Great Leaders Serve Their Community

Titles and leaders are two different things. I’ve been reminded of this early and often in my work at Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

Take the Gulf Coast board of directors. Their collective résumé lists bona fides that would rival any organization of our kind. But they are more than a board full of titles. They are a board of courageous leaders. They allow Gulf Coast to take calculated risks, venture into new territory and redefine what it means to be a community foundation. It’s what I so admire and rely on in them.

Right now, we need more service-above-self leadership from all sectors. Fortunately, there seems to be a swell of interest across our demographic and political spectrums in local, action-oriented leadership. Where such waves originate is open to debate. But the more productive question to me is, How do we help aspiring leaders turn instinct and inspiration into positive impact?

To read more, please visit SRQ Magazine to read Mark Pritchett's February 25 SRQ Daily guest column.