We all looked on last week in amazement as we began to see the damage caused by the unprecedented winds in Pasadena and the greater San Gabriel Valley. Mother nature showed up in full force and delivered a reminder that life is uncertain and that some things are simply out of our control. Never in recent history had the community faced this type of natural disaster with this magnitude of destruction. City crews and citizens alike worked feverishly to get the debris cleared and return the region to a functional and safe landscape. Southern California Edison faced a gigantic power outage and began round the clock work to get electricity back into the homes of the thousands of people who were left without it. I looked on with admiration for what the citizens had so bravely endured and for the community spirit that was evoked in the mobilization of so many individuals working together to keep things going.
Sadly, not everybody felt this admiration. Instead, some wanted to find blame. It would seem that in an effort to manage the simple truth that we don't like how it feels to be reminded that we are not completely in control, we go a step further and say, well who's to blame. The most disheartening example of this that I heard came from the people that Los Angeles relies on for leadership in times both difficult and prosperous, The County Board of Supervisors. Most specifically, it came from Supervisor Mike Antonovich. I was not present for the hearings between the City Council and Southern California Edison (SCE) so I must acknowledge that the information I have is not all inclusive and could be out of context. However, the few things that I did hear Supervisor Antonivich say at these hearings exemplified the very blame nature that so easily arises in the face of a disaster. Supervisor Antonovich stated an obvious point of the situation but phrased it as an allegation stating to SCE that they did not have a plan. I don't know to what degree SCE did or did not have a plan, but in the face of an unprecedented disaster there can certainly be no exact plan that will precisely address the unique challenges faced in a unique situation. The second indictment made by Supervisor Antonovich was that SCE's efforts to get the word out to citizens regarding safety issues and progress in getting the lights back on, via the media, was "just stupid." Even if in hindsight we decided that this was the least effective of efforts, is there anything supportive or remotely solution oriented in telling people, who were working round the clock to fix something that they had no fault in breaking, that their efforts are stupid?
True leadership is not about finding who is at fault for our problems, especially problems over which we have limited control. True leadership is about contributing to the process of helping people be successful in finding solutions to those problems. Solutions are born from inspiration, creativity and a sense of feeling a part of an effort bigger than yourself. Blame does not inspire. Blame stifles creativity and alienates people and does nothing to move things forward as blame is always about looking back.
I did not like how it felt to witness such divisiveness in the face of disaster and extraordinary human effort. In the face of that feeling, rather than looking to blame, I ask: Supervisor Antonovich, what can we as citizens do to help and support you to find meaningful solutions to real problems?
