When a Leader Decides to Do Something

Recently I experienced one of the most powerful examples of leadership that I have ever seen - a man who is leading transformational leadership in reality. This man doesn’t lead with just words, nor solely with action - rather, he tells and shows. He is not interested in fame, but rather in fulfilling his calling as a leader.

Tim Ulrich is his name and what he is doing is an amazing example of what could happen in neighborhoods all over this country.

Tim is a Californian who moved to the inner city of Oklahoma City with his two children and wife after finding some real estate ventures that fit his criteria. The story is amazing in several ways.

At first, Tim simply bought real estate he thought was a great value (though in a tough part of town). The goal was to flip the assets and return a modest profit. There are hundreds of thousands of investors all over this country doing the same thing. However, there is one difference with Tim. He began noticing the needs of tenants and surrounding areas, mostly filled with the homeless and the broken. There was also a tremendous amount of illegal activities (drug dealing, prostitution, and so on).

Here is the leadership lesson…

First, Tim gained a clear vision and then a calling to do something about the problems he was seeing. Second, Tim and his family began to strategize and execute on the calling he received. That was over two years ago.

The problems were overwhelming. His new building was ironically located on California street. This street was filled with every vice a typical run-down city block would have, yet, Tim began to slowly transform what he could control.

It started with the following:

1. They cleaned out the back alley that had open prostitution and drug dealing.
2. Tim began mowing the fields around his new building, which was allowing people to deal crack within the chest high weed infested field.
3. A group of volunteers painted the newly purchased buildings. That led to a painting project of several buildings around their new building they strategically called, “Refuge.”
4. They began an alliance with the mission across the street to have a strategic plan to help those around them progress.
5. Tim began gathering a group of young leaders to come and lead with him in the transformation of California street in downtown Oklahoma City.

One and a half years later, Tim Ulrich’s leadership has led to a dramatic reduction of crime, drug dealing, and prostitution. The local businesses have joined force to help the community. The city council has taken notice as well.

Notice this - none of this was done with government funding! These results are the by-product of one man seeing a problem and doing something about it. He now has an apartment complex in a former brothel. He now is helping restore and transform an area the police frequented because of killings and arrests.

Tim, his wife, and their two children are making a difference by leading by example. Here are some things I learned from Tim in the process.

1. Benefactors were part of the problem. The government was giving $1000 per month to the homeless who were walking across the street to buy crack and then living off of the shelter until their next paycheck.

2. Tim finds the ring leaders of illegal activity and then begins a relationship that either forces them to change or move on. He has found that there are leaders even in the midst of the homeless and drug addicts.

3. Tim focuses on the center and then leads to the fringe, meaning that to transform anything you must go to the core and work your way outward. This is a pivotal part of the strategy.

4. To transform you must start with the easy stuff. Mowing and new paint caused a ripple effect in this run-down area.

5. A leader calls others to personal responsibility. They only feed the homeless if the homeless bring something to dinner. Dozens of homeless people have thanked them for this as it has added dignity to their lives.

6. Government, business, and church must learn to work together. Tim and his team have been calling the suburbanites to the urban center to participate with sweat equity, not just money or donations.

Tim and his team is still working out their strategy. The reality is that Tim has broken a 20-year cycle of poverty, brokenness, and dysfunction. While many people have donated things to help, he is not doing this as a non-profit, but rather as a duty to lead people to transformation of their lives. To date, Tim has hosted hundreds of people to show what one leader can do.

I implore you not to just give money. Don’t simply give food or donate one hour to a non-profit group. Instead, think more strategically about changing a system or a neighborhood. Innovate. Lead people. Transform for the benefit of others.

Thank you Tim for your great example!

To find out more about Tim’s mission go to www.refugeokc.com.

Posted on October 20, 2009 in Leader Development