Empowered and Empowering

In transactional systems, people put themselves first.  When the common good is not fulfilling their self-interest, they turn their backs on the common good.  By contrast, in the productive community we want and expect individuals to behave as individuals, that is, to have varying opinions, expertise, temperaments, and skills in which they believe and for which they have passion.  We do not want clones.
The productive community needs diverse perspectives; individual expression is essential.  This can only happen when there is a shared vision, and rich, trusting relationships.  The productive community is both differentiated (each individual is respected for her or his unique contribution) and integrated (working together in common purpose).  The transformational change agent understands this fact.  By focusing on the common good, this change agent becomes more authentic, and others are attracted and integrated into the pursuit of the common good.  The change agent is simultaneously self-authorizing and loyal to the whole.  He or she is “empowered and empowering to the community.”