Leadership isn’t a title it is a decision. Why would we decide to lead if we didn’t want to usher in change? Everyone knows, change is hard. For this reason, great leaders understand leading with courage is a catalyst for change.
We lead from the top, middle, or bottom of an organizational chart. To illustrate, we lead as parents, coaches, or friends. How can we lead with courage to be a catalyst for change?
- Define who you are and what you do. This is applicable to an organization, family or yourself.
- Define who you are leading and why.
- Draft a document a vision board, mission, vision, values, and goals. Don’t get hung up with the medium, it is the message that is important.
- Collaborate with the people you are leading. Gain feedback, did you get it right?
- Check-in on your mental, emotional, and physical health. Feedback is hard and you must not react to it but analyze feedback with empathy and wisdom.
- Create systems or utilize a current framework that matches your vision board, mission, vision, values and organizational documents.
- Celebrate and incorporate fun. This is a tangible representation of work done well. Your team, family, and friends need this to catalogue memories and remind us of the good times, especially in the bad times.
Economic Development Executive Director’s Letter to Community
Simon Sinek said, “the best leaders I’ve met have courage.” He goes on to say, “the quality of our relationships gives us courage…to build courage we need to invest in our relationships.”
Economic Development’s role in the community is to support business and industry and be a catalyst for change. Change is hard, to execute change takes courage. We don’t do it alone; we are insistent that ideas for change come from our relationships. The ideas come from you!
As an economic development practitioner, my staff and I are consistently asking businesses “What would you like to see in Powell or Park County that doesn’t exist?” Additionally, “What does your business need to be better?”
Active Listening Turned into Actionable Steps
When Powell Economic Partnership hears a need often enough, we add it to a program and get to work. First, we research the solution. Second, we rely on outside economic development industry sources and federal, state, and local government agencies to be good partners and share resources. Third, we utilize the experience of the PEP Team. The fourth step is to set our sights on implementing the best way forward.
This step is where change can get tricky. At first it presents itself to us as “wouldn’t it be nice”, or “I need this to succeed in my business”. But then when we are faced with the solution, we realize that to usher change in to improve our community, we too might need to change. We might need to grow as individuals, but change can be scary for a community. Again, as an economic development practitioner, it is my job to be a catalyst for change. So, then I instill courage in my team by using one of our staff mottos, “It is a “No” until it is a “Yes”. We move forward and projects are planned and implemented with the communities’ needs at heart.
The fifth step comes once a project is implemented, when we ask ourselves a series of questions, including, “is it working”? “What do we need to make it better?” Then, we ask you again, “What would you like to see in Powell or Park County that doesn’t exist?” and “What does your business need to succeed?”
The Process
PEP implemented a process in 2020 when an international pandemic threatened the success of our community. We call it the PEP Project Roadmap which, in practice, is an expanded version of the Evidence-Based Approach, first used in medical fields and since been adopted by mental health professionals, the aerospace training industry, and police departments. These high stakes professions recognize that information and relationships can save lives. At PEP, we’re looking to change lives and preserve ways of life. This requires interfacing with different groups, competing perspectives, and a range of values, motivations, and financial infrastructures.
I’ll leave you with a question. What would our community look like if we all decided to lead with courage and identify quality relationships to support us on our journey of change and growth?
This letter was drafted as the introduction to PEP’s 2023 Annual Report because I knew that our nation was entering a time of accountability. When we are held accountable change is inevitable.
Leadership Isn’t a Title it is a Decision
I decided, now what?
Dr. Kevin Leman a Psychologist and New York Times bestselling author on parenting says, “keep the end in mind.” This quote guides how I parent, shepherd teams, and activate community leadership. Seeing the end does several important things for us. One, as we step through a long project and make mistakes, we can pivot to change directions but still focus on and accomplish our final goal. Two, the ability to gather people who “get it” at every level of project execution, people who champion the shared vision. Every change agent needs a team to walk beside them, support them, and provide value.
Leading with courage is a catalyst for change. In fact, you can make intentional decisions to transform people’s lives. Bob Chapman created a movement within Barry Wehmiller that illustrates “People & Profits in Harmony”. People aren’t expendable, layoffs don’t happen, people are truly valued, and this reverberates within every company in the Barry Wehmiller family.
Given that, we started by saying that anyone can lead from the top, middle, or bottom. Specifically, how can this be done? It seems like a lot! A resource that I find very helpful is the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. There is a ton of leadership content that is broken down into actionable steps that you can start today!
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
In conclusion, decide to be a leader today. It is within you. Leading with courage is a catalyst for change and you are the right person for the job.
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