E76. From Actions to Impact: Servant Leadership as your Why w/ Dr. Aidin Brown

Unlock the secrets of servant leadership with our guest, Dr. Aidan Brown, Executive Chairman of Monhars Enterprise LLC and SahFyer Life Management Inc.  In this compelling episode, Dr. Brown shares his invaluable insights on authentic leadership, emphasizing the power of actions over words. We dissect the core principles of servant leadership, exploring how self-reflection, aligning purpose with passion, and a commitment to continuous growth can shape stronger, more effective leaders in today's tech-driven world.

Discover practical strategies to maintain a servant leader mindset that keeps you grounded and purpose-driven. From reflecting on your deeper "why" to leaning on faith and practicing gratitude, we cover essential tools to help leaders stay focused on their mission to serve others. A heartfelt story from Jamaica illustrates the profound impact of community involvement and volunteerism, highlighting the importance of a strong support system of mentors and coaches. We also delve into the significance of small wins in building momentum, particularly for those new to leadership roles.

As we conclude, we turn our attention to the legacy and impact of leadership. Dr. Brown shares inspiring anecdotes, from confronting toxic colleagues to motivating someone to pursue their PhD, showing how our actions can leave a lasting imprint. The episode also shines a spotlight on SahFyer Life's initiatives, such as providing backpacks and school supplies to children in Jamaica. Join us to understand how authentic leadership, guided by a sense of purpose and a commitment to serving others, can create transformative change.

Connect with Dr. Brown on his website: www.monhars.us
Find his book Let Your Leadership Speak: Transformative Leadership in a Tech-Crazy World on his website, on Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

Transcript

Servant Leadership and Team Dynamics

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Conversations where today we have Dr Aidan Brown serves as Executive Chairman for Montnars. Am I saying that correctly?

Speaker 2 0:09

Montnars, that's correct.

Speaker 1 0:11

Montnars Enterprise LLC and Sapphire Life Management Inc. He focuses on developing innovative strategies, leading teams and fostering continuous improvement, with expertise in leadership, coaching, organizational culture, assessment and performance management. So welcome to the show, dr Aidan Brown. How are you today?

Speaker 2 0:33

Thank you for having me, Dr Whelan. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. I'm doing great. Thank you for asking and I hope you're doing well yourself.

Speaker 1 0:40

Absolutely. You are here, I'm here. Where are you coming to us from today?

Speaker 2 0:46

Orlando.

Speaker 1 0:55

Florida, central Florida. Today we'll be talking around servant leadership, your passion as the why. But first I want to say congratulations to you on your new book.

Speaker 2 1:01

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 1:03

Let your Leadership Speak Transformative Leadership in a Tech-Crazy World. So I'd like to jump in there and then we'll head over to servant leadership. But I'd love to know what prompted you for this topic.

Speaker 2 1:20

That is an interesting question because I've seen how leaders operate. Well, people call themselves leaders. As I often say, leadership is different from leaders and people hold the position of leadership but they really don't know how to lead or they're not doing it effectively and efficiently. And I've seen where, a lot of times, people in these positions their mouth do the speaking. They are doing too much speaking with their mouth. But genuine leadership comes from the heart and when you are a true leader, your actions speak louder than your words. Your actions speak louder than your words.

Speaker 2 2:06

And I've seen where a simple example where organizations they'll have their workers or the employees will be standing up talking and here comes a manager or a director or a supervisor. Everybody starts to run and I'm like why are you running? Oh, the boss is coming. The boss is coming and I'm like, wow, I sense fear. So leadership should not be about driving fear in people. They should want to have your own, want to be in your present, want to learn with you and grow. So that is what prompted me and, with all the craziness going on in the world and in this day and age of technology, we need to leverage that to assist us in enhancing how we lead people. Yeah, so that's one of the main reasons why.

Speaker 1 2:46

Absolutely Well, I love that and people can get that on. Thank you. Is that correct?

Speaker 2 2:52

Yes, and on Amazon and on recently we are now on Barnes Noble, so all my books, barnes Noble, amazon, and they can get the e-version and the hard copy version.

Speaker 1 3:03

Excellent, and that again is let your leadership speak. Transformative leadership in a tech-crazy world? Nice, yes, all right. Well, speaking of leaders and leadership, great leaders serve their teams and communities. We know that. So how can leaders maybe identify and connect with their deeper why to serve in this capacity?

Speaker 2 3:30

And, as I mentioned before, genuine leadership, authentic leaders, and to serve, to authentically serve your people or your teams and communities. Leaders must first identify and connect with their deeper whys. And we might say what are those whys? And I've found three of them that I can connect with is self-reflection, self-reflection sorry, self-reflection. Leaders should take time to understand their core values, because in order for you to lead people, you should have your set of values that will guide you according to leading people, your motivations, your passions. And this can be done. A lot of people might say, but how am I going to do this? But you can do this through journaling, meditation, discussion with mentors and, as leaders, we feel like we have arrived at and we don't need mentors. But that's not true. And even with coaching, we all need coaching, no matter what we learn every day. And the second one is aligning our purpose with our passion, aligning personal goals with the mission of the organization or the community. Leaders should ask what impact do I want to have on the people that I serve and what legacy am I building? And I was having a conversation with somebody this week and they mentioned I talk about the summit that we have coming up next year, and a part of the theme is the legacy and the person we were talking about. He said I actually have a thing about living the legacy. Are we living the legacy instead of leaving the legacy? Because when we leave the legacy, we're not going to be living it or enjoying it. So it's all about purpose alignment.

Speaker 2 5:10

The second one is about feedback from others, and we feel that I often say that leaders, some of us believe that we have arrived at leadership. It's an arrived at moment, but it's never an arrived at moment. It's a growing, growing, growing. You're learning, you're growing, you're developing. And once we can be humble enough to accept feedback from others, it becomes clear, and this can be done through reflections and feedback from others. Listening to how the leader has positively impacted those they lead can reinforce a sense of purpose for all of us and the other. The last one, the fourth one, is ongoing learning, and people might say, but oh, I have this, I have that, I don't need this. But as a leader, things change every day. Technology change, we're constantly growing and we have to keep up the pace. So continuous learning about ourselves through books, let your leadership speak, workshop or summits, conferences, trainings or even spiritual practices can help leaders reconnect with their purpose, especially as they evolve in their role as leaders.

Speaker 1 6:24

And it's interesting because everything that you said goes back to what you said in the beginning, where so many times leaders think that they've arrived and they are just staying in that place and they think that they don't need to learn and grow like you're saying and everything that you're saying is all about growth and all of that self reflection first, and where do I need to grow and who do I need to align myself with? Who? And you're right, we all need mentors we all yes there.

Speaker 1 6:58

There are amazing people in the world and what I found is, if you just ask the question, you know I'd love to be mentored. Are you open to mentoring me? So many times people are going to say absolutely yes.

Speaker 2 7:11

Of course, yes, of course, and we have the first. The critical point is that we have to first understand. We have a saying where I'm from in Jamaica if the sick doesn't care, the doctor don't care, and if we as leaders don't realize that we need that help to grow and develop, we're going to get left behind.

Speaker 1 7:33

Yes, we don't want to be left behind Exactly we don't. We have to rise into that excellence and be able to formulate what those core values are. But all those things take time, like reflection, and so many times I'm finding leaders are on this hamster wheel, on the treadmill and they're just not taking that time for that reflection. Yes, We'll just come in too. It's like let's hit the pause button. That is so true. Well, let's go over to. There's an importance of fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual respect in teams. So in what ways can servant leadership transform team dynamics?

Speaker 2 8:26

Servant leadership, and that is that is. I just love the sound of that. Servant leadership focuses on prioritizing the need of others before on their own, which can significantly transform teams in a dynamic way. And this is done through, I would say, three to four actions. One, by empowerment by supporting the growth and well-being of our team members and others. Servant leaders can empower others, empower people, their team to take ownership of their roles. Right, they can increase the engagement initiatives within the teams, teams and a lot of times in other leadership.

Speaker 2 9:08

Um, they don't see the team as a support system or they don't see their people as people who they can invest in. They see them as threat. So they don't want to share information, they don't want to build them, they don't want to develop them. They don't want to build them, they don't want to develop them, they don't want to even coach them. The second part of it is collaboration and some leaders who hold the title they are hesitant in gathering their people together and getting consensus. But servant leaders and I say we, we foster an environment of open communication. We welcome feedback, we welcome collaboration, we welcome suggestions for more people. We also, servant leaders, promote and share in decision-making. We welcome others to tell us hey, what do you think, what are your thoughts on this, how are we going to grow? And this, this in itself, can lead to a more creative um solution and problem solving situation.

Speaker 2 10:15

Trust and mutual respect, which that's where it leads to, because once we collaborate with others, we're able to trust and we build that respect mutual respect for others. And with with server leaders, we encourage our team members, through our approach, to feel we genuinely care for them. And I said genuinely care because other leaders they're like okay, I'll buy you a pizza when you do a good job, but genuine leaders want to make sure that, hey, when you leave here, you are okay. Trust is built and leading to a deeper bond and respect for others. Because when you have that collaboration and respect for your people, you build that loyalty. It's a sense of loyalty that you have with them.

Speaker 2 10:55

And this encourages collaboration without fear or even judgment of competition. As I mentioned before, some leaders they are like okay, I'm not going to share with you, I'm not going to tell you this, because they're afraid of you being, they're threatened by you. And the last is accountability. Accountability, because servant leaders create a culture of accountability where each person, including that person is held accountable for their actions, and it fosters a fair, transparent and conducive environment and cohesive settings too, because when we do that, it shows us, as servant leaders, that we are, we have integrity, we have, we demonstrate honesty and we foster transparency in everything that we do.

Speaker 1 11:46

That just sound backwards to what most people learn.

Speaker 2 11:55

When we did our presentation at the Servant Leadership Roundtable last year at Regent, our topic, I think, it was the 90 Degrees Angle Passion and service the 90 Degrees Angle for servant leadership. And these are some of the things that we mentioned. And the greatest thing is that servant leadership goes beyond the boardroom, it goes beyond the corporate walls, it goes into the community, because that is how we're going to impact others.

Speaker 1 12:22

That's right, that's good stuff. And so how does servant leadership align with Christian values? You talked about values early on, and so, when we think about for the Christian, how does servant leadership align there?

Speaker 2 12:40

We can be deeply aligned with Christian principles emphasizing humility, service and the love for others. And not many of us today look at servant leadership or look on leadership from a biblical standpoint. But let's look at Jesus. He exemplified servant leadership, washing his disciples' feet and teaching what whoever wants to be the first to lead must be servant of them. All Christian leaders can look at his example, jesus' example leading with humility and compassion for their people. Humility and grace is another one. The Christian faith teaches that leaders are called. We are called to serve others with humility, and that is what leadership is all about. It's not that, okay, I am the director and the senior advisor and you are just that person. No, we recognize that their role to uplift and support is there is more important and not to dominate Faith-based decision-making. Christian leaders can integrate their faith into their leadership by allowing their beliefs to guide their ethical decision-making.

Speaker 2 13:58

Show love, show kindness and forgiving in challenging situations, because not often leaders have such a forgiving heart, and even organizations. When I heard a story of someone asked a CEO how would you handle a situation if you have an employee who works for you for several years and he cost the company $600,000 in loss? And the person said what would you do? And he said what should I do? They're like so you're not going to terminate him. They're like no, why should I terminate all that? Years of experience and knowledge. That's worth more than $600,000. So in that situation we need to have that forgiveness in tough times like that.

Speaker 2 14:44

The last is focus on long-term impact, because as servant leaders, we are not just for the moment. We want to create that impact that can continuously change lives for generations to come. Christian leaders are encouraged to focus on the external significance of our actions, of their actions, leading, with a sense of stewardship, to foster a commitment of where the spiritual and personal growth of the people that they serve. So not only, as I said, it's servant leadership goes beyond the walls, the four walls of the corporate office. It goes beyond the four walls of the boardroom. It goes into ensuring that people's personal and professional lives are developed and they are growing.

Speaker 1 15:29

And you know, so many times we think of Christian leaders and they are in the boardroom spewing scripture and verse, and that is not the case. You know, there are so many times where you know I'm serving in the corporate space, I'm not always working with a faith organization and I can still bring my full self as a Christian leader into those spaces. And so when you think about leaders integrating their faith into their leadership, what does that look like for you their faith into their leadership?

Speaker 2 16:09

What does that look like for you? Four things what would Jesus do? And when we put, when we consider that it's putting ourselves into the situation like, what would Jesus do? Think of, take the human side off and just put on the whole armor of God, what would we? What would Jesus do, which sometimes it's going to be a harsh one, or maybe one that, oh Lord, I don't think I can do. That, you know, just like a Job situation, Lord, please don't, don't take all of this, but what can? What would jesus do, in a sense like, okay, that per the ceo that would chat, that is challenged to terminate the employee that caused the company six and six hundred thousand dollars. It's like, okay, I am looking at the long term, the greater effect, the long-term impact, and you, you'd be surprised to see the actions. Such a humble action from that leader will create a long-term, significant impact that not only transform the leader, the individual, but the organization and others around, absolutely.

Strategies for Maintaining Servant Leadership

Speaker 1 17:20

And amen, amen, amen, absolutely and amen. Well, we know that there are many challenging times within, you know, for leaders and within their leadership. What are some strategies for?

Speaker 2 17:42

maintaining the servant leader mindset that you're talking about here. We will go back to values, reaffirming our core values. Because I often say I was talking to a prodigy of mine and he said his brother would be going into the police force. That's in another country. And he was like, well, I tell him not to be, not to get corrupted or anything. And I'm like, yeah, you know, that is true, that is true, not to get corrupted or anything. And I'm like, yeah, you know, that is true, that is true.

Speaker 2 18:06

And I remember just thinking about politics. People say, oh no, christians should not go into politics. And I'm like, why? The Lord needs his people in different areas of life. That's my belief and if we are grounded in our values and our faith in Christ, we can do anything and go into any position that the Lord wants us to be in. And reaffirming our core values. It allows us to reflect on our deeper why. Why am I here? Why would I go into politics? It's to serve the people? It's to impact lives? Or why am I going in there? It's for personal gain? Well, you and the Lord will talk about that part, the mission of helping and maintaining a sense of purpose. Right when leaders remind themselves of. Why am I here to serve? They can stay grounded.

Speaker 2 18:57

And one of the things is back in my home country, which is Jamaica, we have our justices of the peace, which it's a volunteer thing. We don't getices of Peace, which it's a volunteer thing. We don't get paid for that, but it's a volunteer thing and it's a voluntary role and it requires us to get involved. And I remember working with one of the custodians and for her mission was about helping people, transforming lives, reaching out to people, transforming lives, reaching out to people. And I remember she leaving her suburban home, coming down into the trenches with her straw hat in the sun, digging dirt that not many people would want to do with the community youth, preparing our, our flower garden, where we use um, we use old car tires and turn them out into planted containers, and we plant stuff like bell peppers, scallion, pak cho, all of these things, and we sell those things to the community and turn it around sending the kids back to school some of the kids. So we will understand our deeper why. It wasn't about the faith, but it's about how we can impact and our values are like okay, we need to help.

Speaker 2 20:06

Leaning on the faith and spiritual practices is another thing, because, for leaders, priors and scriptures or even spiritual counseling can help us renew our strength and provide clarity for trying times. Because there are times when, oh, yes, we're going to be tried. Because, just like that CEO with that $600,000 loss, yes, I'm sure he was affected mentally, but what are you going to do? We're all human beings and life goes on and the Lord talk about forgiveness. So, leading on our faith and spiritual processes, christian coaching, those are some of the things that would help us.

Speaker 2 20:42

Practicing gratitude, focusing on what went well, and just like that CEO who mentioned, yeah, instead of terminating this guy who has all these experiences and all the years of knowledge, why not keep him? And we can grow more. So, when we practice gratitude, be grateful because it could have been worse. Focusing on what went well, even enduring challenging times, can help leaders maintain a positive outlook. Gratitude encourages a servant leader to keep supporting their team. And when the environment feels tough, because when the boat is sinking, we need a leader to stand up and have that faith to say you know what it's going to happen, we're going to make it to the other side, just hold on, we're getting there and it's all about the positive gratitude that we have and also seek support.

Speaker 2 21:41

No man is an island. No man stands alone. We can't. We can't do it alone. We have to seek support and servant leaders can benefit, can benefit from a strong support system of mentors, coaches and their peers. Because when we feel like we, it's just, it's just me, there's nobody going through this and I am alone, it's just me. There's nobody going through this and I am alone. No, there are others who have gone through, not your journey, but because everybody's journey is unique, but at some point in time we all have been down a path that we need to get coach, we need to get our peers involved, we need to get the mentor, we need support, because I might see things one way, but when I have a support from a coach or a mentor or someone else, a spiritual counselor, it gives you a different perspective on your situation. Sharing the burden and learning from others' experience can provide an encouragement and provide new perspective. Experience can provide an encouragement and provide new expect, new perspective.

Speaker 2 22:47

And the last one focus on small wins, because a lot of us, as leaders, we want oh no, it must happen now. We must go for the big wins, but small, focus on small wins. Breaking the challenges into smaller, smaller pieces, manageable, manageable goals can help us right as we, as we maintain that that momentum and feel strong, feel a sense of accomplishment and even with the larger one, until they remain unsolved, unsolved, unresolved. But let's focus on small wins, take and then, as we say, take it one step at a time, because that will help us to get to where we want to go eventually. Take, take, baby step. And worse for some people who are starting out in the leadership race, who are just thrown in the position, who are, who just say okay, you are a supervisor, you're a manager or a boss, but you know nothing about leadership, you know nothing about being a leader. Focus on the small things, take it one step at a time. Focus on the small things, take it once, the better time.

Speaker 1 23:43

That's right, and it's okay if you don't know things, because that's what you know good and great leaders. Like you said in the beginning, they're always learning and growing, and you are so correct that so many times there's a vacancy and we're just, you know, promoting people in to those roles without providing them with the leadership development that they need. That is true.

Speaker 2 24:04

That is true. That is true because I've seen it and this is not hearsay or makeup, but I'm sure you have too, and we can maybe see others where people are in a position and because it is titled director or supervisor or manager, they are like, okay, I'm the leader for this group or I'm the leader for this department. But then again, I remember one person who reviewed my book. He is the sales manager, yes, and he was recently promoted to that position. And when he bought the book, he read the book. He was like I thought this was my leadership style.

Speaker 2 24:50

But when I read it and did this exercise, I found out, oh, I'm a transformational leader. And I'm like, yeah, because a lot of us feel that, oh, we have arrived at the position we can say, oh, oh, yes, I'm a leader. But then in real reality we haven't even done a full self-assessment to know what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, what are our core values. And I'm one of those people because I had to write an essay on this years ago that I believe that leaders are born. Leaders are born. Leaders are not made. You can learn, but leaders are genuine leaders are born because you have that passion within you and from a biblical standpoint right, once you have those passion, servant leadership the greatest of them all. Because I remember in certain situations that I've served, I asked my team how can I make your job better?

Speaker 1 25:43

When we need to be asking that more and again. It's like a backwards type of leadership, when you know somebody may be sitting at the table and if you are to to say those words and ask that question, they're like what are you talking about? Beyond their, their comprehension sometimes. But what I love about servant leadership is that somebody can be tuning in right now and saying, well, I've never considered myself a servant leader, but I'm doing a lot of these things, and what they can do is maybe take the next step and maybe talk a little bit about what would that next step be for somebody who is thinking, oh well, I do align with what Dr Brown's saying, but I need to learn more and really integrate servant leadership into what I'm doing.

Speaker 2 26:35

You know that's a very good one, because that's where now, coaching your journey would definitely require the coaching aspect, because it would help you to understand your purpose more and it helps us to dig deep within our souls and ourselves to find out who we truly are, what our values are.

Speaker 2 27:01

And I remember doing an assignment a few years ago and we submitted it and it was about some values, I think, I think, yes, or skills, and we submitted it and it was sent. I was like no, no, no, no, y'all need to go dig deeper. So, when we take that approach, that humbly approach, to get the help we need, you know what? I'm going to get a life, a coach. I'm going to get a mentor, I'm going to seek advice and, instead of going to the bar to have drinks, go to the bar to get information on how I can make myself better as a leader. Go to the summits, read the books, go to the workshops and don't wait on some of these corporate organizations, because I believe, with technology, a lot of these companies, especially with AI, they are becoming less humanized, put it that way. So we must be thinking about our growth, our development, ourself and how I can do it for me because, at the end of the day, it's about me and me impacting others.

Speaker 1 28:10

You know, and I like that you said that, because if we're going to pick up the mantle of being a leader and demonstrating leadership, it's up to us. And yes, you know corporations. They may offer some leader development. It may be required or it may not, but you need to look outside of that. Okay, what do I need personally so I can serve my people well and serve them best and rise into that excellence? And so it's one of those things where you can't wait for somebody to approach you and say, hey, I'd like you to take this course or I'd like you to get coaching. It's like be proactive with your organization and say, hey, this is what I'm looking to do and I'd like to register for this or whatever it is. Is that something that you can help me with?

Speaker 2 29:05

And that is so true because it goes back to a seminar I had earlier this year and they were all supervisors as well Six supervisors, one manager, and they all had the consensus that I wasn't coached, I wasn't mentored, I was just thrown in the position. I applied, I got it, nobody said anything. And what you are saying here is like, oh, and when I asked them, a part of the exercise was to create a personal leadership statement, they're like, oh, my goodness, and they had to read it out to the team, to the other participants, and I'm like this is how you are going to move forward, because this is where now they understand their values and how they can make an impact. Because there was one particular person who said, oh, this manager, he never said good morning, he just walks by, walk right by us, and I'm like, oh, my Lord, yeah, so we don't want to be that person. We don't want to be that person, we want to be a change person and, as we mentioned about the summit for next year that I'm hosting, it's about the leaders build the call, the work, the legacy, and we want to create leaders.

Speaker 2 30:23

It's a hot topic. It's a hot topic, but we can't seem to get it right, want us to think about building ourselves, stepping outside the corporate box, and how can I develop me? And at the end of the day, it's about me and what I can achieve to help make it better and think ahead, think long-term. How can I make that impact for generations to come? And it's like I tell some of my colleagues that when you have a book or you write something or you create something, you leave that for generations to come and you have that impact. You leave that impact that others can see and know that. Oh so this is how, this is why and this is when. So once we think about others and think about the long term and how we're going, how we can make that impact, then that will that will propel the influence in us to do that.

Speaker 1 31:23

Goes back to either living your legacy or leaving your legacy. Legacy what is most important?

Speaker 2 31:31

Yes, yes, because I often say I had a situation years ago at an organization where this guy was. He was horrible and I remember I called him out for something and the next day I got to work my chair was soaked with water and I'm like, who could have done this? We all know who he was. And it brings me back to the point. When we work at an organization, as leaders, I often challenge and I challenge that group the time when you leave that company. How do you want to be remembered? Do you want to be remembered as that dude who throw the water on the chair, or do you want to remember as a leader who, okay, you know that person encouraged me, empowered me, motivate me to become this, to become that? And since I remember when I launched my second book, this is a perfect example.

Speaker 2 32:22

When I launched the second book, I invited someone and he invited his wife and on that day the wife had, she got the results for some exam that she, some tests that she took, and she came over and she was like you know what? I am so grateful for you. I'm like, what did I do? And she said today is a big day for both of us. I'm like, really, how come I passed my something test I don't remember what it was Something test and her husband was supposed to take her and buy her ice cream and she was like, because of you and what you have done and what you said, today I am empowered and I'm motivated to go do my PhD, my doctoral studies, Wow.

Speaker 1 33:10

I'm like, oh yeah, how are we going to impact people?

Speaker 2 33:16

So we have to think about just serving others, serving others and how we can do it, how we can serve others, and sometimes we say some things that we don't even know what we're saying and we don't even remember, but it is transforming lives. It is transforming lives and that's why we have to make sure that, as leaders and servant leaders, we are on top of our game, to make sure that we create it and continually to be the authentic person to serve our communities and maintaining that strong sense of purpose. Because, when it comes down to the end of it, the nitty gritty of it, dr Willan, it's about what did we do to help bring the change around us?

Speaker 1 34:03

That's right, give yourself permission to do everything that you heard here today. Let me tell you this is good stuff.

Speaker 2 34:07

Thank you. I think that's one of the reasons why I started Sapphire Life, because Sapphire Life is about helping people. And um, it was this week, this, this last. Back to school we had um and let's, let's use Sapphire Life because that our board, we are all volunteer, we we are, we are growing on to the next step, because it's our 30-year anniversary this year. We're celebrating three years this year and this year we had so many backpacks and books and pencils and the board was like what are you going to do with the rest of them? We gave out all that for the people who came to the event here in Florida. So what are you going to do with the rest? And I'm like, oh well, I don't know. And they're like oh well, send it to Jamaica. And the person we wanted to do to take them to Jamaica, they took sick and we tried to send it through FedEx. Fedex couldn't. They were like charging us an arm and a leg. And I'm like, ok, this is not going to work. And they're like, well, let's go on a plane. Go on a plane and deliver this stuff.

Self-Funded Servant Leadership Impact

Speaker 2 35:06

And I remember when I gave it to one of my colleagues she's a justice of the peace for the parish of St Andrew. She's a Justice of the Peace for the Parish of St Andrew. She said, aiden, if you only know what you are doing with these books. Last year she got a dressmaker to get fabric and sew a one strap bag out of cloth to give to the kids in the community. And she said this year I am so happy that we can give them bags and books and pencils and because of that I did a commitment to raise 200 backpacks for them next year. There you go. So that is what it means to serve people. And at the end of the day, you want to know that someone is going to school with a backpack with books and pencils and pens and they don't have to worry. How is it that they're going to? When the rainfall? It's going to get wet, it's going to get soaked, I'm going to lose it, stuff like that.

Speaker 2 36:08

And server leadership serving people, giving back, reaching out, helping. Server leadership serving people, giving back, reaching out, helping and and I must add, I must add that all this monarch sorry, sapphire life, it's a self-funded organization. It's a self-funded organization. People might wonder how do you do it? But they can't come on board this year with us, to take us to the next level, but I would encourage our listeners, viewers and everyone who consider themselves a leader or working in leadership is to really take that time to get to know who you are, understand what you are doing and how you can create that impact that can transform lives and people. And once you understand your passion and your purpose, it will help you to chart a course of purpose. Understand what you are there for and who you are there for not you, but for others.

Speaker 1 37:11

There you have it, Dr Aidan Brown. Thank you so much again. You keep doing great things and we will see you soon.

Speaker 2 37:18

Thank you, I appreciate you. Thank you, dr Whelan, I appreciate you. God bless, god bless.