Putting wheels on one’s home and driving down the street is both an exhilarating and scary experience. Fully loaded with fuel, fresh water, and a minimal complement of personal belongings, a motor home can easily weigh over seventeen thousand pounds. Attach a tow vehicle and said motor home could stretch over 45 feet. There are no exams to drive one's house down the road (there probably should be). Experience, common sense, and a bit of luck go a long way in ensuring a safe journey.

Unfortunately, experience and luck were in short supply on a recent trip through Louisiana's marshlands. I was headed to a campsite in a state park, but unfortunately took a wrong turn and needed to find a large enough space to turn around. After driving aimlessly for several miles, I found a suitable site. Experience driving on the West Coast had taught me that gravel and grass could support the weight of a heavy vehicle. However, no sooner than I turned off the main road did the tires sink into the bogy soil. I was stuck.

​Success
​A leader is successful, but not necessarily in the limited way society conditions us to believe. Growing up in East Oakland, California, in abject poverty to a single parent with a severe mental illness, success was defined as material wealth. The car one drove, and the clothes one wore were more important than the relationships one fostered or their virtues. Now, I believe success is emancipatory and defined by the quality of my relationships, the family I helped create, and the acts of service I conduct. These beliefs guide my leadership.