Leadership will always be a passion of mine. I love thinking, doing, talking, and acting:
I love leadership. I have written many
articles about it, told many stories, talked for hours about it with anyone
that will listen. And this topic—stewardship—strikes
close to home as one of the key “Essential Elements” of leadership that I have
grown to know over my lifetime.
The Stellar Impact Foundation has at its aim the
thought to “…unleash greater significance in people at all stages of
leadership…” and to “…see within each human being a unique capacity to change
the world”. Well, to me, Stellar Impact has
Servant Leadership written all over
it a key Essential Element. Really, what more would you want as a leader,
or as a follower? Even before I knew
what “servant leadership” was I just did it; I felt that I wanted to serve
others and I made the choice to lead. I
cared about the example that I set for those around me, and that they became
successful. Stewardship is rooted in
this type of thinking because when you are a “steward”, you “hold something in
trust for another” and you commit to the greater
good of society. In other words you
hold onto something and ensure it is successful based on the things you know to
be right, and, you commit yourself to
serve those around you; you attend to the needs of those you serve.
Two of my favorite authors on leadership have the
same spirit as the Stellar Impact Foundation.
Robert Greenleaf feels that we need to serve others first, a “Natural
feeling that one wants to serve, serve first”.
He goes on to say that the true test remains in that if you “serve
first” you must realize that those being served grow as persons. Similarly Max DePree says that leaders “liberate
people to do what is required of them in the most effective and human way
possible.” In my association with the
Stellar Impact Foundation I find that Erl, Christi and Max are working toward removing
obstacles that prevent people from realizing their potential fully to the end
that their vision is world-wide. Now that is “thinking big” but then again
that’s what leadership is all about: “helping and thinking big”.
In my own life, I wear many hats or “mantles of stewardship”. I am a Father, a naval officer, a husband,
brother, son, friend… the list goes on and on.
As noted above, if I am doing my job then those around me grow and
realize their full potential. All I do
then is to sit back and “let them”. It’s
a simple recipe and not complicated like some “leadership gurus” of today. Who can remember charts, graphs or
lists? Truly what is comes down to is
how you are helping others around you.
And, as I have often heard it said in the Navy, people aspire to command
because “command” is considered a sacred
trust whereby those in these roles are entrusted with the souls of those
they lead. What other higher order in
life can there be than that of holding a sacred
trust? In all my mantles of
stewardship this inspires me the most: holding a sacred trust. And this is
what the Stellar Impact Foundation has in its “mind’s eye”.
Erl has it right; each person has the capacity to change the world. It starts out small and grows as people come
together to talk, to collaborate. In order to do this, we will equip everyone
with the tools, the training and the permission to empower themselves to make
change. It starts within yourself by
setting the example and then it will grow as those around you see you and take
on change in their own lives. We all
have this capacity to influence through our actions and our choices. Stellar Impact allows this to happen through Passion Groups and their ability to
attract people who have the same values and passions. What we see, “in our mind’s eye” is a human
internet, a humanet of leaders who
influence each other to make change for the better, and really, isn’t that what
life is all about? Life is all about
helping those in need; we all need
each other in a sacred trust of human kind.
So, where are you headed? How can you help? What can you see in your future, and
ours? What can you see in your mind’s eye? I have often heard it said, “Leadership is
action not position”. What will you do
to help?
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