A priest and an archaeologist walk into a bar.
I am an alum of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa (Go Bees!). St. Ambrose was a lot of things for me. It’s where I met my closest friends. It’s where I learned that I was not cut out to be an accountant. It’s where, when I stumbled, I learned how to steady myself, pivot, and make a new path. And when I couldn’t be with my family, I could still be home at St. Ambrose. One of the most formative experiences I had as an Ambrosian was a winter-term studying in Italy with The Academy for the Study of St. Ambrose of Milan.
A priest and an archaeologist walk into a bar.
Earlier this summer, my sister joined me on a two-week reunion trip in Italy with The Academy. We traveled from Naples to Rome, Assisi, Florence, and Milan. On our first night with the group of alumni and their guests, we sat in an Irish Pub in Rome. (According to my big sister, this is possibly the most sacrilegious act committed in Italy.) Here we listened to Fr. Bud Grant (the priest) and Dr. Ethan Gannaway (the archaeologist) tell us the story of how The Academy came to be over an Aperol Spritz.
Fr. Bud tells the story of being awakened by a rooster call one morning in 2010 with the realization that St. Ambrose University is the only university in the world named for the saint and so should have an academy to study its patron. When he took the idea to his Dean and then the President of the University the conclusion was; “this should have been done 100 years ago.”
Can you imagine what kind of pioneer moment that must have been? How humbling it must have been to be the person called to such a mission? Where would one find the courage to put that purpose into action?
Isn’t the answer to all of those questions found in the essence of pioneer leadership — the relentless pursuit of your purpose in the hope of great progress and advancement — to clearly see opportunity and pursue it as an adventure despite risk, rejection, and failure? My guess is that pioneers in leadership rarely think of themselves and their missions as “leading,” but rather with conviction and deep personal commitment, might more accurately consider it “necessary.”
I imagine the internal dialog after the rooster call to be a little something like; “We are the only St. Ambrose University, and it is necessary to build an Academy.”
Fr. Bud tells the story so casually, joking about the early days. In one breath he invites Ethan with an arm-twist to join the mission and in another Bud honors his talents and many contributions. He mocks Ethan for thinking “archeology is cool” (which later becomes the mantra for the trip). They easily argue about who is right, and it is clear that they have built more than an Academy, they have formed a brotherhood.
Bud and Ethan are not unlike Ambrose and his brother, Satyrus. Both had already established meaningful callings on their own when the mission to build The Academy became necessary. Now, they have added different roles: the pioneer and the settler. The pioneer we know is the visionary, but the settler enables the vision, building the engine for progress. Ethan is the executive who creates procedure, order, and sustainability. The success of the mission and the Academy depends on both men to fill their roles.
It is not lost on me that as Bishop of Milan, Ambrose taught that concern for one another’s interest is what unites a society. Fr. Bud didn’t have just a great idea, he had a great idea and immediately went to work gathering a strong founding team. From his partnership with Dr. Gannaway and stakeholders at the University, to colleagues across the globe, they all share a great interest in the success of The Academy and The Hive they created for the community.
We can learn a lot from the priest and the archaeologist about leadership.
A good idea can be a great pursuit if you have the courage to share it with others.
A startup is only as good as its founding team.
The pioneer doesn’t see a worthy mission as possible or impossible, instead they see it as necessary.
The settler develops the mission and ensures its sustainability.
Archaeology is cool.
The work you do is important. The work you share with the world is a legacy.