Don’t Be Right. Be Understood.

Mayor Derrick Wood

Town of Dumfries, Virginia


“Don’t Be Right. Be Understood"

Every once in a while, you meet someone whose energy stays with you long after the conversation ends.

Mayor Derrick Wood is one of those people.

We first met several years ago at a Virginia Municipal League conference. What struck me immediately wasn’t just his enthusiasm, though that’s unmistakable. It was his orientation toward action. A Marine by training and a barbecue pitmaster by trade, Derrick brings a mindset to leadership that is grounded, direct, and built on doing the work.

He doesn’t wait. He doesn’t posture. He moves.

And, as he shares in this week’s Community Catalysts episode, he’s also learned that action alone isn’t enough.

Some of his earliest ideas were met with resistance. Not because they lacked merit, but because he hadn’t yet done the work of helping people understand them. That experience shaped a lesson he carries with him today: being right isn’t enough. If people don’t see how something affects them, they won’t support it.

What I appreciate most is the humility in that realization. The willingness to adjust. To listen more. To take the same drive that fuels action and apply it to building understanding.

That may sound simple. It isn’t.

It requires patience, discipline, and a commitment to stay in the conversation long enough for others to see what you see.

If you care about leadership that actually moves things forward, I think you’ll find this conversation worth your time.

This episode is part of our ongoing series made possible by the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative (RELI) at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, supporting local leaders as they navigate complex challenges through shared learning and collaboration.
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Community Catalysts is built on the belief that some of the most valuable leadership insights are earned quietly, through real service in real communities.

If you serve in a civic leadership role—and you’d be open to sharing hard-won lessons from your own experience—I invite you to consider being a guest on a future episode.

You can learn more and volunteer by completing a brief guest questionnaire at:www.CatalystGuest.us 

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Thank you for the work you do—and for considering this invitation.