Interview with Kevin Ross, November 25, 2017

Kevin Ross, Interview transcript, November 25, 2017

Sims: I'm here with Kevin Ross, CEO of Helping Hands Foreign Missions, at a local church in Gainesville, Georgia. Kevin, share with us a little about Helping Hands-

Ross: Helping Hands was founded in 2003 by two doctors from Gainesville, Georgia that went on a mission trip with their church. While they were on this mission trip they felt that God was calling them to be in full time missions. They came home and sold their practices and their home and moved to Cochabamba, Bolivia. There they bought 60 acres of land and started doing mission work. They built a complex that is still thriving today. While they were building this complex, they partnered with another organization called Word of Life. This organization is run out of New York. Today, Word of Life runs the facility that they built and continues to do work in different areas around the world. One of the different areas is Uganda. Uganda is where the focus of the ministry is now (Helping Hands). Dr. Brenda Kowalske is still with us today, but Dr. Richard Kowalske, her husband, passed away in 2010 from a rare form of malaria. The ministry continues today.

Sims: Can you give us some of your personal background and what brought you to Helping Hands?

Ross: In 2007, I went on my first mission trip with Dr. Richard and Dr. Brenda to Cochabamba, Bolivia. We took a small team from our church- I was missions pastor at a local church. After this trip, Dr. Richard asked me to take a trip to Uganda. In 2009, I took a trip there. In Uganda, there was a big vision for something next to take place. Dr. Richard asked me to come back in 2010 to help look for some property. They wanted to build a self-sustaining village for orphans and vulnerable children. There are over 200 million orphans in Uganda alone. So, I went back with Dr. Richard, started looking for property, started helping in prayer and in vision of that goal. On that trip, he contracted that rare form of malaria. He passed away shortly after our trip. I continued to volunteer, then the board approached me and asked if I would pray about joining their team. In March 2015, we joined the team at Helping Hands to continue growing the ministry.

Sims: What does your current position entail?

Ross: CEO is a fancy title, it's more of a legal title. Our ministry is small; we have 21 staff members around the world. I do a variety of things. I am a part of the board, that sets the mission and vision and then carrying out the vision. I represent the ministry in different venues- churches, conferences, fundraising events- to grow and expose the ministry, as well as meeting with donors as fundraising is a huge part of our ministry. I also oversee day to day operations, and the details of the organization, leading our staff and just keeping the ministry going.

Sims: Okay. So, what to you is leadership?

Ross: Well I heard a very smart guy say one time, "leadership is influence," that was John Maxwell. I think that's a very simple but true definition. You've got a set vision, you set people up for success and carrying out that vision. You're influencing people, laying the foundation and ground work for the vision. It's bringing others together as a team. When you have a big vision you can't do it for yourself- you need staff and volunteers.

Sims: You talk about being a visionary- would you use that to describe your leadership style?

Ross: No, I wouldn't use that to use my leadership style. I think that's part of being a leader. I prefer to consider myself a mobilizer. I mobilize people to fulfill God's call on their life. When we hire staff members, I am giving them the opportunity to serve God. I help organize staff members and volunteers, local or worldwide- we are mobilizing them to carry out the great commission. So, I see myself as a mobilizer- setting people up to fulfill God's call on their life. That is my favorite part.

Sims: Very cool. You mentioned having multiple offices in Bolivia and Uganda. What would you say is the biggest obstacle in having a global organization?

Ross: Whether it's a global organization or local, unity, as you grow, is the number one obstacle. A lot of non-profits struggle with finances and getting enough volunteers, as do we. Unity is the most important thing when you're stretched out over the globe, 1,000s of miles between you, in different time zones, and cultural issues.

Sims: Talking about culture, are there any specific examples or experiences that have grown you as a leader?

Ross: When you deal with culture in your office, even when people may be from the same part of the country, there's all types of cultural challenges. The biggest thing that I have grown as a person, is knowing that there are different ways to view things. When you're serving in an organization that deals with multiple cultures, you learn that your way is not always the best way or the right way. There are ways to accomplish the goal through cultural experiences. That is something hard to admit, especially for someone like me. We used to tell people to be flexible, now we tell people to be fluid. When you're fluid, you can adapt to more situations.

Sims: As a leader, you talk about being a mobilizer and being fluid. How do you empower your employees and your followers?

Ross: I believe you should set the standards and the example. We want our organization to be excellent in everything we do because we want to give glory to the Lord. It's about returning the glory to Him. You set the best as the standard, you live it yourself, and hold people accountable to it. The hardest thing in an organization with a lot of volunteers is holding people accountable to the vision and not swaying from that. It's easy to want to bring in new volunteers and donors, but they want their passion to be first place- yet you have to keep the organizations passions above the individuals.

Sims: Is there a way you have found to be successful in measuring the organization's success and how do you learn or move forward from the failures?

Ross: First of all, in an organization like ours you have to determine what is a failure. You set goals and sometimes you don't reach them. It's important to set goals. If you aim at nothing, then you'll hit it every time. We want to have something we measure based on goals. Sometimes, what seems like a failure is still a step in the right direction. We want to set goals, have excellent standards, and improve on what we've done in the past. If you're going to have a failure, it's important to fail forward. If you use that failure to advance, then is it a failure? Maybe you didn't hit the mark but I think it is all in the perspective of failure. You need to evaluate why you didn't reach your mark- was it in your control, out of your control- and understand what you can do to grow from it.

Sims: Are there any steps that you believe are essential in empowering others, and to reach the goals?

Ross: In our organization, we call that discipleship. It's a biblical term, we want to be biblical in what we do. We want to help people grow in their relationship with the Lord. We research organization best practices and expose our team to those best practices- whether it be books, conferences, or training resources. For accountability, its setting guidelines and making sure everyone is following those expectations set.

Sims: Talking about training resources, do you have your employees go through certain books or study resources together as a team?

Ross: Yes. The biggest ones we do relates to personal fundraising. Being a nonprofit organization, our employees must raise their funds to be a part of the team. That's one of the biggest areas of growing them as a person and giving them the resources to maximize that. It's important for them to come on board funded so that they may carry out the mission and receive a salary.

Sims: Earlier, you were talking a lot about unity. Do you have any advice for organizations to build the unity and relationships between staff?

Ross: The relational approach is key. The character behind the person is important. When someone makes a decision, you don't agree with or you hear something about them, but you know the person's integrity it makes a big difference. Our organization values getting to know each other, spending time with each other. Our goal is to not look at people just at possible volunteers or donors but as relationship building opportunities and how to build long-term relationships with the organization. Transparency is big as an individual and as an organization. We've seen that in a big way in Uganda. There is a big cultural divide so it takes time, and we are seeing the fruits of the time invested in relationships there, having integrity, and doing what you say you're going to do- they are going to trust you for it.

Sims: Can you elaborate more on the differences between the cultures, and how do you go in and teach integrity and character without forcing the western ways on them?

Ross: We want the ministry, specifically in Uganda, to continue after we are gone. The key factor in teaching integrity is using the Word of God- to teach and then model it for them. We use the Word of God as our standard in everything, not what we, as Americans want the world to look like. There are certain areas that Americans do really well, and there are many areas that our influence is actually negative and hurts other cultures. The Word of God is the common denominator about integrity, unity, and teaching the truth. So, that is what we use everywhere.

Sims: Do you feel like it's hard to balance work with family? Balance traveling with spending time with family?

Ross: Yeah, in any organization. But the smaller the organization, the more hats you wear. Plus, when you're passionate about what you are doing it is easy to get wrapped up in it, sit on your computer at home. I can work non-stop around the world, so it's a challenge. But, one of the best things about the life stage that I am at is that my kids are very passionate about the ministry. My wife and my family are very involved in what we do. We do as much as we can together. That helps with the balance. It's not a job, it's a ministry, it's a way of life, it's who we are.

Sims: That's awesome. What is your vision for Helping Hands? Where do you see it going within the next 5, 10 years?

Ross: The easy thing to say at the end of the year now is more of the ends of the earth. We are in four countries right now: the United States, Bolivia, Uganda, and Germany. Germany is more of a "sending" country. I would like to see us take our mission and expertise into other areas of the world. Our vision is to demonstrate Christ's love in the areas of the world that are among the most spiritually and physically needy.

Sims: Earlier you talked about having a small organization, in terms of numbers. Do you see that as a weakness or a strength?

Ross: I don't see it as either. I see it as this is who we are, this is where we are at. Just 5 years ago, there were only five members on staff. Next year we could easily hit 25 staff members. So, it is something that allows us to be fluid. You know everyone in the organization. The challenges, I'd rather say challenges than weaknesses, is the amount of hands you have doing the work. We are always needing more hands to be involved.

Sims: I like that- the challenge. Do you feel like there is a specific challenge that you have encountered that has shaped you, individually, or the organization?

Ross: I'd like to think you're like a tree. You should always be growing, because once you stop growing, you're dead. So, as an organization we have to always be looking for ways to grow, not necessarily meaning in size. You can really focus on growing as a person as well. Since I have come into this organization I have definitely grown more. This is where God had me for this time in my life, He prepared me for this challenge and opportunity. I feel like as I've grown, the people in the organization have grown, and the organization has grown. Every day is a challenge, every day is hard, but it's also fulfilling and rewarding. It's exciting and it is fun.

Sims: You talked about growing into your potential of your calling- do you feel like you were called into the role of leadership or that you sought it out because of the convictions that you held.

Ross: I did not seek the position, the position sought me. I actually turned down the first opportunity that was given to be involved. Then the organization came back to me a few months later asking if I would pray about it. My wife and I committed to 30 days of prayer and felt like this was the direction God wanted us to move in.

Sims: Do you have any advice for young leaders or potentially for people who don't see themselves as a leader but end up in a leadership position?

Ross: I'm in my mid 40's, and I love the excitement that is around young folks getting ready to take on the world. Many of them have great, innovative ideas that are going to make a huge difference. Sometimes I think young leaders see mature leaders as someone who is stuck in their ways or don't see new things, and I do think that is true a lot, but I think a young leader can look at a mature leader and learn from them. They need to be patient, listen to the wisdom, pray through it, and the most important thing would be to trust their walk with the Lord. Have confidence in the call. Be confident in the one who calls and yourself, learn to fail forward, show respect, learn from other leaders, and find a mentor.

Sims: Very cool, we could all use a more of that. Well, Kevin, I know you're very busy, so I am going to let you get back to your project here. Thank you so much for your time.