Start the Shift: What One Field Trip Taught Me About Person-Centered Leadership

I was 25, three years into running the nonprofit I founded at 22. We had a solid reputation by then — we ran a wildly successful summer Freedom School program that served 130–150 kids every year, offered free breakfast and lunch, and took field trips every Friday. Our returning interns were seasoned, our enrollment was full, and we had more staff applicants than spots to fill. On the outside, it was the dream.

And I was the inspiring, young Executive Director. Charismatic, passionate, always giving the kind of speeches that got people in their feelings. I'd walk into our 7:00 a.m. staff huddles and drop lines like, “Your job is to make sure every scholar has the BEST summer of their life, and I’ll have your back the whole way.” I believed in the mission with my whole heart, and I brought that fire every day.

But one field trip taught me a lesson I didn’t even know I needed.

That summer, we were about three weeks into the program. We had a massive field trip planned — one of those all-day, all-hands-on-deck situations. And this was the first trip without Courtney. Courtney wasn’t just a returning intern — she was "the glue". The unofficial operations lead. I knew she was great, but I didn’t fully understand how much of our daily smoothness relied on her being there.

By the end of that day, everything that could go wrong did. Kids wandered to the restroom without supervision. We were late due to an unexpected train issue. There was confusion about lunch plans, and somehow, we only ordered half the number of meals we needed. We had to cover the rest out of pocket, to the tune of $600. That was a blow.

At our end-of-day staff debrief, I came in hot, ready to set my team straight. We used a framework called "Two Positives and a Wish." I tried. I really did, but my positive was something snarky like, “Well, we made it back with all the scholars.” Then I unloaded my checklist of all the things that went wrong.

But when I opened the floor for feedback, my team surprised me. Yes, they owned their missteps. But they also spoke candidly about Courtney’s absence and how that gap exposed unclear roles and responsibilities. Many of them were willing to step up — they just didn’t know how. They admitted that while my big-picture speeches were inspiring, they often lacked clear direction. They didn’t know what to do when things got messy.

Here’s the real kicker: I had created systems that worked beautifully [for me] when we were a much smaller operation. But now, I was expecting returning staff and the culture I had built to fill in the blanks for newer team members. Without realizing it, I had started relying on unspoken norms and internalized knowledge that hadn’t been properly transferred.

And when things went off the rails, I defaulted to frustration, slipping into an authoritarian vibe that didn’t match how I normally showed up. There wasn’t a balance. I was either giving a TED Talk about our Big Bold Goal or going full micro-manager when things fell apart. There was no in-between.

That’s when it clicked: leadership isn’t about having one style. It’s about knowing when to switch it up.

My team didn’t just need to be inspired — they needed delegation. They needed clarity. They needed systems. So the next year, I hired Courtney officially as our Site Operations Manager. We created structures to make our expectations clear. And I learned how to lead with more than just my voice.

This is Person-Centered Leadership in action. It’s the ability — and willingness — to pivot between different leadership styles based on what your team needs in the moment. Not just based on your preference or comfort zone.

In our Person-Centered Leadership model, we teach four adaptive approaches:

• Transformational – Inspiring people with vision and purpose
• Delegative – Empowering your team with trust and autonomy
• Authoritative – Providing clarity and direction in times of uncertainty
• Transactional – Holding boundaries and expectations with consistency

You don’t have to be a master of all four. But you do need to recognize when a different approach is needed — and be flexible enough to use it.

That field trip taught me a humbling truth: leading with heart is powerful, but it’s not always enough. Great leaders inspire, yes — but they also delegate, direct, and deliver.

So the next time something goes sideways, don’t ask, “What’s wrong with my team?” Ask, “What kind of leader do they need me to be right now?”

That’s how the shift starts.

Want to explore your own leadership style?

Take our Person-Centered Leadership Assessment and start the shift. 

Need more inspiration and stories like this?

Explore the Coaching For Change series here