Transformative Leadership Lessons from Volunteering in Rural Chile: Sue Elias’s Journey
Sue Elias is EVP of Parks & People Foundation in Baltimore, MD and has 25 years working in the nonprofit sector as a leader, executive, and volunteer. Reflecting on the experiences and events throughout her career, she witnessed great leadership despite limited resources or adverse circumstances – and thus, her blog content was born. Sue, a Buffalo native who knows that chicken wings should only be served with blue cheese dressing (never ranch), lives in Baltimore with her husband and 3 children. She believes that being a mother of teenagers is her greatest leadership challenge to date.
Post-college, I signed up for an international volunteer service program in rural Chile so that I could put my values into action.
The program had four pillar values that matched my own: service, community, a simple lifestyle and spirituality. The experience was transformative and I left a piece of my heart in the village that became my home.
It has now been 25 years since I completed my volunteer service and returned to the United States. Upon reflection, I learned some pretty essential leadership lessons during my two-year stay in the hills of Chile.
Be authentic. Not long after my arrival in Chile, I had to make the intentional decision to be authentic about who I was and where I came from. One evening, I was visiting with a family and watching the evening news. The news was doing a story on a visit by the President of Chile to my alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. At the end of the feature, the broadcaster announced how much it cost to attend the college. The family I was visiting lived in a house with dirt floors and no indoor plumbing. Our realities came into stark contrast in an instant. I knew I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t grow up middle class with all its privileges. I had to be honest to form authentic relationships.
Be reflective. A frequent emotion felt while in Chile was loneliness. It was so easy to feel isolated as I struggled with basic forms of communication. I was new to learning Spanish and had to work hard in every conversation. I also spent a great deal of time alone walking or biking through the mountains to get to where I needed to be. I learned this time was a gift to reflect on how I was living out my values in such a new and challenging environment. I also learned how to observe, take in and get life from the majesty of the Andes mountains.
Be aware of who has the most to lose. It became clear to me people without many resources often take big risks when seeking change in their lives. The woman who would become my best friend while I was there had recently moved back to the village with her family. She and I were both 22 years old, but she had been married for five years and had two children. Her family had taken a risk when they moved away so her husband could make a big career move to manage a local farm. When the job didn’t work out, they all moved back into one room in the back of her mother-in-law’s house. Her husband had to leave to work in the copper mines. Being a part of their lives during this difficult time changed the way I viewed risk and reward.
The values and leadership lessons gleaned 25 years ago still exist today. Spirituality requires reflection. Simple living involves making choices to positively impact those having the most to lose. You can’t be a part of a community unless you are willing to be your authentic self. Service requires the bridging of distance to create a real connection with people.
When I arrived in Chile, I was a young adult starting to grapple with the questions, “What are my values?” and “How do I live those values through my action and in my relationships?”
It’s important to recognize those moments that helped answer those questions. I am forever grateful to that amazing experience which helped turn the ideas of service, community, simple living and spirituality into lifelong values.
