IMPOSSIBLE.

Ever say, "I can't do this" or "It's too hard!" I'm sure we all have as we think it is impossible at times to complete a task, create a masterpiece, believe in an idea, or master a new skill.

An article by Gifford Thomas, founder of Leadership First and author of The Inspiration Leader, states "Great leaders inspire their people to believe in the impossible." He cited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandala, and Mahatma Gandhi as inspirational leaders in his article. He believes that great leaders are great for a reason; they can take the direst situation and turn it into a positive to the astonishment of many people. But more than that, they can inspire a group of people to believe in something beyond their limited beliefs of themselves. [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-leaders-inspire-people-believe-impossible-gifford-thomas]

Another school of thought is that "the fearless leader makes the impossible possible," according to Dr. Alan Zimmerman, author, and consultant. He furthers believes that leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them. They make the impossible happen.

You’ve heard it said that leaders bring out the best in others. That’s not necessarily true. Good leaders certainly do, but bad leaders can just as easily shut down the potential in others. Good leaders create an environment where others excel. They behave in ways that cause others to give their very best. And those behaviors are almost entirely related to their soft skills or people skills. [https://www.drzimmerman.com/tuesdaytip/for-leadership-communication-skills-are-as-important-as-professional-aptitude]

Now for my philosophy about the impossible. Today, I spent my lunch hour training a local Advisory Board on how to be an effective board for a wonderful organization that I work for, The Salvation Army. As I introduced myself as the Executive Director of Development for the Wisconsin Upper Michigan Division, I also had the opportunity to introduce my small business, What She Said LLC, and to tell my audience that my passion is leadership development.

My dissertation was Examining Leadership Skills and Leadership Styles: Indicators of Salvation Army Personnel and my participants were active Salvation Army officers [2020].

As I shared my work experience, I mentioned that I celebrated my 30th Christmas working for The Salvation Army. We don't measure work milestones by anniversaries or how many years to retirement, but by the number of fundraising years during the Christmas season.

After the training was completed, Lt. Jenny Moffitt, the Corps Officer or Executive Director of the Manitowoc Salvation Army unit, gave me a tour of their warehouse and food pantry. They are one of the largest pantries in the community with the support of a group of eleven churches called Care Link.

Recently, a mural was painted on the side of the food pantry building by a local artist with community volunteers including the Franciscan nuns. Lt. Jenny said it was a wonderful sight to see volunteers of all ages including children, parents, and nuns working side by side to complete this beautiful mural.

In the photo what struck me first was the colors as it brings a brightness to a bleak neighborhood, but then Lt. Jenny read the words to me by St. Francis.

Start by doing what's necessary

then do what's possible

and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Every day nonprofits, like The Salvation Army, provide hope and help for those in our communities that are in need. They do what is necessary to make an impossible situation possible. As a leader of this type of organization, it's imperative to believe in the power of a community to support your mission and in a God that provides for those needs. He makes the impossible possible!

#impossible #possible #necessary #leadership

What She Said ~ Beverly