Until we meet again

In 2020, my wife and I bought property in the mountains of Colorado. We thought we were moving for the outdoors, the quiet, and a long held dream.

What I didn’t know was that God would use a small mountain town to introduce me to one of the most influential people of the last decade of my life.

That person was Tiger Dawson.

Besides having a great name, Tiger and I had a lot in common. We were both leading international NGOs. We attended the same church. We even went to the same skin cancer doctor in Durango - God made us both fair skinned. And we shared a deep love for Mexican food.

So we started meeting for lunch whenever our travel schedules allowed.

Tiger was farther down the road than I was. More experience. More perspective. I picked his brain often. He helped me think through our next key staff hire. He challenged how I viewed international program development. He pushed me to think bigger than I was naturally inclined to think.

It was three years ago this week that we were scheduled to meet for our first Mexican feast of the year. Tiger texted that he was running a few minutes late. He told me to order him a tea and some chips. The dermatologist had taken longer than expected which is something we were both used to.

As we caught up, Tiger mentioned he had developed a lump on his neck. The doctor wasn’t overly concerned. Tests had been ordered, but we shrugged it off and got down to business, talking about leadership, organizations, and the work we loved.

By our next meal, the results were in.

They weren’t good.

The cancer had already spread before detection. Treatments were scheduled.

And yet Tiger’s spirits were high. Steady. Grounded. The same presence I had come to value so deeply.

Last month, I traveled to honor my friend at his promotion service.

I miss him.

Here are three lessons I learned from Tiger as an NGO leader. I want to pass them on to help you, and to remember him today.

1. Find the long term win.

In our world, we deal in government contracts. They are often short, twelve to twenty four months, and heavily dependent on the feelings and priorities of whoever happens to be sitting in the seat at the moment.

Tiger challenged me to lift my eyes.

He pushed me to look for longer contracts. To invest in relationships with government leaders who had the authority to make bigger, more durable decisions. To explore structures and agreements that were less dependent on fickle relationship dynamics and more anchored in shared vision and institutional commitment.

In short, he kept saying the same thing to me in different ways.

"Think bigger, Joe."

I loved that about him.

2. Attract the best talent you can.

“Best” is a relative term, of course. But when it came to people, Tiger’s instincts were gold.

He had a remarkable ability to attract top tier talent to the mission. Lawyers. Business leaders. Pastors. People from just about every walk of life wanted to work with him to change the world. People left higher paying jobs and clear career paths to join his team.

They were inspired by him. They trusted him. They wanted to be part of what God was doing through the organization he led.

Tiger wasn’t just good at finding great people. He was deeply committed to developing them.

“Can I give you a little feedback?” was a phrase he used often.

And it was always an invitation, never a threat.

He understood something every NGO leader needs to learn sooner or later. To build a great team, you have to become a great leader. A clear visionary. And a good human being.

What a gift.


What a lesson.

3. Do it all for Jesus.

Some people give lip service to this. Tiger embodied it.

Everything he did was aimed at making Jesus proud. At pleasing his Father in heaven. At finding meaning in all things, both the visible and the unseen.

He worshiped loudly on Sundays through song. And he worshiped just as faithfully through his leadership, his decisions, and his daily life when he wasn’t sitting in a pew.

His life was marked by gratitude and a quiet, steady spirit of worship.

He invested deeply in people. He loved people well. He worked hard to be Jesus in skin to everyone he encountered.

After his diagnosis, Tiger told me he was ready to meet Jesus and couldn’t wait. He was sad for his wife and his family that he loved with all his heart, but he was genuinely excited for what was ahead.

That kind of faith stays with you.

I’m grateful that I’ll see Tiger again someday. And I’m deeply thankful to Jesus for how He used Tiger to mark my life now.

I’m still inspired by him.

Until we meet again brother.