Leading by Example--Steve Timmerman
McLean County Diversity Project c/o Jeffrey A. Schwartz PO Box 58 Downs, IL 61736
All content is ©Copyright 2010 McLean County Diversity Project
I think most people reading this have a pretty good idea of the traits they associate with a leader; after all, we are exposed to some form of leadership our entire lives.
For many of us, the first exposure to leadership comes from our parents. I felt very fortunate to have parents who were very civic minded and generous with the time they gave to service, civic and religious organizations.
As a young boy I often questioned why my parents invested time with so many organizations. My parents provided me with very good reasons, but I didn’t fully understand them until I was an adult and began to volunteer my own time.
Ultimately, I came to realize that it did not matter what role my parents played in these organizations. What mattered was their gift of time and energy. This revelation provided me with a great example of leadership. Thank you, mom and dad.
Daily, each of us confront leadership opportunities. Unfortunately, it is often easy to overlook these chances to be leaders as we go about our day - for whatever reason, some opportunities may appear to lack significance.
But sooner or later, I believe everyone is confronted by an opportunity that stirs one's soul. An opportunity that inspires. And it is at this point in time we are faced with the decision to lead or not to lead.
Such decisions are often highly personal, if not private. Those who choose to get involved with leadership roles do so in a variety of ways. In fact, the situations out of which people evolve to leadership can be very diverse.
Some leaders are elected, some are appointed and some people lead because a person sees a need or void that is unfulfilled. And as history teaches us; sometimes individual leadership might emerge from a will to survive.
A mentor, good timing, or the right opportunity may also help a person develop as a leader, yet it is the leader’s caring passion that really sets the stage for a person to truly lead in a meaningful way.
I think most of us (myself included) do not possess outstanding natural leadership abilities, but we wind up in leadership situations because we care about something; we have a passion to make something or other peoples' lives better, and I feel strongly that this should be a core motivation for all leaders.
If you think you want to lead, I suggest you ask yourself 'why' and be honest in your self-assessment. If you are unable to be honest with yourself, how can you be honest with those you intend to lead?
We are very fortunate to live in a community that has so many examples of people who are passionate about improving the lives of their neighbors, people who lead for the right reasons. Our community is blessed by many unique organizations, created locally and because someone saw a void or a need and decided to do something - because someone decided to 'lead'.
The
The scholars are positively impacting other peoples’ lives.
It is wonderful to see another generation learn to passionately care for their neighbor.
- Steve Timmermann, President
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation
