I’ve Done All I Can Do

I’ve Done All I Can Do

When World War II was over and millions of veterans came home, the demand for single-family, affordable housing was overwhelming. Prefabricated houses, built on the Henry Ford assembly-line model, provided a viable option.  Suburban communities of such homes began to spring up. Since they were often established on what had been rural farmland, fire and police departments, schools, and the retail and public services found in urban areas had to be developed.

Common recreational spaces and parks in these new communities were also needed for the Baby Boomers. One such neighborhood came together to build a park. In the process, they also got a lesson in real leadership.  

Near the west side of their neighborhood, there was a wooded area that the developer didn’t clear. When a community group approached him about the land, he offered it for $1.00.  They bought it and organized the West Side Recreation Committee.   

They selected a neighbor who operated a small excavating business to chair the committee.  During the war, he was in the 4^th Armored Division, part of General George Patton’s Third Army.  He was the driver on a M4 Sherman tank crew. Not hard to imagine that when he came home he used those skills to become a heavy equipment operator.  

The first task the committee faced was to clear the land.  It was relatively level, but if it was to be recreational fields, it had to be flat.  An access road and a parking lot were also needed. A local sawmill offered to buy the timber from the land, if it was moved to an area where they could load it for removal to the mill.  Another member offered to organize a small group to take the trees down, so they could be moved and the stumps removed. The head of the committee said he could handle all of that. Things were coming together nicely.  By mid-May, the land had been cleared, and the trees were at the mill.

The next step in the process was to prepare the land.  It had to be leveled and graded. On the advice of a civil engineer who lived in the community, a system of pipes and trenches needed to be added for drainage.  Again, the head of the committee took charge. He did the excavating and organized a team to lay drain tiles.  Although that process took some time, by mid-June they were done.  Preparing the land for a quick planting establish turf and avoid erosion of the newly excavated land began at that time.  By late June the grass was sprouting nicely. They had also graveled the parking area and the road leading into the park. All that work was either completed or led by the committee chair.  

To celebrate their work and the 4^th of July, the committee decided to hold a picnic in the 

parking area. It was a pot-luck picnic, from which no one walked away hungry. When they were done eating the chair called a brief meeting of the committee and asked everyone to stay. 

Before he could say anything, someone suggested that he deserved a round of applause for getting the project to this point. Before the applause was over, another person said the park should be named for him. He thanked them then said they may want to reconsider, after what he was about to share. He said he’d asked for the meeting to tell the committee and the community that he could no longer be the chair.  

There was an awkward silence, which he broke with an explanation. “I’ve enjoyed this work.  It’s a fine project, and I was happy to do it. But frankly folks, I’ve done all I can do. The land is ready, but now we need someone to take the lead and turn it into the park we all want. And that’s not me.”  

Another member of the community, a landscape architect, said she’d be willing to become the chair and continue guiding the work on the park. There were also some legal matters, and an attorney, who had just moved his family into the community, said he’d handle all of that. That neighborhood and their project never missed a beat. One person’s expertise and experience had moved them so far, then others had the chance to continue that progress.  

Knowing when to step aside is an attribute of devoted leaders. Their personal interests or the ego-appeal of leading, never subverts their committed to the priorities of the groups, teams, or organizations they lead.  As a result, the groups, teams, and organizations they lead are empowered to make the most of the full range of talents at their collective disposal.

BTW: They named the park for him!