Leadership in your neighborhood may be the most challenging step, of the ones we’ve discussed in this series, for you to take. Why? Because many people who love and care for their neighborhoods don’t always see themselves as leaders. They often overcomplicate what it means to be a leader. Former Civil Rights activist and entrepreneur A. G. Gaston is famous for many pithy sayings, but one of them that has stuck with me over the years is, “Find a need and fill it.” Mr. Gaston did not have a high school diploma. Still, he led alongside such luminaries as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, and Richard Arrington, the first African American mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama. How did Mr. Gaston make such an impact? He always had his eyes open and hands ready to respond to the problems and challenges he saw. He saw the needs of others, and as a servant leader, he saw how he could meet that need; hence his saying, “Find a need and fill it.”  

Leadership is the ability to mobilize, organize, and systematize people or organizations toward a shared vision.

John Maxwell, a well-known leadership expert, defines the term leadership as “influence.” While I love Mr. Maxwell’s definition, I developed a slightly longer one encompassing the leadership components I’d like to explore. Leadership is the ability to mobilize, organize, and systematize people or organizations toward a shared vision. 

What needs have you uncovered in your neighborhood or broader community, and how might you fill those needs by being a servant leader? 

Mobilize 

You can’t lead people somewhere you’ve never been or are unwilling to go. People follow people. As a leader, you can move people towards a shared vision, but you must start by clarifying your vision for the future. What does thriving look like for your neighborhood’s most influential and marginalized neighbors? What gifts, talents, abilities, or passions do you bring to the table, and what about your neighbors? Your neighborhood already has passionate people, assets, and opportunities. Now, you must work to develop a clear vision alongside your neighbors and then help move them closer to that vision. This may prompt you all to join an existing organization or even start your own non-profit. 

Organize 

Jim Collins, author of From Good to Great, has a concept called “First who, then what.” It’s about getting the right people on the proverbial bus and then getting them seated in the correct position. It’s one thing to gather people around a shared vision, but another to bring order. Once you get the right people on board, you must find the right structure to serve through. 

My city has 99 neighborhoods, each with a self-governance structure called Neighborhood Associations. These Neighborhood Associations elect people to represent their needs to the broader community. Those passionate about the issues impacting their neighbors can make their voices heard by attending neighborhood and community meetings and, if they feel so inclined, running for one of the formal leadership positions. Does your neighborhood offer a similar structure?  

In addition, many of our neighborhoods have schools with a Parent Teacher Association or volunteer boards. If you are passionate about how education impacts your neighborhood, you can get involved by joining one of these organizations.  

As you can see, there are structures and organizations that you and your neighbors can either join or build that will allow you to serve and lead.  

Systematize  

Last year, I started a business called Tribes Leadership. Its foundation is rooted in a lesson I’ve learned over the years: “Bad systems burn out good people.” Sometimes, the systems meant to serve us are the very systems that hurt us. It’s true in non-profits, schools, businesses, and government. Whether you start a non-profit focused on meeting a specific need in your neighborhood or join an existing organization, as a leader, you must build systems that lead to flourishing, not stifling. Your vision and mission must align with your practices and values. Systems work when trusted people lead them and accountability measures are in place. Sometimes, as leaders, we must create accountability systems or design a process to hold ourselves and our neighbors to a higher standard. 

The Hopeful Neighborhood Project can help you with this. They have designed training and modules to support you in becoming the leader your neighborhood needs. With HNP’s resources, you can learn, love, and lead in your neighborhood. Will you join this mission of developing, seeing, and living in more hopeful neighborhoods?