Courage, fearlessness and having the ability to judge what is right and wrong and act according are core pillars to servant leadership. Strong servant leaders are people who push through uncomfortable situations, who are willing to make difficult decisions and who do not back down when work ceases to serve the people. The residents of Jacksonville, Florida never realized just how fortunate they were to have Hope McMath until the day she followed her moral compass and walked away from her role as the Director of the Cummer Arts Museum position in 2016.
Despite a successful portfolio, the envy of many, and with an unstoppable career trajectory, it was the disturbing racist reactions from both the community and museum to her “LIFT: Contemporary Expressions of the African American Experience,” installation that gave the city Hope, and introduced the world to Yellow House.
Episode 2, Cultured Milk gets real about the importance of courageous, servant leadership when things go sour.