Last week, I was privileged to bear witness to an amazing recognition experience.
Like many of us who volunteer our time and talent, I am a professional volunteer mediator for Mediation Matters in the Albany, NY area. The life-long learning experiences of co-mediating employment, family and small-claims court disputes and the companion basic and advanced in-service trainings have been and are thanks enough for me; they had me at hello.
A definite bonus was the annual volunteer recognition dinner held at Longfellows in Saratoga Springs, NY last week and underwritten by one of Mediation Matters' donors. Great food by Longfellows as usual. Several of the judges whose courts are supported by the alternative dispute resolution services offered by the organization expressed their gratitude for the work of the volunteers; wonderful to hear as well.
Clearly, the icing on the cake was when Sarah, the Deputy Executive Director, stepped up to the podium to recognize us volunteers. Before one of her colleagues handed each of us a recognition certificate, Sarah proceeded to recognize each and every volunteer and staff member (including her boss, Peter, the Executive Director) with a heart-felt and authentic description of the unique talents and contributions each of us - at least 5 - 6 minutes for each volunteer and staff member, nearly 40 of us in the room - had brought to support the good work of Mediation Matters in the past year. I was completely blown away by the time and care Sarah had taken to lift each of us up publicly.
Of course, Peter, her boss, completed the process by lifting up Sarah's wonderful contribution as well.
I don't quite remember exactly what Sarah said when she spoke about me (I was misty-eyed and realizing in the moment why Sarah had urged me to attend the dinner), however I do remember her saying that I brought hope to my mediations with my positive energy.
In return, Sarah reinforced my hope and optimism for how leadership can not only engage, but literally transform organizations. What gifts would we all, as leaders, engender in our organizations if we were to all authentically recognize the true gifts of each member of our organization, one by one, publicly, privately and consistently?
It is Appreciative Inquiry in action: that we will only as individuals and organizations (and athletes and sports teams, by the way) accelerate success to the level of transformation we all seek by focusing on recruiting, placing and developing strengths, not weaknesses.
As mediators, we are taught the simple but powerful tenet that the source of all human conflict comes down to needs met and unmet.
And that mediation is hosting the conversation between two parties in conflict, so they can together create a new solution that meets the needs of all. It is tranformative justice on the micro level. It is the same process used to negotiate peace in international conflicts
How will you use your leadership role to transform the path of success by leveraging the strengths of all to meet the needs of both the organization and the individuals who comprise it?
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