Awakening the Leader Within

How a campfire tradition revealed the real purpose of leadership.

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“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
― Gustav Mahler”

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Growing up the son of a State Policeman, I always felt an odd sense of pressure around how I was supposed to behave. Some seemed to think I had some special protection and could, therefore, get away with anything. Others bullied me because of their parent’s propensity for being in trouble with the law. A few did their best to suck me into whatever mischief they were perpetrating hoping I would shield them from consequences.

I hated being watched all the time, prejudged, labeled, never feeling free to just be me.

Then one day I discovered it could be different…

When I was 12 years old I went to 4-H Camp for the first time. My friends had raved about it, but I never understood why. Maybe because my aunt and uncle lived there and we visited often, I saw it as a place with nothing new to offer, until the day I arrived as a camper instead of a family member.

The energy was palpable. The freedom was real. Excitement and anticipation filled the air.

I was finally in a place where I could show up as just me. Not as the son of a cop, not as the kid whose dad arrested some other kids dad for domestic abuse, not as the fat kid chosen last for every pick-up game of basketball.

Just me. One of 140 kids in a place where we could be ourselves.

But that was only the beginning…

As a ‘first-year camper’ I quickly tuned in to the stories being shared. Throughout the day there was this growing sense of anticipation. It was as if something magical was about to happen. I was clueless but anxious to understand and experience whatever it was.

From DepositPhotos.com

As the sun retreated and dusk began to settle we all began moving toward this place they called “Council Circle” for the evening campfire. But there were no hot dogs or S’mores taken with us.

The walk was intentional. Quiet. Reverent. Respectful.

We entered the circle and joined our ‘tribes’ in our assigned seating areas, sitting quietly for a few minutes before the song leader engaged us.

There was empty space across from the entrance to the circle. A small bench different from the rest.

After a few songs, the song leader walked over to the bench and sat down. Silence. Anticipation.

Then the camp director, known as the “Big Chief'“ entered and took his seat on the bench known as “Council Rock.”

He looked around and let the moment build.

Each of us waiting, wondering what came next.

He began to tell the story of the traditions of the camp, revealing how the spirit of the camp was passed down from year to year. As he shared how each year at the end of camp someone was recognized as the Spirit of that week of camp he invited last year’s camp spirit to come forward.

He ceremonially handed her a small wooden box as he told us how it had been used to gather ashes from the campfire at the end of each camp since the first one in 1948, explaining how it contained the cumulative spirit of all the camps held since.

Then he instructed her to take the box and place the ashes on the unlit fire in the center of the circle to rekindle the spirit of our camp.

She slowly and intentionally walked around the meticulously stacked wood, opening the box and sprinkling the ashes upon it. She returned to council rock and passed the box back to the leader before returning to her seat.

Learning the Story…

Along with the 140 other campers, I sat watching intently as a trail of smoke began to rise. Slowly flames began to flicker and the fire came to life…

And at that moment I got it.

In an instant, I understood why my friends had encouraged me to come to camp.

Now, I knew the story, and I had been invited to become part of it. It had been etched into my mind by the leader’s voice. I was now connected to a vision that was larger than any of us — a vision for learning and growing we were now part of, now owned, and were now responsible for protecting.

That’s the day I first realized the power of the leader’s voice, and that’s why when I accepted the privilege of leading that same camp program 25 years later, I walked into that same circle every Monday evening, sat upon Council Rock, and told that same story in exactly the way it had been told to me.

And you need to do the same thing for the people you lead in your business every day.

Sharing the Story…

You need to share the story—of where you’ve been, of where you are, and of where you’re going.

You need to connect it with your team at an emotional level that reveals they are part of something bigger than they are—something that can only be created by them working together.

They need to hear you sharing the power of your business’s story, and then they need you to step aside and allow them to own it, share it, protect it, nurture it, and breathe life into it.

Then and only then can you, your business, and your team achieve their true potential.

Your Call to Action: Here’s to your success in creating a more engaged team who owns the story of your business. It will be a powerful leap forward in more ways than you can imagine and it matters more than you know. Share it with them. Let them own it and see their role in keeping it alive. It will change everything.

P.S. Thanks to those who reached out to share their thoughts on removing the daily action segment of these posts. I heard you and have decided not to leave it out, just to rename it “Your Call to Action” — that’s my objective, after all — to encourage you to take action on the ideas that resonate with you and deliver your impact to the world!