I am honored to facilitate a community-based group called the Ethical Leadership Working Group that is just now celebrating its third anniversary. We take in some new content each month, often a book or article, but sometimes a film, play, or just a topic that we each explore. Then we come together and discuss, in a small group, over breakfast. We started the group as a way to stay fresh, and to force ourselves to integrate new ideas on an ongoing basis. We now have two chapters, both free and wide open to the public, but we don’t do much marketing. Each group enjoys a very small but loyal following. We fit comfortably around a table each month.
I have learned so much over the past three years. Some of that learning has come directly from the explicit topics of our discussions. We recently explored some great and timeless ideas in JFK’s Profiles in Courage, and we have learned from the examples of leaders ranging from Abraham Lincoln or Napoleon Bonaparte to Maria Montessori or Paul Farmer. We watched High Noon. Our study the Shackelton expedition’s truly breathtaking Antarctic odyssey left me forever grateful for modern insulation, to say nothing of radio communications. I look forward to more of the same.
Perhaps my most valuable lessons have come through experiencing the group itself. Strangers come together, to share ideas and engage in conversation. Friendships develop. There aren’t continuing education credits, or even brownie points. Participation is its own reward, and on that basis we make it rewarding for one another. We are open-ended, and membership is fluid, but we continue to improve and to consciously decide how to construct the experience that we share. This is so simple, but in its way, quite profound.
As the group leader I have learned from making mistakes, owning up to them, and being forgiven. The common theme of those mistakes has been a lack of discipline, and sketchy follow-through. The group has helped by sharing leadership responsibilities, and by setting standards to which we hold one another accountable. I’m doing a better job, and I can see the results.
Finally, I have learned a great deal about envisioning what could be, while at the same time appreciating what actually emerges. I imagined that these groups would grow and proliferate. Underlying that vision was a tacit notion that success should be measured by headcount. What has transpired has been quite different, and remarkable in its own right. Now each chapter gravitates toward its own vision for what it wants to be, and shares responsibility for bringing that about. It’s really about the people, and the ideas.
I guess at bottom, I have learned that content and connection count, and that small and simple can be wonderful.
