Rage and Hope: Leading Through the Storm
When Darkness Threatens
We are living through a moment that demands more than passive endurance. Hate feels like a constant companion—divisive rhetoric, systemic injustices, the slow erosion of human dignity. This is the landscape where leadership is not a choice, but a calling.
The other day a line from Dylan Thomas’ poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" came into my mind. You know the one:
“Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
I wrote my high school senior research paper on the author and dug deep into the poem. Of course, I had chosen Thomas as my subject pretty haphazardly–assuming he was the namesake of Bob Dylan and that he must be badass, too. Don’t you love how the teenage mind works? 😂 I found much more within Thomas’ work than I’d expected.
He was a poet who understood that resistance is an act of love. It was never just a poem about death. It was a manifesto of human resilience.
The Courage to Be a Beacon
Leadership in treacherous times is about being a beacon. Leading by example—whatever your role, position or perceived power—is the mantra, the focus I encourage you to take. Do this by:
Refusing to normalize cruelty
Creating spaces of genuine connection
Transforming pain into possibility
Holding hope as a radical act of defiance
When I first encountered Thomas's words as a high school student, I didn't understand how deeply they would speak to leadership. Rage, he suggested, is not destruction. It's the fire that illuminates our shared humanity.
Navigating the Complexity
You are already navigating complexity. And you know that today’s leaders must be compassionate listeners, courageous truth-tellers and healers of collective wounds. My guess is that you’ve been doing this work already, maybe for a very long time.
Today is the day to expand your reach. To.Day.
Talk to one additional person. Invite one more connection in. Speak into the microphone. Figure out how to broaden and deepen your current base. Do not stay inside, behind your computer, hiding with your head down. Lamenting the way things are. No—you cannot remain neutral.
The world doesn't need neutrality. It needs people willing to stand in the full complexity of human experience—those who can hold both the pain and the potential of our moment. That is you. We need you.
Personal Becomes Political
Years of reflection on Dylan Thomas, coupled with life experience, has only reinforced to me that every act of resistance begins with a deeply personal choice. To see the humanity in others. To refuse the narrative of division. To believe that connection is more powerful than conflict.
In this moment of upheaval, wildfires, and blatant hate, your leadership must be about:
Acknowledging our shared vulnerability
Creating bridges across divided landscapes
Believing in the possibility of collective healing
A Call to Radical Hope
To embrace this work, you need to make the choice to take personal action. At every opportunity, every opening, every space you can find. That means:
Maintaining your inner fire
Speaking truth with compassion
Protecting the most vulnerable
Reimagining what's possible
Yes, you will miss opportunities or pass opportunities to be the leader this moment calls us each to become. The phone will buzz. The pot will boil over. The doorbell will ring. There will be interruptions. There will be distractions. There will be intentional derailments. Notice when they occur. And then take the next opportunity. Or make the next opportunity. That’s where the inner fire comes out. ❤️🔥
The Wisdom of Defiance
As someone dedicated to your purpose and committed to change, I invite you to embrace the fact that you are a leader. Step into your power and rage against the dying of the light. Rage by making these choices: Choose love over fear; Embrace complexity; Stand firm in your integrity; and, Maintain your belief in human potential.
A Promise to Ourselves
In these treacherous times, we are called to be more than observers. We are leaders. We are changemakers. We are architects of hope, creators of spaces where humanity can breathe, grow, and transform.
Rage on, beautiful souls. Rage with love. Rage with purpose. ❤️🌈💥
