After Hurricane Katrina hit, I ventured twice to New Orleans to help with the cleanup and restoration process.  I was blessed to have my sons, Scott and Spencer, travel with me.  It was almost 18 months after Katrina hit the first time we went down there but I remember clearly how many of the structures remained as if the storm were yesterday.

We had the amazing experience talking with many of the residents that had either stayed, or recently returned, to start picking up the pieces in an attempt to put their lives back together.  Many had still not received any financial aid from their insurance companies or FEMA.  In fact, most of the people we spoke with had been doing anything and everything they could with no more than what was left over from their paycheck every week.

The thing that really amazed me were the stories of sacrifice, not only during the storm, but during the restoration.  We met one man who’s family combined, lost 5 homes.  They were in the process of fixing home number 3, doing them one at a time, and only two of the family members had full- time employment.  Most of the people working were either volunteers or residents.  There was not a contractor in sight in the residential areas.  This still amazes me in that after 18 months you would think things would be back to normal.  Far from it!

John Maxwell in his  The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership says that:

“A Leader Must Give Up To Go Up.”

We saw a lot of sacrifice during those two trips and Maxwell was right,  a leader does have to give up to go up.  Many people, both workers and residents, had given up, not in the sense of quitting, but in the sense of giving up the opportunity to be somewhere else.  They were there to help those who had no other options try and put their lives back together.

The following year, we had the opportunity to return to some of the areas we had worked in before and revisit the people we had previously met.  I can still remember how excited they were to show us how much had been accomplished.  To us, it really didn’t look like much had been done but to them, everyday was progress.

Every time I hear something about New Orleans, I drift back to the memories of the two weeks I spent there with my boys and think about the sacrifices that were made by many to help others.  I think that the type of sacrifice that we saw in New Orleans defines what leadership is all about.

I acknowledge and appreciate the fact that thousands, maybe millions of people, provided financial support in the recovery efforts.  But to me, the real leaders were the people on the ground making a difference.

Leadership is influence, and in my eyes the people that had the most influence were not the ones that were providing money but the ones that provided encouragement, compassion and in many cases, simply be someone who would listen.

The next time you have the opportunity to help out someone in need, consider saving your money and investing some time.  From my perspective, sometimes sacrifice can bring out the best in people and a little investment of time may be worth much more than a check in the mail, not only to those in need but you as well.

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Barry Smith   www.buildingwhatmatters.com   9/12/12       photo by author