About L555

L555 Founder and President, Mark Orr will often share the story of a 10-ton truck stuck in a pothole on a muddy road. Like many of the problems we attempt to address as leaders, one or two people try to push and shove the truck out of the hole for a long time, without so much as a wiggle. They soon give up and walk away, “let somebody else give it a go, I’ve done my part,” they say. Individuals and organizations run out of funding or time and walk away, leaving big systemic problems largely unsolved after many years. What does it take to get the truck out of the hole? What does it take to see breakthrough? It takes a leader that will find at least five other pushers to position themselves at different parts of the truck, motivate and re-energize the first two pushers to get back on the job—and then push, altogether, with sustained force, until the truck finally moves. It takes the kind of leader that will look at the big picture, affirm the value of each player, and inspire collaborative and sustained action.

L555 began in 2011 as a pilot project to provide leadership training to passionate young change-makers in Uganda. The model that encouraged servant-leadership, as opposed to the autocratic tendencies that often infiltrate even the Church was widely welcomed by both university students and experienced national leaders alike. In 2016, L555 transitioned from a promising pilot—that continues on to serve in Uganda—to a global movement that supports emerging catalytic leaders, primarily through our LeadingNext incubator.