law
Monday morning. >> From KPRC channel 2. This
>> From KPRC channel 2. This
is Houston newsmakers with
khambrel Marshall.
>> And good morning and welcome
to this special edition of
Houston newsmakers. Well, have a conversation with Joseph
a conversation with Joseph
Jaworski. You may know the
name, but perhaps you don’t
know him.
He’s been an exceptional lawyer
and corporate leader throughout
his career. But I would argue that his legacy is
would argue that his legacy is
not law but leadership. He’s a
founder of the American
leadership Forum which has
chapters across the country.
Houston’s Gulf Coast chapter
celebrating 40 years of training, collaborative
training, collaborative
leadership, who are some of the
senior fellows of a
left. Well, they are all around
you in leadership positions of
one kind or another with
responsibility for leading
organizations elected officials
judges the leaders of nonprofit
organizations religious
congregations and synagogues.
You can see from the faces
you’re seeing now people you
to be recognized because they are on the front lines of
are on the front lines of
leading collaborating exploring
ways to make organizations and
by extension our communities
better. Joe Jaworski started
this organization. I’m delighted to have him here to
delighted to have him here to
talk about the journey of a
left and the challenges of
leadership in our country.
Miss Joyce Kei, thank you for
joining me this morning. Good to see you are so
Good to see you are so
privileged to be reviewed 40
years ago 40 years ago. You’ve
been working to help people
become better leaders. Yes,
American leadership Forum
started 40 years ago. What would you say are some of the
would you say are some of the
key elements needed for
somebody to be a great leader. I would say.
I would say.
The
capacity to transform current
reality. That is to change
current reality. I think that’s the definition of true
the definition of true
leadership. Someone who can
come in. And a face current circumstances and create new
circumstances and create new
realities better realities for
us all less started. And you
the way you started. That was
you brought
people together and put them in an environment where they could
an environment where they could
really trust each other learn
to trust. Each other and
collaborate. that’s a bigger
challeng and putting it that
practice putting that into practice and society at large
practice and society at large
today. Yes, Back 40 years ago. The trust factor was not that
The trust factor was not that
great. It was it was.
Principally a matter of
diversity and bringing people together across. They’re
together across. They’re
they’re there are
different circumstances.
today there’s a a a. Real ripping the social fabric.
Real ripping the social fabric.
There is a real.
Social divide and social
fragmentation left can play a real role and healing that that
real role and healing that that
fragmentation. I really key on
that word. Social
fragmentation because now the
lf concept of bringing good quality leaders into a
quality leaders into a
community can play a big role
going forward here. The challenges making that happen
challenges making that happen
in a way that the people in the
community can trust that
leadership. That’s a big
challenge to it is a huge
challenge
and first there’s 2 levels. Severed first is creating the
Severed first is creating the
trust between the leaders
themselves. And I mean, I mean,
let’s let’s face it.
>> You can see in today’s. Political environment and in
Political environment and in
business environment. There’s a lot of mistrust between the
lot of mistrust between the
leadership themselves. lf has.
capacity and mechanisms to
create huge moms of trust.
But between the people going through the program and then of
through the program and then of
course, there are challenges
is to create trust once they’re
out of the program in the larger social Malibu. And this
larger social Malibu. And this
is a.
And Norm us past today. But
and we’ve talked about this
before. It is something that
you deem is necessary. If we
are going to bridge it. >> Those gaps that are there in
>> Those gaps that are there in
society is no question about
it.
And so one of the things
they’ll after this undertaking is its own renewal
is its own renewal
process to meet the exigencies
of this of this new dynamic
that exists which is a. Not anger and violence just a
Not anger and violence just a
huge divide between people. >> The the the the particular.
>> The the the the particular.
The mechanism. That’s that’s
going to be. Created. Yes.
How how do we help these people once the. Graduate from
once the. Graduate from
a left go out in the community
and heal this divide.
Themselves.
>> We’ve talked about a look at
your bio and what you’ve done
throughout your life is really focused on transformative
focused on transformative
leadership contest. Things.
The talk about that leader that
goes from being a good leader a transformative leader. The
transformative leader. The
difference between those 2.
Yes. Well, they’re those
at that.
>> types of leadership that
exist today. One is
transactional leadership.
It’s it’s it’s what we see
everywhere. We achieving leaders. These are people who
leaders. These are people who
have risen too great Heights in
organizational are civic
leadership. everything is seen as a rather
everything is seen as a rather
transactional sort of thing.
The trance transformational
leader undergoes an internal shift.
And the yeah, the the internal
capacity tells the difference
that this is this is an inside
job. Are creating the transformational leader.
transformational leader.
It’s about heart.
And in spirit. And you believe
that can be talk to people who
had a certain level. I’ve done
it for 40 years. That can
definitely
be done. It’s not it’s it’s
it’s a achieve. A bull and and necessary today.
A bull and and necessary today.
A lot of people who are now in
positions of leadership,
political positions of
leadership. Smart people.
Yes.
That fracture you talk about yes, certainly.
yes, certainly.
Among them. So it is not I
mean, no question about it.
A few years a key members of Congress came
a key members of Congress came
to us 2, my business partner
Susan Taylor and I Jenner on
international and ask us to help them. Create a program
help them. Create a program
to heal the divide, the
political divide in Congress
to be able to get. Both sides vow to to trust one
vow to to trust one
another again. And we created
that program put it completely
in place. That was during the obama
That was during the obama
administration.
as we were anticipating a
different outcome. We had that program in place. And and
program in place. And and
the Trump administration came
along and when we abandoned
that. But now they’re they’ve
come back to us and suggested that we start planning. This
that we start planning. This
That’s Yeah. I’m very excited
about it. How optimistic are you our leaders abilities in
you our leaders abilities in
this society to be able to.
Keep us out of the figurative
ditch, if you will, because
I think that.
There’s a general consensus that democracy is in peril
that democracy is in peril
right now. It is in peril.
And I think you’re absolutely
correct.
that there’s an environment that was created about 20 years
that was created about 20 years
ago. It is very different than it
It is very different than it
was when we started to yell
out, when we started, I left,
my key mentor was John W Gardner. And his his home.
Gardner. And his his home.
Way of operating was to create
common calls. In fact, he
created an organization called
common Cause, which still exists and operates today.
exists and operates today.
And he was the one that that
help me for my lf in that
image. Where are we? We create trust between the people and we
trust between the people and we
create trust in the community
and that.
Disappeared.
And and in in this current by the current environment.
the current environment.
It’s one of distrust and of
a Bangor. And a finger
pointing.
From what you’re telling me,
it seems that people who maybe even optimistic about our
even optimistic about our
potential going forward.
It’s going to take time is it
not to do that sack. It is.
There’s no question it’s going
to take time, effort and real commitment. But high
commitment. But high
and tension. But you seem to
be an optimistic guy about some
of this being able to get.
I was born an optimist had a.
And and I’m convinced we can
do it. It’s going to take a lot of hard work. It’s going to
of hard work. It’s going to
take money is going to take
resources
to create this new
infrastructure where we can do
it. One minute left 40 years ago. You started the
ago. You started the
organization and has grown
chapters across the country.
How proud of you about that
legacy that you’re leaving.
Well, I am proud of it and it means everything
of it and it means everything
the man was talking about
business partner moment ago. I realize the thing that I’m
I realize the thing that I’m
most passionate about in my
We are most passionate because
of as we show the video earlier
of all the people in our
community who are members of an
American leadership Forum.
leadership Forum.
>> Many who you don’t see are
also doing that as well and
that as a result of what is
going on because of your
Thank you. Thank you for what you’ve done. It’s a privilege
you’ve done. It’s a privilege
Always pleasure to see that you
wore ski award every year.
That’s given for people who are
doing leadership things of
greatness. And so it’s named
after him for good reason for
that. You can look for