With a vision that states “grant the wish of every eligible child, every year”, the Make-A-Wish foundation is aims to do just that. When you sign into Facebook the past few weeks you have the option to change your profile pictures to “Share Your Ears” and Disney will donate money to the Make-A-Wish foundation. But how did it all get started? How does a non-profit continue to thrive during a time when there continues to be unemployment?
The foundation started in the spring of 1980. A US Customs Agent Tommy Austin tried to help his wife’s friend who had a son with a diagnosis of leukemia who wanted to be a police office. Agent Austin requested the help of the department and his wish was granted. The department put together a day that Christopher would always remember. He had uniform, badge, and even earned his motorcycle wings. Soon after, Christopher passed away. Everyone was moved from this experience and at an officer’s retirement party, that summer, was the beginning of the Make-A-Wish foundation http://wish.org/about-us/our-story/how-it-started).
These men didn’t offer to help to get publicity or even to start a foundation. They wanted to help in order to give a little boy the experience of a lifetime. When looking at what these agents and officers did for a little boy I think that they used the Authentic approach to leadership. According to Northouse (2106), describes authentic leadership as a process where leaders and followers work together. One of the most important aspects of the transformational leadership is the moral dimension of the trait. The moral dimension is that this type of leadership requires leaders to “do what is ‘right’ and ‘good’ for their followers” (pg. 206).
Furthermore, this leadership style of authentic leaders understand their “own value, place follower’s needs above their own, and work with followers to align their interests in order create greater common good” (pg. 207). These men and women who brought their community together to help a little boy fulfill his wish to be an officer never knew it would turn into the Make-A-Wish foundation. Now, the foundation currently fulfils a wish every 37 minutes in the United States. The act of kindness and the act of authentic leadership started a huge movement in the United States to fulfill the wish of a child who is experience a life threatening illness. What better way to make a change.
References
Make-A-Wish foundation information found at http://wish.org/about-us/our-story/how-it-started
Northouse, P.G. (2016), Leadership: Theory and practice. (7th ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage
Publications.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is one of the most inspiring, selfless, and kindest charities that someone can do for a family. Someone who is willing to go out of their way to ensure that a child feels that type of joy and happiness during some of their darkest days is truly moving. You mentioned authentic leadership and how that played a role in the creation of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and I think you are correct. According to Northouse (2016), authentic leadership has both interpersonal and interpersonal perspectives, focusing on the leader him/herself as well as the leader and follower relationship, respectively (p. 196). It is clear that what the founders of Make-A-Wish did was use the interpersonal process of authentic leadership to create “results not from the leader’s efforts alone, but also from the response of follower” (Northouse, 2016, p. 196).
Another type of leadership that I believe these founders showed was transformational leadership. According to Northouse (2016), transformational leadership is a style of leadership that focuses on connections between leaders and followers that raise motivation and morality in all participants (p. 162). Within transformational leadership, there are four transformational factors that must occur: idealized influence/charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Northouse, 2016, p. 166). Although all four of these factors exist, I think the Make-A-Wish foundation founders relied heavily on the individualized consideration, which Northouse (2016) describes as leaders who “listen carefully to the individual needs of followers” (p. 166). It is apparent that these founders listened and then understood the needs of these children, and found a way to give them hope. The money they raised could have possibly been spent on new research and/or development, however I would argue that the lives they changed has done just as much, if not more, for the millions of people they have touched.
Great post.
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Print.