L.E.A.D.'s Team Building Blueprint

February is a month that L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) focuses on teamwork. Our bible memory verse is "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17 ESV).

Great teams must include great individuals.

Great teams are also launched by crazy missions. L.E.A.D.'s mission to empower an at risk generation to lead and transform their city of Atlanta is pretty crazy. It is no secret that students in the Atlanta Public School System (APS) are underachieving. But, the state of Georgia has benefited from the past success of APS and will soon reap a healthy harvest again. One of our LEADers at Price Middle School wants to create a sport that will be introduced at the 2040 Olympics. That's crazy!

Great teams are exposed to things that the individuals didn't know that they needed to know. When I was age 8, I wanted to play for the Chicago Cubs. I was blessed to play for the Cubs but I didn't know that I could make a six figure salary teaching other people how to make it to the majors also. Some baseball players, even major leaguers need individual coaching to maximize their talent. That's where I come in as one of the best swing coaches in the industry. I asked our middle school LEADers this question in our recent mentoring session. "If every problem creates an opportunity, what job doesn't exist now that can exist in 2040 when you create it?" One of our LEADers at King Middle School said that he wants to create a shoe box that cleans your shoes. That's crazy!

2013 L.E.A.D. Signing Week at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School (APS)

Great teams are advised by leaders that will share their bad news as well as their good news. L.E.A.D. exists because I was convicted of my consistent wrong doing and simply got tired of myself. I realized that until I did what I was supposed to do, I couldn't help a team. One of your LEADers at Harper-Archer Middle School said that he was tired of talking to much in class, trying to get the wrong type of attention and being a distraction to others. Conviction creates the crossroads for change. -Kelli Stewart, L.E.A.D. Executive Director

2013 L.E.A.D. Signing Week at Harper-Archer Middle School (APS)

Great teams are directed to a place worth going. By 2040, I want the mayor of Atlanta to be a L.E.A.D. Ambassador. Everything that we do as an organization 12 months throughout the year supports this vision of mine for our L.E.A.D. Ambassadors to lead their city to lead the world. Here is a question for you. At the rate that you are going, what will you be doing in 2040?