| “Eldership”, a term that we have come to know through indigenous and Confucian societies, doesn’t relate so much to age, but to the complex ability of a leader to communicate across hierarchies, and to influence across communities. In our view, it includes shamanic abilities like shape-shifting, developing and using sentient experiences, and an understanding of one’s own life-myth and its relationship to the world at large. Eldership can empower all voices in an organization, and is the key to remaining centered and good-hearted while leading. “Eldership” can make partners and allies out of competitors, and understands success as a multi-dimensional, material, emotional, and spiritual peak experience, related to each person’s unique path on this planet. Eldership allows us to always remember the larger vision, while at the same time never losing sight of the pragmatic bottom line. An elder understands and values human development on this earth, and sees her or himself, nature, and others, bound together in learning and growing.
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