Leadership Strategies: Getting and Giving

Last week we had an amazing group of young people at our retreat center, The Country Place Retreat and Conference Center, in the Pocono Mountains of Pa.; they give hope for the future!

They were inner city teens from New York who all had difficult times as children. Yet, the beauty and brilliance of who they are was evident in their respect and caring about each other, about their team leaders, and about the environment.

Part of one of their three days here was spent doing a process called “Build and Give” where they worked as teams to build two wheeler bikes for elementary school kids that would be given to a local charity when the program ended.

What a super way to teach and grow. We all know that learning is best if it is experiential rather than merely listening to someone talk or being focused on a power point. These young people are the hope of the future. If, by learning about themselves, their colleagues, and especially by doing something to help others, the new triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits has more meaning.

We are doing more and more “Build and Give” programs with our corporate clients. It seems that the tough economy, the devastation we all saw from Haiti, the flooding from excessive snow this winter, and the deep yearning that truly resides in all of us when we stop the focus on a false American dream about “he who has the most toys wins” is giving way to human caring and kindness.

What a great way for team enhancement and conflict resolution workshops by getting new ideas and giving to others!