LeaderShape: My Week in the U.P.

It's amazing how quickly time can fly when you're posting absolutely diddly squat. Topic ideas have come and gone in multitudes with nothing to show in terms of production. If I keep up this pace, this blog will fall into oblivion in no time, which would cause my mother at least a little dismay...well, she'd be polite enough to fake it...I think.

Honestly, dear reader(s), 2012 has offered plenty of substantive content; I just haven't dedicated the time to let you in on my world. Some of those moments will have to remain in the past, but I would be remiss if I did not recount an amazing experience that began literally hours into the New Year.

Last summer, I asked my friend and classmate, John Lehman, about LeaderShape, an intensive week-long leadership program for college students. No, that is a terribly underwhelming description. At LeaderShape, students learn to embrace a healthy disregard for the impossible, challenge themselves and each other to lead with integrity, and commit to make a positive difference in the world in their own unique way. It's powerful, life-altering work, folks.

So back to John...knowing that he had served as a Lead Facilitator on a number of campuses, I wanted to know how I could get involved. John encouraged me to consider serving as a Cluster Facilitator--part of the LeaderShape faculty that works with a subset of the larger community (i.e. the Family Cluster)--for Michigan Tech's LeaderShape program. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (Is John the horse in this expression?), I expressed my extreme interest, no questions asked...though I really should have asked at least one question.

You see, I assumed Michigan Tech would hold its LeaderShape experience in May...when it was, you know, defrosted in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You know what they say when you assume...you end up freezing your tail off in the U.P. in January. That, my friends, is the highly abbreviated version as to how this Texas boy ended up spending New Year's Day on the way to Michigan to work with and learn from 60 amazing Michigan Tech student leaders.

LeaderShape 2012 Faculty
Michigan Tech

I was privileged to work with a fabulous Family Cluster (Shout-out to my A B-BRASS KEY peeps!), an awesome faculty (Sully, Courtney, Renee, Karyn, Katie C., Dani, & Katie V.), and two talented Lead Facilitators, Amy Climer and Chris Carey.

To say the experience was personally transformative would be an understatement.

I was there, first and foremost, for the students, but you can't experience LeaderShape without doing an immense amount of self-work. I found myself stretched in ways I could never imagine, embraced by a community of complete strangers, and reminded how much I love serving as a facilitator to groups of any size. I was impacted in incredibly wonderful ways, but two revelations stick out:

Vision Clarification
Every participant created a vision detailing how she/he intended to change the world. I came to LeaderShape with decent understanding of my personal vision, but Michigan Tech's Vice President for Student Affairs, Les Cook's closing remarks on Day 6 gave words to what I knew in my heart. My vision is to positively impact those who will positively impact the world. That, in essence, is why I do the work I do.

Mythbusting
Eight of my twelve years as a Student Affairs professional have been spent at my alma mater, Trinity University. That's 2/3 of my professional career in one place. It's no wonder Trinity has become home to me. But after spending so much time in one place, it becomes hard to imagine yourself being professionally happy anywhere else or loving any students beyond the beloved red brick walls of Trinity. It took about 3 hours for the Michigan Tech students to dispel that myth, reminding me that exceptional student leaders will find their way into my life and into my heart no matter where I land.

Before I ramble on too long (too late), I owe a special thanks to Travis Pierce for inviting me to participate in LeaderShape and getting me to Michigan despite a detour into Wisconsin because of a blizzard. In addition, many thanks to my CCI family for allowing me to head north just as offices reopened and holding down the fort in my absence, and to my wife, with whom down time is rare and precious, for supporting me in this experience even though it meant cutting our holiday short.

And to my Family Cluster, A B-BRASS KEY--Andrew, Austin, Brad, Erik, Kyle, Rachel, Sam, Sophia, and Yvonne, you each have the ability to change this world for the better. Never doubt what you are capable of, and if that inner voice ever tries to stymie your resolve, hear mine cheering you on, reminding you of what you already know: You are a gift to this world. Live that truth...and you will truly touch lives and impact this world in a powerful, positive way.
 

A B-BRASS KEY

Thanks for sharing your week with me.

Ben