Summary – March 4, 2011
Billy Bryan, Director of Operations for Balfour Beatty Construction welcomes SLLC members.
We kicked off 2011 with a new look, new faces and a new book. First, huge thanks to Billy Bryan, Director of Operations, and Balfour Beatty Construction for breakfast and welcoming us to their updated conference room.
Our goals for this session were to review the new format for SLLC, to begin our journey into Peter Block’s book, Community: The Structure of Belonging, and to further develop our dialogue skills. We also wanted to provide a visual piece that would connect to both the reading and the concepts of Servant Leadership. Based on the suggestions of our steering committee, there will be three sessions in 2011, a strong focus on skill development, and more opportunities to practice dialogue. As part of the new format, Adjunct Partner, Lt. Matt Kosec of the Carrollton Police Dept. and Homa Lewis took the lead in opening the session, welcoming everyone as each person checked in, and reviewing the ground rules. With over 30 people in attendance, it was a great way for each of us to connect with our learning partners.
Cory Hohweier and Beverly Stibbens with Habitat for Humanity listen to the dialogue following the video.
Ann McGee-Cooper introduced the video, The Man Who Planted Trees. This was a story of a simple shepherd who planted acorns in a desolate part of France which led to the return of a verdant ecosystem of plants, water and wildlife to the area. The illustrations, sounds and pacing of the video took us deep into the collective subconscious. She then led the discussion on how the video might be a metaphor for Servant Leadership. Our dialogue brought forth a great many insights. The shepherd was fully present to his calling. He focused on creating a future that would last beyond his lifetime and was not deterred by world wars, financial depression, and government interference.
Adjunct Partner Lt. Matt Kosec and his fellow officers from the Carrollton Police Department – Anthony Kresta, Matt, John Singleton and Joel Payne – gather together before the check-in.
Matt Kosec introduced the book, Community: The Structure of Belonging, which he first read as part of his master’s program at Gonzaga. He also shared some of his experiences from his visit to a California monastery and how he gained a different perspective of community there. After Homa presented the dialogue skill of “asking questions to go deeper,” the large group divided into three dialogue circles to practice their skills in exploring the reading. The dialogue centered on how and where characteristics of a “stuck community” may appear in our own organizations. Matt encouraged us to explore the ideas presented in the book by continuing to study our organizations/communities.
Greg Williams with Dallas County Community College System and Bob Hughes with Collin County CSCD enjoy their conversation during the break.
We’ll next meet on July 1st at TDIndustries when we will delve into Part II, “The Alchemy of Belonging”, of Block’s book. Then for our third session, we will have the pleasure of hearing Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines, discuss her new book, Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success.
We left the session energized and fully honored to continue to grow our relationships with our partners and to find our own “acorns to plant”.
“Ann McGee-Cooper and Associates are a perfect 'fit' for our organization because they live and breathe the Servant-Leadership philosophy. The concept of Servant-Leadership is not new to Southwest Airlines. Our Leaders are passionate about taking care of our Company, and they understand that the best way to do this is to serve others. Ann McGee-Cooper and Associates have become a partner in learning for many of our Employees through the motivational and uplifting presentations they make to our Culture Committee members.”