Real Stories: Servant Leadership
My first job leading people was working as a manager for a sporting goods store when I was 19. Like most 19-year olds, I didn’t know what the heck I was doing and I quickly realized that leading people is really hard.
Telling people what to do is not hard, but the work of good leadership; building relationships with the people I lead so we can give and receive tough feedback that makes us better, putting my ego or what I think I know aside over and over again to make sure my teams are learning and growing, admitting (publicly) when I’m wrong so I can create a culture that invites my teams to fail forward, being willing to iterate when things don’t go as planned and let go of what I think the right way to do things is, doing deep self reflection so I don’t put my own baggage onto the folks I lead, giving my teams a chance to lead and take things on that they’ve only just become ready for so they can grow, getting out of the way and not getting credit for things even when I want to — this work is HARD.
But it’s also the most rewarding part of every job I’ve ever had. And it's what makes me good at policy work.
I’ve spent the last fourteen years studying, practicing and teaching leadership. I see my role as a leader not just as the person who makes sure things get done, but as the person who is responsible for stewardship of what really matters — people, equity, progress, and love.
“During the last legislative session, I was working with Kyra on a complex bill that would direct almost a billion dollars of hospital profits towards acute community health needs. This policy was challenging for a number of reasons. First, we were convening diverse stakeholders who often had conflicting priorities, even some of the health advocacy organizations disagreed on how to move forward. Kyra ensured that whether you were a hospital worried about losing funds, or a food bank desperate to receive funds, your concerns were heard. And solutions to those concerns were worked into the final policy to enforce accountability. She led over 100 conversations throughout the campaign to pass a bill that is equitable, progressive, innovative, and community-centered. Very few of these conversations were easy, but they all were positive. That’s what Kyra brings to tricky problems, a willingness to ‘dive into the weeds’ and work together for a future that honors all of us.” - Sarah