In keeping with the March theme of “Journey” (and shamelessly mimicking the title of last Sunday’s platform), the three of us who currently serve on the Lay Leadership Development Committee (LLDC)–Lydia Fettig, Perry Beider, and Julie Grimes–are sharing some reflections about our experiences in serving in leadership roles at WES. To keep the blog focused, we’ve chosen a Q and A format.  

What drew you to serving in leadership at WES?

LYDIA: So far, I have taken on two leadership positions—LLDC member (current) and clergy internship committee member (recent past). I embarked on this leadership journey for several reasons. First, given my career as a university professor, both of these positions spoke to my ability and desire to mentor others. Second, I was impacted by the recent leadership changes at WES. More specifically, I had growing questions about our community’s ability to manage and respond to conflict. I was thus moved to take on the work of helping us to communicate with one other in more efficient and effective capacities. Finally, I was drawn to serve at WES because I longed to deepen my connection to Humanism, to the many WES members who feel like family, and to the many WES members I am keen to know better and learn from. 

How have you grown or changed from serving in leadership at WES?

PERRY: My experiences at WES have given me some tools that I can use or adapt in leadership roles elsewhere, like opening go-arounds (which I sometimes tweak to “icebreaker questions”), as well as more confidence and more awareness of my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. More than anything, though, they have strengthened my faith in the power of teamwork and “eliciting the best.” It’s one thing to believe intellectually that everyone has something to offer; it’s another thing to see it demonstrated over and over. 

How is leadership at WES different from leadership in other organizations?:

JULIE: I doubt anyone would be surprised that I jump right into the middle of any organization I join. I’ve sat on boards in the past, and I am currently sitting and about to preside on the board of another organization. But none of my current or past leadership positions bring me the joy I find in leadership at WES. For other places, leadership is a task to be done, an objective to reach, an issue to resolve. While there may be tasks and issues in leadership at WES, participation here feels more like building the community and the world in which I wish to live. I don’t feel here as if success or failure rides on whether I do my exact task well; instead, I feel as if I am just one of many people contributing gifts to WES. For other organizations, leadership feels like work. At WES, it feels like being a part of a family. 

So there you have some thoughts from the three of us. We would love to hear your thoughts—and questions, hopes, satisfactions, or dissatisfactions—about leadership at WES. Feel free to talk with any of us individually, or write to all of us at lldc@ethicalsociety.org .