by Peter A. Arthur-Smith, Leadership Solutions, Inc.®

“Mountain tops inspire leaders but valleys mature them.” Winston Churchill

   There’s no doubt there will be extra challenges putting together leadership teams for Micro-Finance Sheltered-Enterprise Communities. Such populations are likely, in the most part, to be at the lower end of any leadership spectrum. However, this writer believes it isn’t impossible to find some leadership talent based upon the 80/20 rule. That means, out of any population group, no matter how bad that group’s behavior may be, there’s the strong likelihood of exceptions in finding potential leaders.

So within that 20% we have to find the most likely leaders that are within it. It’s even conceivable that the first person to establish a homeless ‘colony’ is a potential

leader. Someone who took it upon him/herself to strike out on their own. He/She attempted to find their own solution to their predicament, and that act attracted other similar people to join them. That sounds somewhat like a leader!  

There’s even the possibility that potential leader had a run of bad luck, brought about by some poor decisions. We’ve all regretted some of the decisions we’ve taken. We’re also aware of real-life stories of formerly decent people, who allowed themselves to become hooked on drugs, and then their lives spiraled out of control. We even hear those occasional stories about people who put their lives back together and rejoined mainstream society. It’s this latter group – the ones who were determined to find their way back – who are potential leaders for our Micro-Finance Sheltered-Enterprise Communities. Maybe they can lend their potential leadership talents to their ‘colony;’ during their return journey to regular society.

It will be the job of community social workers to spot such individuals and cultivate them as candidates for a possible future Sheltered-Enterprise Community Pathfinder role – drawing more upon the EL Breakthrough Team concept rather than EL Enterprise Team approach.  Concurrently that same community social worker will come across other homeless-downtrodden characters, who are just tentatively ‘turning the corner’ on their way back to mainstream society. Once that potential Pathfinder is spotted, someone who others turn to for leadership, the social worker should spend time encouraging that individual, as well as any other individuals who may show promise.

Where the likely Pathfinder does bite, the social worker has to build the Micro-Finance Sheltered-Enterprise Community idea into a compelling purpose within that individual’s mind. Encourage that individual to consider building tiny-home communities or shelters by colony members, plus weekly or bi-weekly market stalls where crafts and wholesale fruit and vegetables can be sold by other members. The Pathfinder can also foresee ad-hoc groupings engaging in clean-up duties or community cooking activities. That potential Pathfinder can work with the social worker to convert other individuals who are trying to ‘turn the corner:’ people who could potentially become something like an Optimizer, Innovator, Acquirer, Developer, Introducer or Human Factor (OIADIH)…more on these roles in the book.

Once they begin to join in, albeit with some promising and less promising moments, then the social worker and the potential Pathfinder should start sharing their compelling Micro-Finance Sheltered-Enterprise vision; along with all the potential benefits of organizing themselves in a particularly favorable manner. The social worker by that time has also found potential, pro bono accounting, legal and business-minded professionals, who have already bought into the concept. So, at the right moment, the social worker will introduce these professionals to the growing band of ‘unlikely’ leaders – Pathfinder and potential OIADIH members.

       This rag-tag team will then, with the assist of their advisory board members, put together an outline Simple Success Strategy (SSS) – see earlier phase articles – showing their compelling vision, inclusion of their ‘colony’ workforce, and their own enlightened leaders (ELs) and advisory board team. Once it’s outlined, this EL team needs to be tested through the forming and storming phases of team-building to determine how solid it is; or whether certain members wish to drop out and be replaced by others. (NOTE: Wherever drop-out can be prevented, the advisory board should do so – or at least drop-outs should be handled with great care – since spurned members could easily turn into adversaries rather than enablers. On occasions they may be even better suited to become potential Pathfinders rather than leader-team Strategists, consequently should be cultivated for that possibility instead.)  

Once the budding team gets to the norming and performing phases, then this team will be ready to launch its Micro-Finance Sheltered-Enterprise Community with the help of very limited city, county or community funding along with voluntary donations. From there it will recruit colony members to help build tiny-homes or shelters, create craft products, and portable stands for their and fruit, vegetable and other products. It will also put together volunteer clean-up teams to commence tidying-up the ‘colony’ on a regular basis.

And so a cycle of building tiny-homes or shelters, producing products or services – the leader team may have already decided on a limited business venture – holding regular craft and produce street fairs, and timely street-cleaning efforts will have begun. For those with health issues, the city, county or State can be involved in taking care of those people and place them in more satisfactory circumstances. Celebrating ongoing successes at each appropriate moment will encourage continuing efforts until a new way of life is established for all ‘colonists.’  Some will then find their way back into mainstream society, while others will continue being gainfully utilized within their colony.

With some luck, the colonies will morph into organized tiny-home or shelter communities, with most participants being gainfully involved in producing an income for feeding and recreational purposes. Over time their dependence on their city, county or State will be reduced and it’s likely such colonies will shrink in size as members gradually migrate back into the mainstream once more.  Suitable and continuing education, with the help of their advisory board, will aid a greater responsibility within colony members to help themselves. Some of their leaders will also become leaders back in society’s mainstream, too. Are you ready to get Micro-Finance Sheltered-Enterprise Communities going in your area?

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