Community change does not always start in boardrooms or through high-priced consultants. Sometimes the most transformative ideas emerge from conversations on a street corner or at the local gym. Joel H. Simmons learned this over two decades in roles ranging from paramedic to pastor, and now he helps other leaders harness that same grassroots energy.
Starting by Listening to Communities
Most leaders think they know what their communities need. Simmons learned the hard way that assumptions do not build strong organizations. His work with the Tenacity Foundation taught him something basic that most people overlook. “True community engagement starts by being present, by being here. Mind, body, soul, in the moment, feeling it, smelling it, seeing it, being part of the environment, doing the work,” he says. It sounds simple, but putting it into practice changes everything. Programs such as Virtues of a Superhero succeed because they begin with what people want to talk about, not with what someone in an office thinks they should discuss. The secret is not complicated. “You have to open your ears. It’s about listening. You have two ears and one mouth, and that’s for a reason,” Simmons says. This approach creates something most organizations struggle to achieve: people start believing their voices matter. “When people feel heard, they begin to believe they matter. And that is where empowerment is born,” he explains. Too many CEOs become bottlenecks because they think they need to control every conversation. Real leadership means stepping aside and letting others be heard.
Empowerment Grows Through Ownership
Here is where most organizations go wrong. They talk about empowerment but never give people real authority to make decisions. Simmons has seen this problem everywhere, from fire departments to youth programs. People become frustrated when they are treated as order-takers instead of thinking contributors. The solution is to give people genuine ownership of outcomes. “Empowerment grows through ownership. In order for our companies, our corporations, our youth to be able to grow, to get stronger, they have to have ownership,” Simmons says. This is not about letting people choose the office coffee brand. It means giving them the chance to design workshops, lead meetings, and make real decisions that shape how things get done.
His Inspiring Young Men to Greatness program proves that this approach works. “We do not just talk to our youth. We invite them to be co-creators in the experience,” he says. When people help build something from the ground up, they work harder to make it succeed. The dynamic shifts from people waiting for instructions to people taking initiative. The results come quickly. “Ownership transforms participants into leaders. It shifts the mindset from ‘this is for me’ to ‘this is by me,’” Simmons notes. Teams that feel genuine ownership do not need constant supervision because they are working toward goals they helped create.
Creating Partnerships That Drive Change
Working alone only gets you so far. Simmons learned this through partnerships with faith-based organizations and groups such as the Federation of Families. Individual leaders can push hard and make progress, but real change happens when multiple organizations work together. “Empowerment is not a solo act,” he says, connecting it to something most people already know. Many grew up hearing that it takes a village to raise a child. “Well, guess what? It takes a team to build a leader,” Simmons adds. This team approach creates momentum that individual efforts cannot match.
When different groups work toward the same goals, something powerful happens. “When multiple voices begin to contribute to the shared vision, we cultivate collective resilience. There is nothing that can stop us. We become unstoppable,” he explains. This collective strength endures through leadership changes and organizational challenges that might derail a single-person effort.
Whether you are running a nonprofit, managing a team, or leading a corporation, the same problems tend to appear. Leaders become overwhelmed because everything has to go through them. Teams grow frustrated because they cannot make basic decisions without approval. Everyone works harder, but little changes. The solution is not more systems or better processes. “Empowerment starts by engaging those around you. Show up, listen deeply, and create opportunities for others to lead,” Simmons says. Organizations that embrace this approach do more than survive tough times. They grow stronger because they use everyone’s talents instead of relying solely on the leader’s ideas. Building something that lasts means moving beyond the single-leader model toward something bigger. When communities and teams feel genuinely empowered, they create changes that continue long after any one leader has moved on.
Connect with Joel H. Simmons on LinkedIn to explore practical ways to empower teams and communities.
