Recognizing Leadership in All Its Forms

A hero narrative that enshrines one kind of leadership and the individuals who embody it dominates cultures worldwide. This top-down notion of leadership centers individualism over solidarity and maintains an oppressive status quo about who has voice and who has power.

The social sector is no exception. Many leadership programs aimed at effecting social change are designed within the confines of this norm. This homogenizes leadership and leaders, often leaving the people who are closest to social problems and who have the most insight into how to solve them shut out of the circles that set strategy and allocate resources.

Yet leadership takes many forms. There is no right way to lead, and no single individual can drive systemic change alone. Leadership is a practice; it is a collective, relational process where people step back and step forward based on what type of leadership the challenge calls for. Recognizing these realities is an important step toward dismantling structural racism and other social injustices. By redefining leadership so that it is more expansive, relevant, and responsive, and then adopting this broader concept of leadership in programming, workplaces, and cultures, the sector can better advance systemic change.

This article series, produced in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and other organizations involved in the Beyond the Hero leadership initiative, brings together voices from philanthropy, Indigenous, rural, community-based, and network-led leadership efforts, to explore both why it is important and how it is possible to broaden notions and practices of leadership beyond the dominant narrative and support leadership in all its forms. Contributors will offer inspiration and tools for advancing leadership that disrupts structural injustices. They will also share their experiences navigating the unavoidable and necessary messiness that comes with changing an established field and describe concrete policies and actions that support leadership for justice in real and authentic ways.