A few months ago Colin Lewis took a stand for a group of disadvantaged children in his community. He has been investing his time as well as donating the proceeds from subscriptions to his Wisdom Notes to the orphanages supported by the Chiva Foundation. As a subscriber I can say they are truly remarkable and highly recommend them to my readers.
Through his words and deeds Colin provides us with a great demonstration of one of the fundamental Acts of Leadership: Taking a Stand.
He has woven his own personal experience, resources and capabilities into a way to make a difference in something he cares deeply about. We all have the opportunity to take stands based on our own personal experiences, resources, capabilities and commitments. It can be in our families, our communities and/or our places of work. Our stands can be of “ending world hunger” proportion or impact only a small few. Bigger is not better. It all matters. The place to start is with what matters to you now.
Why take a stand?
Because while we can make a difference by going quietly about it in our day to day actions, the moment we take a stand we invite others who share that commitment to join us. Perhaps that is one access of transforming an act of kindness into an act of leadership.
The moment we share a stand, our heartfelt commitment to a possibility, with others is the moment we can begin the conversation of how to make that possibility real. It can be scary. After all we have to be willing to stand out to stand up for something. Yet if our stand comes from our heart, chances are it is in the hearts of others, too.
In following Colin’s quest to support the Chiva Foundation I was reminded of something I wrote in 2001 in response to an event that tore at the heartstrings of everyone in my community. The title is “Every Child is Our Child”. Click here if you wish to read it. Thank you Colin for reminding us that every child truly does matter. That is a stand each and every one of us can take. Even if we only impact the life of one child, it makes a difference.
So what do you care about that is worth taking a stand for now? What stand(s) have you already taken? Colin provided us with a great example. I am sure you all have many more. And by sharing them here you never know who might be ready to follow your lead and join you.
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Wonderful post and poem.
It matters to be “for” something. Much of our world is broken and we each have the power to choose to fix the parts that we find. I choose to stand “for” people and making a positive difference. I don’t want to look back at my life and feel like I failed to do what I could to make things better. I can’t do everything, but I can (and must) do something.
Great post. If we’re not “for” something, with everything we have, then we lose the opportunity to matter.
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:46 am
Thank you Mike. I also want to appreciate you for your stand for creating a collaborative community of leaders. Through watching and participating in the The Lead Change group on Linked In it is clear you are manifesting that commitment into a reality.
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Susan – I am deeply touched, thank you. Every child does indeed matter and I am blessed that, through the wonderful support of people like you, Chiva Foundation is able to make a difference. Your poem and the story behind it, touched my heart deeply and in fact serves as a great reminder for all of us to take a stand…we all have the ability to make a difference in the lives of people we interact with and can always help others – I so much agree with you “It all matters. The place to start is with what matters to you now.” Thank you for an inspiring post Susan and for helping me make a difference too.
With Love
Colin
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:49 am
Thank you for being a continuing source of inspriation, wisdom and support Colin. For me you epitomize the stand for Authentic Leadership.
With Love and Gratitude,
Susan
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What a wonderful post, Susan. I stand for inspiring and empowering people to live their dreams.
And you’re so right…it all matters. You never know when something you do, something you say, some encouragement or help you offer has a lasting impact on someone.
Your poem is incredibly moving. Thanks to Colin for pointing me to it.
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:51 am
Thank you Ava. Your stand inspiring people to live their dreams and in particular for supporting women in doing so is evident in everything you write and share. I am so glad to have connected with you.
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Susan,
I certainly admire what Colin is doing and there is no doubt he is impacting the lives of many young people.
I also believe there are so many people who take a stand every day when they choose to get out of bed and face the world. The people without a job, health insurance, or any support network. These people who are truly alone and still try to do their best regardless of circumstances.
I believe these are the people Seneca had in mind when he said, “Sometimes simply living is an act of courage.”
Thanks for the reminder.
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:55 am
Thanks for your comment Perry. You are so right. Circumstances for some are so daunting that just getting up to face the day requires heroic effort and the willingness to hold an intention that defies current reality. That is why I think the only person who can truly judge the magnitude of someone’s stand in any given moment is the person taking the stand. It all truly does matter.
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Rosa Say has taken a powerful stand here with her JJL community to “Grow your voice for good”. Very powerful – to read more go here http://joyfuljubilantlearning.com/2009/10/light-a-malamalama-candle-not-everyone-will/#comment-7635
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Great post, Susan! Taking a stand keeps us centered and committed to our purpose. It is significant to every human being and so important in leadership to know what you want to stand for, so that people who choose to follow you can be confident that they know whom they are following. It does not mean that you stand for nothing else, or that you can never change your mind. It means that you are expressing to the world who you are and what you support. I like to rethink what I stand for now and again and revise if my actions are consistent with what it is I want to be for, and not just against this or that. Great reminder here and Colin so exemplifies the concept.
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:00 am
Thank you Monica. You make so many points that enrich this post. You also exemplify this concept especially through your work with the notion of Otheresteem. For those of you who do not know Monica you may want to check out her book on the subject Otheresteem: Regaining the Poewr to Value Others here: http://www.otheresteem.org/
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Great post, Susan, as usual. When we take a stand for a cause that we believe deeply in, we can make a difference. Those who are fortunate enough to have the means for making a convincing case, and take the steps to do so are, in my book, true leaders. Colin Lewis is a great example. Thank you for telling his story.
Steve
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 am
Thanks Steve – always great to see you here! I’ve often thought in following you on twitter and reading your blog that your stand for creating extraordinary customer experiences provides tremendous insight into the role of the servant leader.
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Thank YOU Monica, Perry, Ava and Steve for your kind words and once again Susan thank you for the reminder – “It all matters”
Colin
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Susan, your poetic tribute to the child was so very visual and touched my heart.
Thank you too for the encouraging words to ‘”stand up for ’something.’ ” You are so right… “the place to start is with what matters to you now” and it is important that “our stand comes from our heart…”
I am a firm believer that people are typically very perceptive and they can indeed read your eyes, your soul — and your heart (if even – and only – via your written words.)
Thank you for sharing your heart in today’s post.
Joanne
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Thank you Joanne. I appreciate your kind words. My intention is always to come from my heart – some times I do it better than others!
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Susan, thank you for sharing this inspiring message. “Even if we only impact the life of one child, it makes a difference.” That’s one of your many quotes I can relate to; we speak the same language. Life is precious and if we can make a difference in just one life, we know we’ve made a difference. Nothing is too little to do, compared to not doing anything at all. Let us all work to make a change in our world, and let’s keep raising more awareness about these issues that matter. Feel free to check my website http://www.ibdabo.com and blog http://www.ibdabo.com/blog for more information about me and people I have featured who are also making a difference.
Thank you.
Ibrahim
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Susan Mazza Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. I did visit your site and it is very clear you are no stranger to taking a stand! I hope this is just the beginning of our dialogue.
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