On July 21, I learned D CEO magazine selected me as the winner of its Leadership Excellence in the category of mega nonprofit at the 2022 Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards. It is a humbling honor I share with every single Buckner International employee because leaders are only as good as the teams they support.
Leadership training and talent development are two areas of business I have devoted extra attention to throughout my 10 years as the president and CEO of Buckner International. Over the years, we’ve hosted leadership workshops and conferences; analyzed our strengths and communication styles through DiSC, Enneagram, and Myers-Briggs tests; read books and listened to speakers; and even launched BOLD, our companywide learning development platform.
These tactics are not uncommon in any organization working to establish a more collaborative culture, but as a faith-based nonprofit, Buckner does have one major advantage when it comes to professional development. Our mission is rooted in the teachings of the greatest leader history has ever known.
Jesus taught his disciples that leaders are servants first. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).
If we always remember that we are servants first – servants to our colleagues and clients, servants to our family, and servants to our God – we will lead our lives with purpose and humility.
I am humbled and inspired by the amazing leaders who were finalists with me for the Leadership Excellence award. They represent the Dallas Symphony Association, Genesis Women’s Shelter, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, and Recovery Resource Council – four organizations making North Texas a better place. It is an honor for Buckner to be on that list, but I feel even more blessed to be part of an organization that follows the leadership of Jesus first.