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Leadership Observations: One Week In Peru

Well, it has been just over one week since landing in Peru and, as we depart tomorrow, this evening is time for reflection on an amazing experimental learning adventure.

First, our wonderful and ever insightful tour guide from Reach Out And Learn, Chad Fugate. Chad, an Idaho native, has been involved in and has led numerous humanitarian trips to villages in Peru….ours was his 38th trip! His inspirational style, and devotion to servant leadership, makes him a wonderful leader. He took great care of our team and helped to organize our day of service in a local village.

Our “behind the scenes" guide, Cesar, also demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities. A native Peruvian, Cesar is a business leader with an exceptional network of contacts. He not only organized our adventure in Peru, but sought out a village in need through his own humanitarian organization. He also shared stories of his entrepreneurial past. Cesar has started many small enterprises from scratch and, like our book IN FOCUS PERU explains of Peruvians, when one venture failed he quickly started another.

And of course, our professor, Dr. McClellen, who was the guest speaker of the leadership seminar we attended in Cuzco. The participants, mostly doctors and nurses wanting to better lead their hospitals, were enthralled with his presentation and were actively engaged. His gusto and, shall I say “charisma," with the subject of leadership makes it hard not to appreciate and learn.

What an amazing trip to Peru that definitely accomplished its goal……to learn more about leadership.

Wayne

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Author Tim McIntosh, in his final thoughts of his work, LEADERSHIP: PERUVIAN STYLE, wrote: " Peru needs a different leadership approach to take advantage of the country's advantages. Peruvians recognize that effective leadership is possible when their leaders act with integrity through teams. If leaders listen to the clamor of their followers and changes their practices, Peru may very well witness a country wide change" ch. 10, pg. 1. Today, FSU Team Peru met with Cusco's Wanchaq's District Mayor Clodomiro Caparo to discuss leadership topics. The mayor is a doctor by training, and when asked how this education has prepared him to lead his city, he stated that as a doctor, he must listen to his patients in order to treat them. As mayor, he must listen to his constituents, similar to that as a doctor, in order to best serve them as well. As we have learned throughout this trip, the ability to listen is a very important step towards effective leadership.....and servant leadership in particular....in Latin America. Wayne

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"Kaufman (1995) believed that building confianza (trust) is essential for effective leadership and success in other endeavors in Latin America. He stated that foreigners are particularly vulnerable to poor communication, that causes mistrust and that once trust is broken in Latin America it is difficult to rebuild. Clark (n.d.) held that Peruvian mistrust of foreigners dates to the conquest of Peru by Francisco Pizarro and his betrayal of Atahualpa." - McIntosh, Ch. 2, Pg. 21. Our day today (29th July) was spent in a village outside of Cuzco, Peru where we interacted with mostly younger children. Playing with them builds this trust which is so important in developing and fostering a good relationship between our two cultures. The FSU group worked together as a team, and this had a positive impact on our new friends. Servant leadership can be difficult to achieve, and as McIntosh alludes to, servant leadership between two cultures presents its own unique problems. Today was a step towards a more perfect servant leadership role between our two cultures. Wayne

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The family in Peru (and elsewhere) is likely the most common form of leadership practiced. The family unit is very important throughout Latin America, and extends to cousins as far as can be traced by blood. "Dealy (1992a) stated that the family is still a source of power and security," "Delay (1992a) referred to the family as 'Latin America's primary means of succes.' " Both of the above quotes are from author Tim McIntosh in "Leadership: Peruvian Style." Many of the shops and stores that line the streets of Cuzco, Peru are family owned ventures.....run by the entire family. Many of the women, as they worked, cared for their young children at the same time. Older children helped to meet the requests of customers. Fathers keep the shelves stocked. Wayne

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"Peru’s natural bounty should make it the envy of other nations. It has vast mineral resources in gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, and iron, and extensive deposits of oil and natural gas lying under its surface," Peru: In Focus, pg. 42.

The above picture on our flight from Lima to Cuzco shows the Andes Mountains, which are full of mineral resources. During our visit with students at the Pontificate Catholic University of Peru, in Lima, one student studying Social Management mentioned the rise of concerns with mining operations in the mountains and its impact on the health of local citizens in mining communities.

Leadership will be very important to find a delicate balance between creating wealth for the local economy, but doing what is safe for the local populations as well.

Wayne