Stewardship: A Vision for the New Decade and Beyond.

The tone for 2019 was set one night between Christmas and New Year (2018) when I awoke at about 3am in discomfort. Almost immediately I had what would become the most central focus of my mentoring programme thrust into my mind, as though from an external entity.

The instruction that I received was that my mentoring should focus on stewardship. (My initial focus had been more broadly on values.) More specifically, it should focus on three stewardships, which are applicable to all: self, relationships, contribution. In that order.

From Self to Contribution

The self is the unequivocal foundation: well-being, character, competence. Next, each person has stewardship of their relationships: how they connect with, work with and treat others. Trust is foundational to high quality relationships. (Understanding, of course, that no one is singularly responsible for the quality of a relationship.) Finally, the stewardship of contribution, which focuses on what the person contributes in relation to their home environment (beyond money and material things!), their communities, and the wider world through their professional life.

The order of the stewardships reminded me of Stephen R. Covey’s aphorism that the private victory precedes the public victory.

Stewardship starts with self and continues to contribution.

Not so fast!

I was excited to share my epiphany with my wife the next morning and had the mind to go hell-for-leather in building the business and getting out there with my message. But there was a snag – I wasn’t well and didn’t know why. (There were plenty of other, less revelatory, occasions on which I awoke in the wee hours of the morning in discomfort!)

Thankfully, an unrelated scan a few months later showed that I had gallstones. By the time I had the surgery, however, almost half the year had gone. But when reflecting on the poor timing of the gallstones, I found a different perspective: I had to be absolutely convinced of the importance of taking care of my physical health as a priority, so that I could talk about the self as the first, foundational stewardship with greater authority and experience. The gallstones helped me with that. They taught me a lesson that is often most effectively learned through firsthand experience. They didn’t hinder my journey at all; they were part of it.

Stewardship isn’t about short-term quick wins; it’s about sustainable success.

Stewardship for Sustainable Success

I cannot think of a viable alternative to stewardship as a guiding principle in the pursuit of sustainable success.

Stewardship isn’t driven by short-term expediency; it cares for long-term, holistic needs.

Stewardship looks at the bigger picture, not just the narrow job spec.

Stewardship is big tent rather than closed border.

Stewardship is based on intrinsic values, not extrinsic rewards.

For the individual, a stewardship mindset leads to a life full of purpose, meaning and fulfilment.

For the organisation, a culture in which stewardship is the guiding principle is one in which leaders are found at every level.

Stewardship is what makes it possible for anyone, regardless of rank, title or status, to be a leader. 

Stewardship is simply the application of love through self-governance.

It is foundational to sustainable success.

Stepping up to Stewardship

I wrote a piece in 2017 about stewardship as the essence of trusted leadership. Little did I know then that stewardship would become so central to my mentoring programme. The epiphany that I had just before 2019 gave me a lot of clarity. It has also challenged me to do more and be more in each aspect of my life.

I know from my own experience and from the experiences of those that I have the privilege of mentoring that stewardship is the path to sustainable success – whatever that success may look like for each individual.

If we’re going to thrive as individuals and organisations in the long-term then the stewardship mindset will serve us well.

I spent much of 2019 refining my mentoring programme and taking care of my own stewardships, particularly through self-care. Now it’s time for me to share my message on stewardship with others – the epiphany wasn’t given to me to keep to myself.

My priority for 2020 is to get out and share that message. 

If you have an organisation or team who might benefit from the stewardship mindset then please get in touch. I’d be happy to talk.

Let’s strive for success that’s sustainable.