Front Step Service

(4) Write about one Philadelphian leader you have met: introduce him or her, describe the parts of the leadership system in relation to him or her.
“Do good for others,” said Reverend Wes Tisk, the only full-time employee of Front Step, a movement to better the Nicetown-Logan community of Philadelphia.
In a neighborhood where he was a racial minority, Wes interacts wholeheartedly with the people helps; Wes does not send a check in the mail or try to push Christianity into their lives. Instead, he uses his relational skills to bond with those he encounters, and it shows. Every person that stopped one of our teammates appreciated our work, especially when realizing we were at the park for Wes. He loves them, and they love him back, all because he truly cares.
Wes would easily fall into a charismatic leadership structure, being a leader that is a magnet for others and can lead by speech. At the same time, Wes is highly transformational, a role model that joined us and collaboratively worked to better the park we were working on. Because he was not paying us and our interactions with him were relational, he is not a largely transactional leader, though context can influence the type of leadership one exhibits.
In the equation of effective leadership, leaders plus followers equals positive change, Wes is a charismatic, transactional leader willing to work beside his followers in service work. The service work serves as the positive change, change specifically for Stenton Park and its residents. Furthermore, because some residents saw our actions and were inspired, we expect that more residents will feel passionate to work toward this positive change. Inch by inch, Wes is working to better the lives of the people he serves, and even hopes to one day offer cooking classes. Wes is not in his position for money or recognition; instead, Wes truly wants to make a difference, the sign of a strong, determined leader.

Checking in during our lunch break! (I had Burger King.) The Ships have been cleaning up a park in Logan, a neighborhood in Philly. With snakes, food, and the people we have met today, this will be a project for the books! Ready to get back to work with my team and better this city! Proud of the work I've seen today!

"Do good for others" - Rev. Wes TiskRead more