When I left you yesterday, I was hanging in LAX waiting for my flight south to Guatemala City.  About seven hours later the pilot’s voice came over the cabin speakers; “We are now beginning our descent into Guatemala City.”

My two hour nap on the plane was over and I could tell immediately that the sun was up high enough that I would be able to see the ground once we dropped below the cloud layer.

A few minutes later, there it was … Guatemala City.  I knew right away this was unlike anywhere I had been before.  I could clearly make out the densely populated neighborhoods with lots of metal and plywood roofed structures.  Debris piles at numerous locations and scrap vehicles seemed to make up much of the open space.

The thing I remember though was how green everything was.  Unlike the various locations I have been to in Mexico, Guatemala City looked “alive.”  Despite the clear evidence of poverty, there seemed to be a ray of hope within the landscape.

Clearing customs went fairly smooth and off to the hotel we went.  People everywhere, old red school buses for mass transit and narrow streets, much like Mexico, but I still sensed something different about this place.

Paul Martinelli, President of the John Maxwell Team, recognizing that we are on the maiden voyage on multiple levels with this process simply offered up the following advice; “Something will not go as planned this week.  Stay the course and enter into the spirit of suspending the requirement to know how.”  In short, be prepared to navigate around the bumps in the road as necessary.

John Maxwell provided his insight and wisdom for much of the afternoon and evening and shared with us how genuinely excited the “power” players in this Country are that we are here to help.

Today’s focus was on Values Based Leadership.  Using Abraham Lincoln as an example, John taught on five of Lincoln’s values.

COURAGE

Anytime we consider a significant change, we know a few things.  It won’t be easy.  Some people won’t like it, and most importantly, it won’t happen without taking a chance.

GOLDEN RULE

You know what it is.  Treat others as you want to be treated.  Certainly there is great disparity in who holds the wealth in Guatemala.  The family’s that control the majority of the wealth are willing to change their perspective and see things from the way they look on the other side of the fence.

HIGH STANDARD

The leaders of Guatemala recognize that the standard of living needs to be raised for the entire country, not just the elite.  As John has described it, “We want to raise all the boats, not just the yachts.”

COMPASSION

Living conditions are difficult for millions in Guatemala.  A compassionate view and a sincere desire to make life better today that it was yesterday is a concept that has been accepted wholeheartedly and that compassion has provided some common ground for all the residents anxiously awaiting this transformation.

COMMITMENT

This is probably the one thing that stuck out for me today.  We heard from several people involved in this great undertaking and one thing is very clear.  The powers to be in Guatemala and the team I am part of are without any doubt, committed to see this through to success.  There is no talk of failure.  Only of the great things that are to come.

This transformation will not happen in a day.  It will happen daily and the 1 in 7 educators of Guatemala that we train this week, are committed to taking these concepts to the remainder.  This is what will provide the transformation.  As it should, the transformation of this Country will come from within.

As it was suggested today, we are all pioneers in this effort.  That statement reminded me of a question I heard a while back.  “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

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Barry Smith    6/10/13   photo by author  © Building What Matters 2013