Leading by Non-Example

I had a meeting tonight. I was completely unprepared for it, I did almost nothing while there, and I left with no action items. It was great. This was a group of eight WES members who have been working on gun safety, springboarding off the resolution WES passed in December. They've been going to summits, to congressional hearings, to coalition briefings. They've been reading (like, entire books) and thinking and, most of all, caring about this issue. They have a diversity of viewpoints on how to move forward, but they're all committed. The interesting thing for me about the meeting was that it was clear during the opening go-round that I wasn't the one bringing the most passion, or the most well-researched information, or the most helpful coalition connections. I wasn't the one bringing the most radical ideas, and I wasn't even the one bringing the most spiritual grounding. Of course I'm never the one at meetings that brings all of those things, but more often than not I bring at least ONE of those things. This time, I was an observer, a listener, a learner. And I loved the very different kind of leadership, the show up and get out of the way leadership, that it required. They're still finding their focus and they're not sure yet exactly what will emerge from their shared commitment (and WES people, if you care about this issue too I urge you to get on the bandwagon--details will be coming your way in the next couple days). I'm not sure I have a point here, except to say that it was an honor to spend time with these folks. And for this type-A, in-charge kind of person, a delight to spend my time as a Leader simply following.