Equipping the Incarcerated to Re-enter Society as Better Leaders

Attracting an audience that represents various industries, including marketplace, non-profit, healthcare, education, government, ministry and recently, corrections, The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) has become a unique platform, bringing people together to empower better leadership within the organizations and corrections facilities they represent.

For two days I remember feeling like something other than a resident at a correctional institution.

Thanks to the Global Leadership Network’s generous donors, in 2022, the GLS will be broadcast into 200+ prisons across the U.S. to serve men and women behind bars. One of those leaders is Bo, who has been attending at Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City, MO, since 2019. In a recent letter to our team, he shared the impact the GLS has made in his life as well as on the culture of his facility.

“I have had an amazing and life-altering experience through this opportunity, and I wanted to share it with you,” Bo shared. “My story begins when I was invited to attend the GLS in August 2019. It was a very positive experience. For two days I remember feeling like something other than a resident at a correctional institution.”

As a result of Bo’s experience, a seed was planted to start a Global Leadership Development program at his facility to bring people together to learn about leadership and apply it to their lives. “After hearing Chris Voss speak at GLS19, I was aware that applying tactical empathy could benefit me in my interactions with other residents and staff members,” said Bo. “This concept worked and planted the seed for Global Leadership Development (GLD).”

Bo’s seed grew at his second GLS in 2021 after hearing Shola Richards talk about civility. “I realized I could ‘be the buffalo’ and apply these concepts in the prison to the benefit of all,” Bo explained. “My idea for the GLD resurfaced and others were also excited to expand the scope of the GLS experience. I read both of Richards’ books along with others. Reading books from many of the GLS presenters helped me understand who, why, and how I was, and gave me a shove to get uncomfortable and heal through connections and relationships with others.”

By the fall of 2021, a group of men gathered for a follow-up meeting to discuss what they had learned. Bo brought up the idea of a regular GLD gathering with the chaplain, and he suggested Bo send a proposal to administration. “I not only wrote a proposal, but also created directives, a syllabus, and a sustainability framework,” said Bo. “I spent a lot of time thinking about the GLD program, but with no experience, I was anxious and nervous. I knew that applying the process and practice of leadership to my desire to heal through connection and relationships would require me to get out of my comfort zone.”

We have a lofty goal of changing the culture of our institution and also establishing a path to give back to our communities by re-entering as smarter, better leaders.

In December 2021, the proposal was approved! In January 2022, they would have their first group meeting. To prepare, Bo watched over 30 GLS talks from the DVDs provided to the prison and started to create outlines for discussion. “Like anything new, the start was rocky,” Bo shared. “I felt very insecure, and I was doubting my idea. But through prayer and meditation, I knew the solution was to move through my pain, uncertainty, and chaos. I felt like this was a process, not merely a product.

“I continued by having several discussions with a participant that I knew could be a big help. He told me what he liked most about our group was that it was something that helped to ‘build us up in a place where everything tears us down.’ He offered to take the lead for the talk by Jo Saxton on the topic of ‘self-actualization.’ Our warden even joined our discussion and told our chaplain that he was impressed, and that it was like being back in a college philosophy class. It was all icing on the proverbial cake and a turning point in the program.”

Bo and the participants continued this model and explored how to apply the concepts they were learning in prison, discussing how it could benefit the life now in prison, as well as when they are released one day. “We also discussed how the lack of applying and practicing these topics caused us to come to prison,” said Bo. “We discussed how we can practice these topics now and we recognize that these ideas are a process that require us to try and put forth effort despite the difficulties of where we currently live. We discussed the importance of being willing to fail and to try again. In the words of John Maxwell, we are learning to ‘test, fail, learn, improve, and RE-ENTER.’”

By applying a process and practice of leadership, they have experienced many successes. “Recently, I was in the visiting room with my mother when I was approached by a gentleman I didn’t know,” Bo shared. “He was a little emotional and thanked me. He stated that he was impressed by his son’s growth since being a part of the GLD.”

I can honestly say that this experience has changed my life.

Moving forward, Bo and others are determining how the group will grow, including curriculum development and a process for how to involve community business leaders as well as state legislature. “We have a lofty goal of changing the culture of our institution and also establishing a path to give back to our communities by re-entering as smarter, better leaders,” said Bo. “In turn, this will help reduce recidivism and make our communities stronger and safer. We know that these are lofty goals, but we are also happy to say that we are well on our way.”

If you have ever donated a gift above and beyond the ticket prices to attend one of the Global Leadership Network’s events, you too are part of Bo’s story of transformation in prison. Thank you! To quote Bo, “I can honestly say that this experience has changed my life and created a calling and a direction for me to follow for my life moving forward.”

Learn how you can get involved or bring The Global Leadership Summit to your local prison at GlobalLeadership.org/Prison