There's an ART to Making a Difference

Part One: Awareness – What the Linn Cove Viaduct Taught Me About Leadership

In just a few weeks, I'll have the privilege of opening the Association Executives of North Carolina Annual Conference with a keynote titled, There's an ART to Making a Difference. As I've prepared both the presentation and the commemorative painting that will be unveiled at the conference, I've discovered something unexpected. The three North Carolina landmarks I've chosen each tell a leadership story. Over the next three weeks, I'd like to invite you behind the easel as I share those stories. We begin with one of my favorite places in our state the Linn Cove Viaduct and the lesson it continues to teach me about awareness.

At first glance, the Linn Cove Viaduct is simply one of North Carolina's most breathtaking drives. But its greatest achievement isn't the graceful ribbon of concrete that hugs Grandfather Mountain it's the remarkable decision behind it. Rather than carving a highway through one of our state's greatest natural treasures, conservationist Hugh Morton championed a vision to protect the mountain. Engineers responded with an innovative design that wrapped the Blue Ridge Parkway around the landscape instead of through it. The project required more creativity, greater patience, and extraordinary engineering, but the result became one of America's most celebrated scenic roadways.

As I painted the viaduct for this year's AENC commemorative artwork, I realized it illustrates something far greater than beautiful scenery. It captures the very first principle I'll share during my keynote.

Awareness: Not simply seeing but seeing what others miss.

There are three lessons every leader can learn from the Linn Cove Viaduct.

• Awareness sees value before everyone else does. Hugh Morton understood that Grandfather Mountain wasn't an obstacle to overcome. It was a treasure worth preserving. Great leaders recognize people, opportunities, and ideas that others may overlook.

• Awareness asks better questions. The challenge wasn't simply, How do we build another road? It became, How do we accomplish our mission while protecting what matters most? Better questions almost always produce better solutions.

• Awareness creates a lasting legacy. Millions have crossed the viaduct without realizing its greatest accomplishment isn't what was built—it's what was preserved. Leadership is measured not only by what we create, but also by what we choose to protect.

That lesson extends far beyond the mountains. Association leaders practice awareness every day. They notice members who need encouragement before they ask. They recognize emerging opportunities before they become obvious. They see potential where others see problems. Every meaningful difference begins with someone willing to notice what everyone else walks past.

Next week, I'll share the second landmark in the painting and how the Old Guilford Mill illustrates the power of Resourcefulness making the most of what you already have.

Until then, perhaps the first brushstroke of every masterpiece and every meaningful act of leadership is simply this:

"The people who make the greatest difference aren't always those with the most resources. They're the ones who see possibilities long before everyone else."

I hope you'll join me next week as we continue the journey behind the easel.