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| This Side Up! |
I write and teach about leadership. There are as many definitions of leadership as there are those who try to define it.
But, if the essence of leadership is influencing a group of people to reach a shared goal, then Sarah Morris, the Director of This Side Up Family Center is a leader. She is what I would classify a servant leader because her leadership is clearly for the benefit of the families the Center serves, not herself or her family.
How do I know this about Sarah and her small group of volunteers and partners?
Liberty Mutual, Dallas, hosted for a second year their Like My Community social responsibility project. Through the use of social media, local non-profits, who were nominated by the agents of Liberty Mutual, invited their supporters to "like" them on the company's facebook page.
Sarah and her dedicated band of supporters out "liked" all the other non-profits, and This Side Up Family Center walked away with the most "likes" of all involved!
Why is this important to an observer of leadership and the things of God?
The other top non-profits are excellent--and much larger--organizations. The North Texas Food Bank and Frisco Family Services Center both have much larger budgets, staff and history.This Side Up is just over a year-and-a-half old with no paid staff including Sarah!
What was the difference maker? I believe the bottom line is this:
A small group of dedicated followers committed to shared mission can be more effective than a larger group who may lose sight of opportunity simply because of size and resources.
Sarah's call to maximize effort to secure resources to move families from "surviving to thriving" became the battle cry during the contest. Need, faith and dedicated followers combined to win the race.
I do not want to minimize the faith factor in this deal. This Side Up is dedicated to giving God the credit for any and all that happens with them. And, Sarah has done that. Just as God used Gideon's 300 and Jesus' 12 to defeat larger forces, so I believe God has used the faith witness and commitment of a small non-profit to make himself famous in this community.
Thank you Sarah! I'll miss texting and liking every day, but I will be forever grateful for your servant leadership to God's mission call on you and your family's life.