10/3 2011
Posted in: Leadership, Servant Leadership, Spiritual Growth
For the last few weeks I have been enjoying writing a series about why leaders do not coach. This past weekend I had a wonderful opportunity to be a coach and leader in a different kind of way. For the past two years I have been involved in Kairos International and I spent Thursday through Sunday at Hernando Correctional Institute as one of over 40 volunteers who brought a spiritual retreat and true agape love to 36 youth offenders. As a leader who looks for ways to lead in all kinds of situations, I see so many similarities to what I do in Kairos to what I am doing with corporate leaders. Here are some of the key points of being a true transformational leader that were reinforced to me this weekend in prison:
- All of us as volunteers make it known that we are not there to change the inmates; we are there to provide support on their personal journey. As leaders, we need to recognize that forcing people to change will only make them dig their heels in, but by making opportunities available, people come to their own decisions about changing. It is a great lesson in change management.
- My time in prison, just like as a leader, is not about me. It is all about the people I serve. But somehow, by serving them, I am enriched hundreds of times over.
- Kairos is the Greek word for “in God’s time”. Transformations should not be looked at as something that happens at a certain chronological time, but it is important for leaders to recognize that those we serve all experience personal transformations according to God’s time. As leaders, it is a great exercise in developing patience!
- On our weekends, we share our testimonies. Stories are an incredible way to show leadership and inspire others to see what’s possible in a world when everything seems impossible.
- My job as a Kairos volunteer is to listen and love. You could feel the energy and the passion surround you when you were in the room this past weekend. As leaders, we need to show our authentic passion for what we believe in to help instill our company’s mission in those we lead.
- Our goal in prison is never to judge where someone has been but to focus on what can be part of their future. The goal is to break down walls, not build them. As organizational leaders, we have those same responsibilities. We have an obligation to accept everyone and include everyone into our organizational community.
- I viewed every moment as an opportunity to transform a life. There was no checking off boxes and just moving from one activity to the next. Everything I did from serving an inmate a meal, to listening to a story, to helping write a forgiveness letter, to giving a hug, to praying together, to singing songs with loud voices was an opportunity to make a difference and break through a wall of silence or seclusion. As leaders, we have a responsibility to do more than the simple transactions of our days, we have a responsibility to look for every opportunity to make a difference.
These are just a few of the ways that I was reminded of the value of leadership and the role that we as servant-leaders play in the significance of others’ lives.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
What are you going to do today to make a difference in someone else’s life? Is it an email you can send, a phone call you can make, a note you can write, or a hand you can shake that will give that person something to think about? What may start as a small gesture on your part can turn into big accomplishments for someone else.
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