Momentum Leadership Series: Lessons For and From Our Chiefs — Jerry Strebig
By Jerry Strebig
A Clear Intent
Before the weekend event in September 1999 where our men’s organization Momentum selected its leader, a role we call Chief, I doubt I would have been on the short list to become Chief in the minds of many men in Momentum. But I had talked at length with my men’s team about stepping out, and had a very clear intention in mind by the time my moment arrived. When the selection process started, I was the first to declare my intention to be Chief and declare my vision, and was ultimately selected as Chief.
In the years just prior, Momentum had deep introspective work as its focus. In fact my men’s team had been instrumental in bringing outside facilitators and deep introspective work to the Momentum community in one of our annual weekend retreats. But after years of heart-wrenching work, tears, and walking in essential silence, I was ready for a break. I thought the introspective work was good, but was convinced we’d focused on it so narrowly that we had lost some of our animal instincts and warrior spirit. I wanted us to think less and live more: more adventure and more warrior energy would help balance this era of introspection.
During my chiefdom, many of the general meetings were more focused on warrior energy with karate exercises, battle games and other vigorous activities. In addition, I organized a big adventure trip for 30 Momentum men who went on a 5-day Grand Canyon trip. We rode horses, shot shotguns, flew in helicopters to the canyon, rafted the canyon and spent a night in Las Vegas on the way back. A great trip and certainly one of the highlights of my time in Momentum.
A Surprise Reprise
At the end of a year, at the next Momentum Chief selection process, I completed my stint as Chief. Other men stepped up for their shot. Then some of Momentum’s elders invited me back into the circle to ask about any unfinished business or things I wished I had done better. This really gave me pause because I personally set a high bar for what I consider a job well done. I realized I hadn’t met my own standards on some of my results. I think to the surprise of most everyone present, especially myself, I re-presented myself as a Chief candidate and was confirmed by the men to be Chief for another term.
Back to Basics: Membership
That second year of my chiefdom I focused more on membership issues. Momentum had not been doing a great job at recruiting new men into the organization and getting them onto teams. So I sponsored a number of initiatives:
We brought back an informal meeting style we called “a dog and a log”, where men sat around a firepit bringing a sausage on a stick and a piece of wood for the fire. These meetings allowed men not on teams to have a monthly place to connect with other men.
For men not on teams, I asked willing teams to host these men as temporary members until we had enough men to create a new team.
We conducted team building nights for new and veteran men not on teams. In the most successful of these events, 15 men enjoyed a BBQ and by the end of the night had been formed into two new teams.
We focused on being more attentive to guests who attended Momentum’s monthly meetings, enhancing their positive impressions that inspired more of them to join.
These efforts greatly improved the organization’s recruiting and retention. Our membership grew to about 125 men that year, the most we’d ever had up to that point.
Supported and Satisfied
I finally stepped down as Momentum Chief in Summer of 2001. I left the role feeling very well supported as Chief by the men of Momentum. The support I received felt like a gift from men who wanted the best for me and the organization. I still think there were some things I could have done better, but overall I now felt satisfied with my accomplishments as Chief.
I am thankful for the opportunity to have led such great men. It is a little ironic that I wanted to bring more fun and adventure to the organization and yet I also grew in so many other dimensions as a man during my time leading Momentum. I wish every Momentum man could have the experience of being Chief. It is a fulfilling, growthful experience you simply can’t get anywhere else.
Key Take-aways:
My clear vision and intention paved the way for me to be selected as Chief.
I brought vigorous warrior energy to balance our prior focus on introspection.
An invitation to assess my performance as Chief led me to the surprising decision to take on another stint to more fully fulfill my intentions.
I felt well supported by the men and believe any man will benefit from the experience of leading.