Backbone to an Unstoppable Team
By Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director
Three United Way of Charlotte County (UWCC) team members and myself recently attended the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) and WOW was it impactful. We began the 2-day journey ready to absorb all we could to grow personally and professionally in our leadership. Continuing education is an important tool to allow me to be the best person that I can be. I do read a lot of books, in which I’ve gleaned some great leadership tips, but I’ve been to this summit before and knew it would be powerful.
What does leadership mean to you? It can be defined as the ability of an individual or a group of people to influence and guide followers or members of an organization, society or team. GLS is about learning from some of the best leadership minds in the country and hearing inspiring stories of leaders who defied all odds.
If you’ve read any of my previous columns, you’ll know I tend to relate or grab on to words that have substance or greater meaning. I’d like to touch on just a few of these words and how they describe both myself, my values, and UWCC as an organization.
Additionally, this time of year is when we hold our annual staff retreat and then board retreat which was this week. All the learnings that took place from GLS have been activated and then shared with our board – mind you with lots of enthusiasm.
Relentlessly focused – Craig Groeschel inspired us to do fewer things with great intensity. Busy leaders don’t change the world, focused leaders do. This may mean there are some things that get placed in a parking lot so we can do what we do best.
Practice perseverance, reflection and accountability – With innovation, comes responsibility. Amy Edmondson encouraged leaders to “not be so afraid of failing that you don’t try new things”. However, when you do that, it is important to reflect, learn, and pivot as needed.
Excellence in telling our story – It is a continuous discussion over here on how we tell the story of who needs help, how UWCC is helping and why we care so much about it. Coach K (Michael Krzyzewski) said, “You can’t just hear and see what we are doing. You have to feel it and be in it”.
Radical Hospitality – We love our community. One moment and one person at a time, Will Guidara really inspired us to be exceptional at caring for our community. “No one will remember what you did, they will remember how you made them feel”.
Leadership is a funny thing. We can excel at connecting with our team, understand their needs and be prepared for anything. For me, I don’t want to be stagnant. It’s important to keep learning. Things keep changing from staying connected with how everyone is doing, seeing self-care as important for myself and my team.
Stay tuned for next week’s column as we share an incredibly exciting opportunity, one that is like no other in Charlotte County. You don’t want to miss this. If you want a sneak peak, please visit: unitedwayccfl.org/Leadership
For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.