Developing Leaders for Tomorrow’s Community
Almost everyone I know has a purpose that can influence and change the world. But what does “the world” mean? The world is your community, the place where you live and grow. It’s the community that will support you as you age. Let’s explore four questions that can help you change your world:
- What kind of kids do you want in your community?
- The long-term security of our community depends on the kids who live and influence it.
- What kind of community produces those kids?
- Consider what is being modeled, tolerated, and expected in the community. What examples and expectations are set? What values are enforced? What the community holds people accountable for will shape the focus of our kids.
- What type of leadership produces those kids?
- The bigger issue is who will model the way, mentor, and hold the kids of our community accountable.
- What type of person produces leaders who mentor and coach future leaders?
- We need to think about the kind of person is required to develop the leadership needed to support the growth of our kids, who will become the future leaders of our community.
Consider this, it is easy to participate in conversations that outline the needs of the community. Almost everyone has an opinion of what they believe is needed to create the communities we would desire to raise our families, to work, and to grow our purpose in. Yet most communities struggle with the same issue, how do we get the leaders needed to grow the leaders who will make the difference? How is the community going to model leadership at all levels?
To answer the previous questions, answer these questions. Who, in the community is on a path of personal growth? Who is participating in conferences, training programs, and working with a mentor or coach to become better? This last question has three choices, yet the choices go beyond that, and the choices have an ‘and’ and not an ‘or,’ growing in leadership is not a one-and-done, it is a lifelong journey where the lid to your leadership is placed at every growth pause point. You will know a good leader by their humble and continuous personal and professional development, who will evaluate every outcome looking to do it better next time. You will know a great leader who will take what a good leader knows, willing modeling the way and mentoring others to become the leader he or she only hoped to be. A good leader will create good leaders, a great leader will be surpassed by those they develop.
