“Someone really ought to do something about this!” Don’t we hear or think that often? From a patch of ice on the sidewalk, to the plight of the homeless its a common refrain. I think or say it so often. And then get back to my personal agenda.
One thing I observe in my dad (another leadership lesson from him) is this common refrain. He notices so often when something should change. I guess its a leader’s job to see problems. Or even forsee problems before they actually occur. But the thing about my dad, is that he does something about them.
Last week he was talking to a company executive that is building a huge complex in his Iowa town. He listened and realized that there would be hundreds of workers coming in to build this place, probably needing places to stay for weeks on end. “Someone really ought to do something.”
My Dad is really smart. He knows he can’t do everything, but he can do something. He used to be the President of the Chamber of Commerce. So did lots of other men in his community. They are all getting up there in years, but they meet once a month or so as “past presidents”. He took his thoughts to this meeting. “if we put our heads together we ought to be able to give a real welcome to these workers, get some of the organizations to host dinners, open up more campgrounds, etc.” This group that usually just drinks coffee, have some work to do now.
We have a cabin on a lake in Northwest Minnesota. For 40 years my Dad has fished for walleye. 10 years or so ago the fishing had gone from bad to worse. We used to catch our limit easily. Now it took weeks to get a handful of walleye. “Someone really ought to do something…” My dad got some of the property owners together and the Big Pine Lake Association was born. They are working on water quality, it is improving every year. Almost all of the lakeshore owners are members. They are becoming a model for water clean-up in Minnesota.
No one can do much on their own. Yet so often we think or say the words “someone really ought to do something…” My Dad often chose to be the “someone” instead of hoping another someone would act.
That’s a leader.
There was a bad storm a couple weeks ago. My Dad’s entire small town lost electricity for a few days. The neighbors were cold and hungry. “Someone really ought to do something…” My 83 year old Dad opened up what he called a “neighborhood shelter”. He built a big fire in his fireplace, got some hotdogs. Invited the neighbors over to eat, to stay the night. He cooked dinner for them the next night too.
That’s a servant.
There is so much pain and sorrow in the world. You don’t have to look very far to find it. “Someone really ought to do something…”
Great thoughts… thanks for sharing your life with us. We are all on this journey together and any leadership lessons/life lessons along the way are always helpful. Sounds like your dad is a great man, reminds me a lot of my own. We need guys like your dad in our lives, people to admire and look up to, so we too can pass the torch onto our children and be living examples to others. Thanks.
I totally grew up going to Big Pine Lake (hopefully the one you are talking about it outside of New York Mills/Perham MN) in the summertime! My aunt and uncle (who are more like grandparents to me) have a cabin up there. Ahhhhhh the summer days!