Invitations

A recent event is occupying my thoughts tonight. Its occurrence underscores for me the power that leaders unleash in others when they invite. It seems that the simple act of asking sparks a kind of kinetic energy that has the potential to move mountains, or at the very least, hearts and minds. The event in question: a visit to High Point University last Wednesday.

My friend and colleague, MJ Hall, asked me several weeks ago to collaborate with her and HPU administrators in planning a Summit. The Summit is to be funded by donations from HPU alumna interested in supporting the university's new Educational Leadership doctoral program to begin next year. Their generosity can only be applauded. 

With the eventual ribbon-cutting of a new School of Education building, one of many edifices realized under the inspirational leadership of President Nido Qubein, the Summit promises to bring together education professionals, business leaders, and elected officials who will learn from and with each other over the course of one and one-half days on the magnificent HPU campus.

With School of Education Dean Mariann Tillery, Associate Dean Barbara Leonard, Professor Vernon Farrington, and Vice-President of Development Beth Braxton, MJ and I have a lot of work ahead of us. But we could not be more excited about the potential for launching what we intend to be a recurring event to enlarge the HPU national footprint around educational leadership, convene and catalyze a multidisciplinary community for improving education in a global economy, and expand leadership at every level. MJ has a big dream. That is why her invitation attracted me.

Triangle Leadership Academy clients and staff remember Dr. Hall as a consummate professional who brought from her teaching position at the the US military Defense Acquisition University near Washington, DC, a treasure trove of knowledge in human performance improvement and quality tools. Right out of the gate, TLA benefited from MJ's creating an Organizational Profile and implementing the Kaplan & Norton (1994) Balanced Scorecard approach for continuous improvement.

Although MJ independently consulted for the last several years while I continued to direct TLA, we maintained a personal and professional friendship. Only yesterday, she invited me to one of the American Society for Training & Development Forum webinars that she routinely hosts. It was not the first time. Last spring, MJ facilitated a "Reset Team" in re-imaging TLA's work amid the budget crisis. Two years ago, she led us in a day of strategic planning.

Which leads me to one observation and a return to my original theme. MJ Hall is one of the most adaptive, inventive, and visionary people that I know. She embodies everything we want of our 21st century future-ready students. Her generous gift to HPU can only add to the growing reputation of what was once a sleepy little college where matriculated my two educator uncles to an institution of higher education where world-class leaders incubate. I am honored to be part of the work.

Circling back to my thesis, I would not be working with MJ on this project and feeling as I do about it had she not invited me. She knew that, of her many associates, I might be best at translating her generic knowledge of organizational development into an invitation that the education community understands and appreciates. She asked; I answered.

With our new friends at HPU, we have started something big. And so I invite you to invite someone to something big. That's what leaders do.