An Introduction

For more than fifty years I have spent much of my life observing the world around me, asking questions, searching for answers, and sharing what I have learned with others.

During that time, I have worked with citizens, businesses, nonprofit organizations, schools, government agencies, and community groups. I have been involved in projects related to wildlife, natural resources, land use, community development, education, recreation, governance, and economic development. Some efforts succeeded beyond expectations. Others did not. In every case, however, I learned something.

One lesson stands out above all others.

While there may be no single solution to the many challenges facing our homes, communities, organizations, and society, there can be a common approach to understanding and addressing them.

I call that approach The Stewardship Way.

The Stewardship Way is not a political philosophy. It is not a government program. It is not a business model. It is not a religion. It is not an environmental movement, although it has much to say about the environment.

The Stewardship Way is simply a way of looking at the world.

It begins with the belief that we are all connected to the people, places, resources, and institutions that support our lives. Whether we realize it or not, each of us serves as a steward of something. We may be responsible for a home, a family, a business, a neighborhood, a community organization, a public resource, or simply the place where we live.

Over the years I have come to believe that stewardship begins with a few simple questions:

• What do I own?
• What am I responsible for?
• What do we own?
• What are we responsible for?
• What don’t I know that I should know?

Simple as they may seem, these questions have a way of changing how we see the world.

Many of the challenges we face as individuals, organizations, and communities can be traced to a lack of understanding. We often make decisions without fully understanding the assets we depend upon, the responsibilities we have accepted, the risks we face, or the consequences of our actions.

One of the realities of life is that responsibility does not disappear simply because we are unaware of it. A homeowner remains responsible for a leaking roof whether they know about the leak or not. An organization remains responsible for its obligations whether its leaders fully understand them or not. Communities remain responsible for public assets whether citizens pay attention to them or not.

The Stewardship Way encourages us to become more aware, more informed, and more engaged.

At its heart, The Stewardship Way is a process.

Live life.

Notice things.

Ask questions.

Seek understanding.

Learn.

Share what you learn.

Encourage discussion.

Take action where appropriate.

Preserve what is learned so that others may benefit.

That process can be applied almost anywhere and to almost any issue. It can be applied to our homes, neighborhoods, organizations, businesses, communities, and public institutions. It can be applied to natural resources, finances, infrastructure, governance, education, recreation, and countless other topics.

Over time, I began referring to this perspective as the Stewardship Lens.

Looking at a situation through the Stewardship Lens encourages us to ask questions such as:

• What is the purpose?
• What assets exist?
• Who owns them?
• Who is responsible for them?
• What information is missing?
• What risks exist?
• What opportunities exist?
• How might today’s decisions affect tomorrow?

The answers will differ from place to place and from person to person. The process, however, remains remarkably consistent.

The pages and articles that follow are simply examples of one person’s efforts to apply The Stewardship Way in everyday life. They are not intended to provide all the answers. Instead, they document observations, questions, investigations, discoveries, and lessons learned along the way.

My hope is that they encourage others to become more curious about the places where they live, the organizations to which they belong, and the resources upon which they depend.

Stewardship begins with awareness.

It grows through understanding.

It becomes meaningful through action.

And it starts wherever you happen to hang your hat.