Avrey Smith, pictured above, shares a reflection on his leadership journey.
“It’s easy to imagine ourselves as the world shapers. In reality, we are only tasked with providing the tools for those we lead to shape it themselves.”
The first time I recall being in a leadership position, I remember falling flat on my face. One summer, I was a teen leading a group of middle schoolers through a bakery program when I was approached by a local magazine. They asked to interview me, and I was ecstatic. Finally! I have my moment! As they interviewed me, my mind was racing. I was restocking some ingredients and imagining my face on the cover of some local newspaper, distracted from the task at hand. The interview finished, and I remember feeling this sensation of fame or stardom. I was finally a celebrity! This was a step closer to me being immortalized!
It wasn’t until we finished the day that I realized, while I was being interviewed, I had swapped our entire stock of sugar with salt. Hundreds of dollars and a full day of work went down the drain. All I had to show for it was a local article, in some paper I’m not sure exists anymore, about a summer baking program.
In positions of leadership, it’s easy to become the center of attention. I think in a lot of ways, it’s even intoxicating. It took me a long time to realize that leadership looks less like the spotlight or the statue that cements your legacy and more like the sculptor themself. When we see the statue of David, we see just that, David. For some, they see Michelangelo, the sculptor who turned a block of marble into artistic innovation. What I’m wondering however, is who sees the apprentices? Who sees the one who taught Michelangelo? Who sees the person who supplied the marble? Who sees the chef who prepared his meals and the meals of those he worked with? Who sees the farmer who supplied the ingredients and planted those seeds? Who empowered the sculptor?
I believe that at times, an unspoken aspect of leadership is just that, unspoken. The willingness to never be seen and, in more ways than one, forgotten. It’s understanding that to walk in front, you must step aside. It’s doing the right work, not necessarily the most, and building the strength to work yourself out of a job. Your goal should never be establishing a personal legacy, but to empower those who can establish their own. It’s easy to imagine ourselves as the world shapers. In reality, we are only tasked with providing the tools for those we lead to shape it themselves.
Currently, I’m working at New City Neighbors as an adult staff-person, and after years and years of deliberate practice and training, I can confidently say that I know the difference between sugar and salt. Turns out it’s easier to discern when you’re not focused on building your social status. This lesson, learned through mistakes with a hint of embarrassment, was one of many that equipped me to lead. I remember a time when I had asked a high schooler to cover a few quarts of chopped potatoes with lemon juice, only for them to come back to me with an empty bottle and ask for more. Instead of covering the potatoes, they submerged them, using the full bottle of lemon juice to do so. In moments like these, it is easy to correct, but to empower is to take a step back, reflect on your similar mistakes, and give those you empower space to correct themselves. Just make sure that when the time comes, you understand the difference between sugar and salt.
– Avrey Smith, Café Leadership Training Coordinator
