographer, but just didn’t get around to joining a photography class.
Tenacity, commitment, self-belief and vision are essential for to day’s entrepreneurs. If you have these and the right strategy to implement your plan, then you can make your dreams become your reality.
As for David Milliband. There is little doubt that after the first few difficult weeks his horizons will change. It is likely that he may need professional coaching support to help him on his journey. But no doubt his confidence and self-belief will come to the surface to propel him forwards and upwards in whichever direction he chooses. Because people like David Milliband don’t just grow on trees – they grow through their experiences and through the support and love of their families and the strengths of their upbringing.
There is no question that David has the qualities of a true leader and he will doubtless use these elsewhere to the benefit of those he wishes to lead, perhaps in a context even more satisfying than being Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons.
And so David, I wish you all the luck in the future and I look forward to hearing your voice again with your head held high and your voice strong!
David Milliband may be down but he is far from out!
What would you have done in these circumstances?
Would you have stood against your brother? Do leave your comment here – we would love to hear from you.
Key Learning Points
- Writing down your vision is the first step to it becoming a reality
- When you fall down, it is vital to know how to pick yourself up
- Coaching can be helpful to see us though challenging times
[Reprinted with the kind permission of Gulf News]
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