Leadership is Showing Up

Authors Note: This piece was originally published on my Medium account @jdyerwrites. I have since grown tired of that platform and am moving my writing solely back to Bear. When I was a kid, I was an active Boy Scout (I often participated against my will, but when Grandma says participate, you participate). A significant part of scouting is community service. I didn’t see it at the time, but those youthful service activities were guiding me into how I would approach leadership in my career. My Scout troop volunteered at food pantries, where we shelved canned goods and handed out food packages. We built handicap ramps on the homes of disabled and elderly individuals who could not afford the needed improvement. We even restored a worn-out bathroom at a public park. I learned practical skills, including budget management, painting, installing toilets, and using power tools. More importantly, these activities provided me opportunities to learn hands-on management and leadership skills in…