Attendees packed the room Sunday afternoon for Game Changer session presenter Matt Tenney, who told his story of going from military prison to monastery to social business entrepreneur – and how’s he’s using all those experiences to inspire others to a live a life of servant leadership.

As leaders, it’s your purpose to attract and retain fully engaged staff and members in your associations, said Tenney. This was not a conclusion that Tenney came to without struggle, however. He portrayed how, as a young Marine, he was obsessed with the goal of being financially free by 30. That goal lead Tenney to a series of decision and mistakes that ended in his arrest. After spending five years in a military prison, where he discovered mindfulness training, and a few months in a monastery, Tenney said he dedicated his life to serving others.

He worked at an after school program in Mexico and founded programs for underprivileged and sick kids in Florida – all that focused on teaching children the mindfulness skills Tenney discovered in prison – in the years after before turning his focus to training business leaders.

Tenney said the question he always asks himself (and the question he tells others to ask) before making a decision is this: "How will this help me serve others?"

By consulting with companies and associations on how they can create an environment of servant leadership, he says the organizations see a difference in how engaged their teams are when they see their leaders more concerned with people than spreadsheets.

Some other benefits that Tenney has seen when organizations create an environment of love and serving others:

• Leaders and teams start thinking "we" instead of "me."

• The organization attracts the most talented people from the industry. 

• Staff begins to offer world-class customer and member service. (As Tenney said, if leaders love their teams, they’ll love the customers.)

• Innovation becomes more than idea – it becomes a reality.

Why is servant leadership so effective, asked Tenney? It comes down to one word: influence. Extraordinary leaders demonstrate that they care every day; they are confident, happy and, most of all, present in the moment, which is the greatest gift you can give others.