Serving From The Heart - One Message

 

One message. Many ways to experience it.

Serving From The Heart continues to reach leaders who want to make a lasting impact by serving others well.

“Simply put, culture is how we work together every day. What has been great about this project is that we approach the book from 8 different backgrounds and fields to provide servant leadership no matter where you find yourself.”

I loved the process from my co-authors and how we all come from different backgrounds (medical, military, family business, education, etc.) and how we all found our way to servant leadership.

I would love to hear from you. Let’s talk about service.

What’s one way servant leadership has shaped your life, work, or faith?

(Comment below)

Click here to enroll in Servant Leadership SKOOL:

For a copy of my Number 1 selling book, “Serving From The Heart,” visit: https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

Here is a synopsis of the book: Serving From The Heart

Faith-Driven Stories and Transformative Strategies for Servant Leadership and Lasting Impact

Co-Authors: Tricia Andreassen, Coni Myers, Al Ferreira, Wendy Gunn, Natalie Martin, Jacklyn Nagle, Cindy Craig Hall, Garret Milby, and Karen Storey

Transform Your Leadership. Inspire Change. Leave a Legacy.

Unlock the power of servant leadership to create lasting impact in your life, business, and community.

What if this book could be the key to making significant shifts in how you lead and live, changing lives forever?

By embracing a leadership style rooted in empathy, humility, and the empowerment of others, you can inspire trust, build meaningful connections, and lead with purpose.

Serving From The Heart: Faith-Driven Stories and Transformative Strategies for Servant Leadership and Lasting Impact is a transformative collection of insights from diverse leaders who have reshaped their organizations and communities. This book combines candid storytelling with actionable strategies, showing you how to lead authentically and intentionally.

Discover how to:

• Transform your leadership by leading with empathy and purpose.

• Empower others to thrive and achieve their full potential.

• Overcome setbacks through faith, resilience, and courage.

• Inspire trust and connection through authentic, impactful leadership.

• Build a legacy that reflects your values and uplifts others.

Whether you’re an experienced leader, an aspiring change-maker, or someone passionate about serving others, this book will equip you with the tools to lead with clarity, confidence, and heart.

Step into the stories, embrace the strategies, and become the leader you were meant to be.

Serving From The Heart - "Me a Bestseller?"

I never set out to write a bestseller. I set out to write something useful. Something leaders could live, not just read.

I’m deeply grateful to every reader who helped this message travel farther than I ever imagined.

Honored to join Live Life Unstoppable and FOX59 (as well as a few dozen more) to talk about youth development, servant leadership, and why leading from the heart matters now more than ever.

This message isn’t just for leaders — it’s for anyone who influences others.

Explore the book & audiobook:

#MediaFeature #LeadershipConversations #YouthDevelopment #ServeFirst

Click here to enroll in Servant Leadership SKOOL:

For a copy of my Number 1 selling book, “Serving From The Heart,” visit: https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

 

Serving From The Heart - Now on Audible (And Kindle)

 

Prefer to listen while you lead?

Serving From The Heart is now available as an audiobook on Audible — perfect for commutes, walks, or quiet reflection time.

Same heart. Same stories. Same leadership lessons — just spoken.

▶️ Listen here:

#AudiobookLife #LeadershipOnTheGo #ServantLeadership #FaithAndLeadership

Leadership lessons don’t always happen at a desk.

Serving From The Heart is now reaching leaders through audio — during commutes, walks, and moments of reflection.

Click here to enroll in Servant Leadership SKOOL:

For a copy of my Number 1 selling book, “Serving From The Heart,” visit: https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

Serving from The Heart - The Why

              

                       

Why this book?

Because after 45 summers working with young leaders, I’ve seen one truth repeat itself:
Leadership grows fastest when it starts with service.

This book was written for those who lead quietly, faithfully, and with heart.

Serving From The Heart reached #1 Best Seller status, not because of hype, but because the message resonated with leaders who believe serving others is the highest form of leadership.

Thank you to every reader who shared, gifted, and lived out these principles.

Haven’t read it yet? Start here:

https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

#GratefulLeader #BestsellingAuthor #ServantLeader #LeadershipWithPurpose

Click here to enroll in Servant Leadership SKOOL:

For a copy of my Number 1 selling book, “Serving From The Heart,” visit: https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

Serving From The Heart - The Book That Started It All

 

One year ago, this message was released into the world.

Serving From The Heart was written to remind leaders that impact doesn’t come from position — it comes from purpose, humility, and service.

From camps and classrooms to churches and boardrooms, this book continues to spark meaningful conversations about faith-driven servant leadership.

Learn more or grab a copy here:

#ServingFromTheHeart #ServantLeadership #LeadWithHeart #FaithDrivenLeadership

It has all been surreal.

I paused before turning the page, not expecting to see my own face looking back at me. There I was (standing outside with autumn leaves behind me) under a headline about servant leadership and a new local author. So very surreal, seeing decades of experiences reduced to neat columns of print.

My eyes skimmed the rankings and accolades, but my mind wandered somewhere else entirely. I wasn’t thinking about bestseller lists. I was thinking about a fifteen-year-old camper who finally found his voice. A camp leader who stayed late to listen when no one else would. The quiet moments when leadership wasn’t announced, it was practiced.

One quote caught my attention, pulled into bold italics. It talked about remembering how people feel. I nodded without realizing it. That had always been the lesson. Long before this book existed, before the rankings and recognition, leadership had been about presence, care, and responsibility for others.

I imagined someone else folding the paper, maybe on their way to work, maybe over breakfast. I wondered if they’d see the heart on the book cover, made up of so many small figures and recognize themselves in it. Not as someone in charge, but as someone who influences others every day.

I set the paper down carefully. This wasn’t a finish line. It was a marker along the path.

The real story continues wherever people choose to serve first. And tomorrow, like every day before it, I’ll keep showing up, ready to listen, ready to learn, and ready to lead from the heart.

Click here to enroll in Servant Leadership SKOOL:

For a copy of my Number 1 selling book, “Serving From The Heart,” visit: https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

Servant-Leader Job Posting (A view from a long time camp guy)

 

Have you seen these posts?

In a typical year, when I was a full time camp executive, I would have done some 200 interviews by this time of year. I have had the great fortune to have conducted well over 5700 interviews and hired close to 2400 folks over my 45 years as a youth development professional.

So, I am looking at this from that view.

From one director to another, let's talk about creating real and (I am borrowing a word here) disruptive ads and posts for camp jobs.

We do a great job of creating community at camp. How do we invite people into community that transcends the job posts we see everyday?

The checklist below should be the model of servant leadership. If a candidate reads this and opts out, the post is just as successful as if they applied.

If this is the model of servant leadership, it is intentionally calm, truthful, and human. It is  not about hype.

I believe that is shows a different kind of job post. Before you apply, here's what you should know about our camp. Take a read:

This is a leadership role. 

It is joyful demanding, and deeply human. You will be responsible not just for activities, but for people. (Other people's children for that matter) Their safety, growth, emotions, and experience. Some days you will be energized and some days it will be exhausting. Everyday will matter.

The role may not likely be a fit if you're looking for an easy summer or an addition to your resume without any human responsibility.

It is a fit if you want to:

• Grow your leadership presence under pressure

• Learn how to support and coach others

• Be part of a community that values care, accountability, and growth

• Do work that matters beyond the season

You won’t be perfect. You won’t be alone.
You will be supported, challenged, and changed.

If you’re curious (even unsure) we invite a conversation.

Apply here: [link]
Or reach out with questions: [email]

Why do I think this works?

This provides a filter without shaming.

It build trust from the start.

It reframes camp work as leadership formation.

And, it models the camp culture before they even arrive.

I also believe that better hiring starts with better TRUTH. It is not a hashtag blitz to get more applicants. We (camp professionals) need to normalize the question, "What will this role ask of me and how will I be supported?"

As I have adopted these standards over time, please know that I have been where you are. I have had the summer where I was still interviewing folks as my camp assistant director was conducting staff orientation week. (Where was my priority?)

Yes, this is a long game. One that results in fewer mismatched hires, better retention, healthier staff culture, and less burnout by week three.

This philosophy doesn't disrupt attention. It disrupts expectations. And the truth is that is servant leadership at the systems level.

Here is a sample:

Click here to enroll in Servant Leadership SKOOL:

And if you are applying for a leadership position at camp, consider this course that helps you grow your interview skills.

For a copy of my Number 1 selling book, “Serving From The Heart,” visit: https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

My Word for the YEAR 2026 - SHARE (not the singer)

 

Every year I pick a word for the year as a focus.

I have landed on "SHARE." (not the singer/actor). I say that playfully and those of you who know me, know that I always clarify the ambiguity that a word might have when I am saying it aloud.

For example, I have a family in my work at a local church who's last name is Younger. And, we have multiple grade levels of youth in the program. Every now and then, I will refer to the younger children and I always clarify, not the children of the Younger family.

Anyway, John C. Maxwell teaches (and I have done so for the last decade) to take time at the end of each year to review, reflect and evaluate the year. Upon completion and thoughtful insight (as well as some prayer - as a believer I find this part of my process) I choose a word for the upcoming year. (there is a great podcast from a few years ago that the Maxwell team talks about this.)

So, I have landed on this word. Anyone following my journey these last few years have known, seen, and heard about some of my challenges. I refer to 2021 as the Triple C Challenge year. (Car accident, Cancer, Covid). It is all good, and under control now.

I picked "SHARE" (not the singer/actor) because if I could turn back time, I would have been teaching and mentoring more folks along the way. (See what I did there with that link, ha ha.) I have been writing and sharing here on this BLOG and now I have started to create courses and I am moving beyond my comfort zone to bring my work to others who work in camping. My mission these last few years has been and remains, "serving those who lead and serve others."

Take a look at the things I am sharing and hopefully you will help pass it along and SHARE with others as well. (not the singer/actor) I can't control myself.

Click here to enroll in Servant Leadership SKOOL:

And if you are applying for a leadership position at camp, consider this course that helps you grow your interview skills.

For a copy of my Number 1 selling book, “Serving From The Heart,” visit: https://clpli.com/al_ferreira

Or some leadership SWAG consider visiting my ETSY store: alfatcamp.etsy