Still Harbor’s Ed Cardoza and Tiyatien Health’s Peter Luckow on leadership and partnership
by Bianca Nguyen on September 2, 2011
On Friday, September 2, chapter leaders from across the network took an honest look at their partnerships and drew unprecedented attention to the most important component of GlobeMed's work. How can we become partnership-centered leaders? How can we better accompany our partners as they work to leverage limited resources for positive change in the field of global health? From presentations by Ed Cardoza, Executive Director of Still Harbor, Center for Discernment and Action, and Peter Luckow, GlobeMed co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Tiyatien Health, students learned the importance of diversity, discernment, empathy and self-care in building teams of passionate individuals who work through collective action and common purpose to improve the lives of people living in our partner communities around the world.
For the rest of the weekend, Emi Kihslinger (Founder, University of Washington - Madison) and Colleen Bell (Founder, Whitman College) will provide perspective as 2011 Chapter Founders, blogging about their experiences through the rest of the Leadership Institute.
Emi Kihslinger, 2011 Chapter Founder, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Day 3: Reflections from Friday, September 2 | Leadership + Partnership
Today we were all a little more solid....we had gotten our sea legs, if you will, and we were ready to navigate the choppy waters of being the babies in a developing network. We were more sure of ourselves, and, even more importantly, we were more sure of each other...which leads me to my next reflection on these past few wonderful days.
Being around my fellow 2011 chapter founders is possibly the best gift I could have been given by the GlobeMed powers that be. Even as I write this, I'm sitting with people who, in only a few days, have become my sincere friends. These are people who understand me, understand where I'm coming from, and understand what drives me. I honestly care about them already, and I can't imagine how I will feel after a whole year. This network of support gives me the confidence I need to take risks, to be aggressive, and to be boundlessly enthusiastic. I can't thank you guys enough.
Today was exciting, to say the least. We reflected deeply on what it means to be a part of GlobeMed. From Ed Cardoza's inspiring talk on leadership, to Peter's moving reflection on what it means to partner and partner evaluations, to banana boats by the beach (under the vigilant eye of the always watchful Northwestern Police), we explored every aspect of chapter life, and the GlobeMed leaders blossomed. I could feel it happening around me whenever leaders found comfort in someone with a common challenge or whenever Maya made her smile-warmly-and-nod-knowingly face at a comment made during discussion. I cannot tell you how excited I am every time something I say evokes that gesture from Maya. It is so heartwarming and gratifying. Thank goodness she is free with those smiles and nods. They make everyone feel like they have something valuable to contribute.
From Mr. Cardoza and Peter, to the amazing people sitting around me, I am constantly in awe of my luck. How did I manage to stumble into something so amazing? Was it serendipity? Was it fate? I'm not sure, but I am sure that I am so grateful to be where I am today. So yes, today was better. I wrote before about the power of fear in my life as a motivator and an ally, but today was not about harnessing the power of fear. It was more about harnessing the power of each other. We brainstormed, discussed, and challenged to no end today, and while all that amazing-ness left me with a sneaking suspicion that my brain was no longer working properly, it also left me with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Fear can wait. Fear can sit backstage for a while, at least until we get back to our chapters and face the realities of responsibility. Today was not about fear. Today was better. Today was for us.
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