I had the joy of learning alongside of leaders from around the world utilizing the city of Dallas as a classroom to study transformational leadership during the past 10 days. I led a Dallas City Immersion in 2019 that was focused on Christian Community Development since it was wrapped around the CCDA national conference. That was such a great experience, and so was this one although it was unique in its own ways. This city immersion focused more on the DFW region, as we spent time in Forth Worth and other surrounding areas in addition to time in the city center of Dallas.
One tradition that we enjoy in Dallas is spending time at the home of our Chancellor, Dr. Brad Smith. He cooked up some wonderful Texas brisket for our international crew.
We intentionally expose our students to a wide variety of leadership styles from business, government, churches, and nonprofit organizations throughout the week. One of my favorite parts of every immersion is helping the students to frame what they are learning through eight transformational leadership perspectives.
We visited an organization called The Heights that shares its space with 15-20 other nonprofit organizations who provide full service support for individuals and families from their community. They are a wonderful example of partnership to serve a region.
This city immersion featured leaders from many different parts of the U.S., Guyana, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Nigeria, South Africa, and Canada. Everyone bonded through our peer learning approach.
The group spent time with lots of different leaders, including city council members.
The visit to the stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play was definitely a highlight for the group. Professional sports are an integral part of the culture of most U.S. cities.
We ate well! The Dallas area definitely delivers when it comes to culinary experiences.
Another highlight was a visit to RCCG U.S. headquarters in Dallas. The denomination from Nigeria has planted thousands of churches around the world, including more than 500 in the U.S. and Canada.
There was some robust dialogue at a roundtable discussion with key business and political leaders from Dallas. This particular discussion took place at the home of a local leader. We were so appreciative of the hospitality that we received throughout the week.
I am so thankful for the work that God did in drawing this group together and leading us into becoming more transformational change agents in our own cities by utilizing DFW as a classroom. I'm looking forward to seeing how the seeds of leadership that were planted over the past 10 days will grow as the leaders make their way back to their own cities.
