Leadership. By example.

Wandering through the city this afternoon, I passed by a flock of people milling about the entrance to the State Theatre in Market Street. Clearly conference goers of some sort, since they were all wearing name badges. Some were dressed in business suits. The title on each name badge read: "Sydney Leadership Certification Conference".

Interesting concept. Multitudes of people spending their Saturday to be lectured about leadership. The crowd scene from the "Life of Brian" sprung to mind:

BRIAN: Look. You've got it all wrong. You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals!
FOLLOWERS: Yes, we're all individuals!
BRIAN: You're all different!
FOLLOWERS: Yes, we are all different!
DENNIS: I'm not.

It struck me that these people were sheep being led to some kind of metaphorical slaughter, but this wasn't confirmed until I got back home and had a chance to Google the title of the conference.

As I paused to cross at the lights at George St, I noticed two earnest young men dressed in suits, sitting on their haunches in front of a homeless man. The homeless man was also, as it happens, dressed in a suit.

Had he fallen? No, he was just sitting there, begging for cash from passers by with a handwritten cardboard sign. One of the men in suits (one of the younger, clean shaven ones) had some issue with the quality of the man's advertising. He picked up the cardboard sign and waved it about so as to emphasise his point, whatever that was.

Satisfied that they had done their best to impart their wisdom to a fellow businessman, the young men got up and rejoined their admiring girlfriends.

As I walked past, I couldn't help but notice that these people were also wearing the conference badge.

Ah, leadership. By example.