Reed, your story moved me profoundly. Seeing how you turned personal loss into a lifelong commitment to human infrastructure reminds me why leadership is not about position or recognition but about enabling others to act with courage and responsibility. As a Mountaintop Fellow, I feel the truth of your insight that real impact comes from cultivating ecosystems of capable, motivated people who can transform their communities.
Your journey challenges me to think beyond programs and initiatives and focus on nurturing the inner capacities, networks, and vision of young leaders in South Sudan so they can create lasting change. This reflection reminds me that investing in human potential is as urgent and essential as any physical infrastructure, and that the measure of leadership is the lives it empowers.
This part stood out deeply to me that many leaders have courage and passion, but lack the skills, resources, and grounding needed to turn vision into real change. I see this often in our communities, where leadership becomes about titles, positions, or money, rather than responsibility and service.
Growing up in a rural community, I watched opportunities repeatedly go to the children of leaders not because they were most committed to the community, but because of who they were connected to. Many of them were self-focused, not rooted in the real challenges of the people they were meant to serve. That experience shaped me.
When I later accessed education and support, one of my friends told me, “Please, when you are done, don’t forget us.” That sentence has stayed with me. It reminded me that leadership is not about climbing alone it is about who you carry with you.
I was also deeply moved by your decision to donate part of your liver to a young boy. That level of humility andselflessness reflects the kind of leadership the world truly needs leadership that gives life, not just direction. You quite literally gave someone a second chance at life, and that speaks louder than any title ever could.
This is why I believe so strongly in investing in grounded leadership in what you describe as human infrastructure: leaders who understand their people, who are driven by vision rather than position, and who have the skills and support to act. Without building this kind of human infrastructure, communities will continue to be led by those who hold power, but not responsibility.
I feel grateful to be part of what you are building, and I’m certain I will learn a great deal from your example as I continue my own journey to become a leader who is grounded and rooted in service. Knowing that someone is alive and smiling today because of such leadership is deeply inspiring. 🌍
Thank you for naming this so clearly. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thank you, Reed, for sharing this story and vision. I was deeply touched by your powerful personal story—especially your journey from your early life and school years. Thank you for being the kind of leader the world truly needs, and for inviting others to be part of your vision.
As someone from Ethiopia and a Mountaintop Fellow this year, I found this part of the article particularly striking:
Is there a way to systematically cultivate this sort of leadership so that the world could exponentially increase the number of transformational leaders?!
“Human infrastructure”—just as an economy depends on strong physical infrastructure, a society without the necessary human infrastructure will struggle to solve its own problems and risks long-term decline.
This resonates deeply with me. Building human infrastructure—values-driven, capable, and compassionate leaders—is not optional.
Thank you for sharing, In fact I am loking forward to the next read.
I am much encouraged by what you call "structural brain drain". "My outlook changed when, in my senior year, I saw many of my classmates who had come to college wanting to make the world a better place feel pressured to take jobs at the biggest companies in the biggest cities in the world. I wrote an op-ed describing the structural brain drain that, in a world with so many important challenges, was pushing many of the best and brightest to leave behind the communities and causes where they could do the most good. I saw the challenge now as not just pushing leaders to be better, but also ensuring that people were becoming leaders in the first place."
I have asked myself several times whether I should be doing what I am doing, or simply find a job in some organization, and experience life as it presents itself to me.
This gives me a sense of purpose and direction. It doesn't matter the magnitude of the impact my work creates, what matters is the compounding contribution it makes to work done by people like me to improve health and well being within my community.
This challenge of lack of access to healthcare is so important to me
Reed, your story moved me profoundly. Seeing how you turned personal loss into a lifelong commitment to human infrastructure reminds me why leadership is not about position or recognition but about enabling others to act with courage and responsibility. As a Mountaintop Fellow, I feel the truth of your insight that real impact comes from cultivating ecosystems of capable, motivated people who can transform their communities.
Your journey challenges me to think beyond programs and initiatives and focus on nurturing the inner capacities, networks, and vision of young leaders in South Sudan so they can create lasting change. This reflection reminds me that investing in human potential is as urgent and essential as any physical infrastructure, and that the measure of leadership is the lives it empowers.
This part stood out deeply to me that many leaders have courage and passion, but lack the skills, resources, and grounding needed to turn vision into real change. I see this often in our communities, where leadership becomes about titles, positions, or money, rather than responsibility and service.
Growing up in a rural community, I watched opportunities repeatedly go to the children of leaders not because they were most committed to the community, but because of who they were connected to. Many of them were self-focused, not rooted in the real challenges of the people they were meant to serve. That experience shaped me.
When I later accessed education and support, one of my friends told me, “Please, when you are done, don’t forget us.” That sentence has stayed with me. It reminded me that leadership is not about climbing alone it is about who you carry with you.
I was also deeply moved by your decision to donate part of your liver to a young boy. That level of humility andselflessness reflects the kind of leadership the world truly needs leadership that gives life, not just direction. You quite literally gave someone a second chance at life, and that speaks louder than any title ever could.
This is why I believe so strongly in investing in grounded leadership in what you describe as human infrastructure: leaders who understand their people, who are driven by vision rather than position, and who have the skills and support to act. Without building this kind of human infrastructure, communities will continue to be led by those who hold power, but not responsibility.
I feel grateful to be part of what you are building, and I’m certain I will learn a great deal from your example as I continue my own journey to become a leader who is grounded and rooted in service. Knowing that someone is alive and smiling today because of such leadership is deeply inspiring. 🌍
Thank you for naming this so clearly. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thank you so much Reed! This is more than a reflection! It's an invitation. It's really inspiring !
Thank you, Reed, for sharing this story and vision. I was deeply touched by your powerful personal story—especially your journey from your early life and school years. Thank you for being the kind of leader the world truly needs, and for inviting others to be part of your vision.
As someone from Ethiopia and a Mountaintop Fellow this year, I found this part of the article particularly striking:
Is there a way to systematically cultivate this sort of leadership so that the world could exponentially increase the number of transformational leaders?!
“Human infrastructure”—just as an economy depends on strong physical infrastructure, a society without the necessary human infrastructure will struggle to solve its own problems and risks long-term decline.
This resonates deeply with me. Building human infrastructure—values-driven, capable, and compassionate leaders—is not optional.
Thank you again for sharing this!
Thank you for sharing, In fact I am loking forward to the next read.
I am much encouraged by what you call "structural brain drain". "My outlook changed when, in my senior year, I saw many of my classmates who had come to college wanting to make the world a better place feel pressured to take jobs at the biggest companies in the biggest cities in the world. I wrote an op-ed describing the structural brain drain that, in a world with so many important challenges, was pushing many of the best and brightest to leave behind the communities and causes where they could do the most good. I saw the challenge now as not just pushing leaders to be better, but also ensuring that people were becoming leaders in the first place."
I have asked myself several times whether I should be doing what I am doing, or simply find a job in some organization, and experience life as it presents itself to me.
This gives me a sense of purpose and direction. It doesn't matter the magnitude of the impact my work creates, what matters is the compounding contribution it makes to work done by people like me to improve health and well being within my community.
This challenge of lack of access to healthcare is so important to me
This is awesome God bless you for your good work done and still doing.