Leading Through Change Devotional-Day 4

 

Day 4-Champions of Change

 

Proverbs 22:29

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.”

 

            Booker T. Washington was born in 1856 in Franklin County, VA. The son of an enslaved cook, Booker would eventually find himself in Malden, WV at the age of nine working in salt mines with his step-father. When he was sixteen, Booker would travel over 380 miles, mostly on foot, to Hampton, VA to pursue an education at Hampton Institute. When he arrived, he only had $.50 and was given the job of cleaning a room while he waited to be seen concerning admittance. Because of the thoroughness and heart that he put into the room, he was granted entrance into the school and proved it was the right decision because of his dedication and responsibility. Eventually the principal at Hampton would recommend Washington to become the first principal of Tuskegee Institute, a new school for blacks in Alabama. Although the school started in a shanty, Washington eventually bought an abandoned 100-acre plantation and alongside of the students converted it into a small campus. In twenty-five short years, Washington transformed the school into a 2,000-acre, eighty-three building campus with training in thirty-seven industries for more than 1,500 students. Washington earned the respect of others because of his character and the effective change he orchestrated in Tuskegee to turn it from an idea into an educational powerhouse. Booker would serve as counsel to multiple presidents and soared onto the national stage when he spoke on the opening day of the Atlanta Exposition in 1895. He would eventually be the first black person to dine in the White House in 1901, a guest of then President Theodore Roosevelt. Booker’s life reflects the word of the passage from Proverbs. He excelled in what he did and did his best in everything set before him and eventually found himself in the presence of world leaders. His example lives on as a role model to us. In his book, Focusing on Organizational Change, author William Judge raises the idea of “capable champions”. He says that these are the individuals who facilitate and spark change within organizations. These people grab a hold of the organizational vision, make it their own, and then use their influence to drive others forward in its pursuit. Booker T. Washington was certainly someone who did this organizational at Tuskegee but also for black Americans who needed to buy into the vision that with a good education, they too could be highly successful and enjoy a new and prosperous life in their newfound freedom from slavery.

 

Questions for Consideration:

1. Can you identify capable champions within your organization?
2. As a leader, how can you inspire and raise up capable champions?