Recently, I had an opportunity to facilitate a leadership retreat for a small group of college students. About midway through the day, I had a minor revelation: My role there was much more than “facilitator.” As facilitator, my role is to set up learning opportunities, let the process unfold as it will, and then help the group members make connections to their “real-world” by asking good questions and guiding a reflective discussion. I sensed a real difference in my purpose here as I was getting to know these future leaders; that is, I was a living, breathing example and role model of “leadership.” There was an unstated expectation that I would teach or impart my own leadership wisdom, experiences, apprehensions, and mistakes within this group. After all, these students will someday be the leaders of our businesses, our financial institutions, our government. These students will one day be leading the next generation, including my own two children.

As we sat together in a circle on the floor, the students and I engaged in one of those conversations that leaves you very content yet very contemplative. I’d like to share a few of the nuggets of wisdom that emerged from our time together:

• Being the leader does not mean you are expected to have all the right answers and to know everything. People are too smart for that and are looking for leaders who can be REAL and AUTHENTIC with the courage to admit when they are unsure and to unabashedly ask for help when they need it.
• It is our nature to make ASSUMPTIONS. Assumptions are useful and help us to not “reinvent-the-wheel” every time we are faced with a decision or situation. However, assumptions are also dangerous if not validated by stakeholders on a periodic basis. Airing and validating assumptions within a team is a critical leadership task.
• CURIOSITY is a critical leadership skill. When we are curious, we ask more questions, seeking to understand a person or a situation. When we are curious, we are open. We are not making assumptions, as assumptions and curiosity cannot co-exist.
• Spending time on what is often viewed as the “fluff” of building a team, is never wasted time. By that I mean, spending time getting to know team members outside of the work environment, to learn about what makes them tick, their interests, family background, etc. and having some fun together. It is so true that laughter is a strong glue, capable of holding teams together. As Aristotle once said, “You learn more about someone in an hour of play then in a year of work.”
• Oh, how important it is (and a great time saver too) to ensure we have CLARITY and COMMITMENT on a team before closing a meeting or discussion. Assuming silence equals agreement is a big mistake. Another critical leadership skill then, is the willingness to risk that sense of harmony, albeit artificial, by double checking with each team member for agreement and understanding around decisions made.

I believe that in all we do, we are planting seeds, some to be sown at a future time and place that we may never know about. As business leaders, we probably will never realize the extent of the impact we have on the employees entrusted to us, and on the people who they lead, including their families. What a tremendous responsibility! It is my hope that we will all make our choices wisely, being mindful of the far-reaching ripples we cast out with our words and actions.
I know the students felt the retreat was a good use of their time and they all left with some new learnings. I sure did too.

One of the niche areas I focus my coaching practice on is working with individuals who want to reduce their environmental footprint; to learn new choices or approaches that create greater planetary health. One area I am particularly passionate about is food. It is part of my personal mission to help people understand why and how to make different food choices; choices that include understanding the terms sustainable, organic, conventional, etc., exploring traditional (“old-fashioned”) food preparation methods, building relationships with local farmers, and having the peace-of-mind of knowing where your food comes from.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a new USDA initiative called “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” that is focused on connecting local consumers with local food producers in an effort to revitalize communities. I wanted to add to my previous comments about the importance of this initiative and of buying locally grown food.

Environmentally speaking, food purchased in the same local region where it was produced does not require the massive amounts of fuel and energy as most of the food you find in the average supermarket. Most of the fresh foods sold in the US today are grown in California, Florida, or Washington, and are then shipped to your local store. It is estimated that food travels an average of 1,300 miles from farm to table! That’s a whole lot of carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials.

Economically speaking, buying locally, and especially direct from the farmer, ensures that the farmers receive a larger share of the profit for their food and helps to make farming more profitable (and selling farmland for development less attractive).  Local farmers spend their money with local merchants. The money stays in town where it benefits everyone and builds a stronger local economy. Independent, family-owned farms supply more local jobs and contribute to the local economy at higher rates than do large, corporate-owned farms.

And from a health standpoint, purchasing food direct from the farmers who grew/raised it allows for a few things to happen:

• Most local farm operations are smaller and more open than large factory farms. You can go and visit and explore firsthand how the animals and the people working the farm are cared for and to learn about the processes involved in growing and producing your food.
• Knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seed in their operations.
• Most local farmers also live on the farms they work. They have a relationship with the land there and a vested interest in taking proper measures to keep their land and environment healthy so it will continue to produce healthy food.
• Local produce is frequently picked within a day or two of the consumer’s purchase. The longer the fruit/vegetable is allowed to ripen and mature in the earth, the more nutrients (and flavor) it will contain. In many cases, you can go right to the farm or orchard and pick your produce yourself.

There are so many reasons to seek out local sources of food. And finding sources close to you is pretty easy these days. Here is a link to one of many websites where you can search for local farmers’ markets, farms, CSAs, and more.   http://www.localharvest.org

I’ll talk about CSAs and some of the local food opportunities in my community in my next post. In the meantime, let me know if you want to explore your personal food choices and nutrition in detail. I’d love to help you get started.

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What are you doing next Tuesday? How about spending some time with me at Ursinus College? My friend and colleague, James Johnson, has put together an outstanding lineup for our Community Investment Conference being held in Olin Hall at Ursinus on Tuesday, October 20^th. Subtitled, It Takes a Village to Raise a Village, the conference is the place for local leaders, non-profit staff members, members of businesses and government to exchange information, ideas, and build alliances. The day is packed full of informative breakout sessions on topics such as leadership, fundraising, building community wealth, effective boards and committees, community projects for youth and adults, and techniques for getting community members more involved.

Download the full conference brochure here:  http://sunconsult.net/files/CICBrochure.pdf

I’ll be there to kickoff the morning with a little networking activity, followed by a plenary session. Over lunch, James has a diverse group assembled, promising a lively and informative panel discussion.

Whether you can join us next Tuesday or not, here are a couple of questions for consideration:

1. What talents, gifts, and passion do you have to offer your community?
2. What impact might you make (or are already making) on your community?
3. What three wishes do you have for your community?

My answers are:

1. Passion for and skilled at bringing people together to engage in important conversations. Passion for the planet, our health, and how the two are interconnected.
2. My greatest impact currently seems to be in opening lines of communication and getting projects started. A need will present itself and I’ll get a phone call to come in, help get the spark ignited, teach skills to fan the flames (i.e.: bring the people together for a conversation or two, help them develop ideas and action plans, create the structure for the plans to be implemented and evaluated), and then I’m moving on to the next place/group.
3. 1) more emerging leaders; 2) more people choosing to support local businesses and local farmers; 3) greater health through better choices, especially for our children

Please post your responses and comments below.

Better Because of you; a positive movement to share the many things, ways, and people that are making our lives a little better.

Need some inspiration? I recently stumbled upon a cool new “movement” called Better Because. Founded by Ginny Hutchinson and Cathy Haffner, Better Because is about making a positive difference and bettering the lives of people throughout the world. One way they do this is through educational grants. Another way is by providing weekly inspiration and stories via their “Better Because e-Message”. Check it all out at their website: http://www.betterbecause.com/

I love receiving their weekly messages among my “daily grind” emails (except the ones from you, of course!). I can always use a reminder that joy and happiness are found wherever I choose to look for them; in the little things and the everyday moments. Better Because’s ideas are right in alignment with the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry (Ai), which is the paradigm behind much of my coaching and organizational development consulting. Ai focuses on possibilities, on what’s working or what’s good about a situation, and on what those involved want to create together to move them towards their desired future.

I wrote about Ai in two previous blog posts, which you can read here:

Appreciative Inquiry, part 1

Appreciative Inquiry, part 2

So what and who make your life better? Tell them today. And tell me too; you can post a comment here on my blog.