I think that the disparity between the skill set of organizational leaders and systems leaders is of a lesser magnitude than the disparity between the mindset of organizational leaders and systems leaders. So another way community-based leadership programs help develop systems leaders is through exposure: exposure to complex social problems; exposure to complex social systems; exposure to leaders with a diversity of backgrounds and expertise; and exposure to, or at least a welcoming invitation to, actively engaging in systemic change through collective action, even if that is only within the safe space of the program.
This type of exposure is an important aspect of community-based leadership programs because in addition to helping develop the systems leadership skill sets of participants it also opens the door for the mindset shift. Not everyone will experience a mindset shift in the same way or at the same time; light bulbs go on in participants’ minds at different times and for different reasons even within the same curriculum. While it is difficult to guarantee a mindset shift as an outcome the sustained exposure to complex systems and collaborative leadership embedded into the best community-based leadership programs definitely helps.
Returning to the initial question of “Where do we find and how do we create more systems leaders?” it is important to remember that while the exposure I describe above may be necessary for the mindset shift to move organizational leaders to systems leaders it is in no way sufficient to achieve that end. Community-based leadership programs fail to create more systems leaders when the focus is solely on the months-long duration of the “program” itself. Systems leadership is not a terminal skill one ought to get a certificate in by virtue of participating in a program; rather it’s an ongoing practice that one is compelled toward with the right mindset. Its practitioners know, through that mindset oriented toward collective action, that they have an obligation to try to cultivate systems leaders all around them and at all times through exposure and engagement. Community-based leadership programs that actively engage alumni through providing opportunities to continue to engage in this practice are best positioned to create more systems leaders, and thus accomplish greater change, in their communities.
John, Thank you for the insight. I agree that a mindset shift is critical; recognizing the value of different skills is part of that mindset shift.
And I couldn’t agree more that community-based leadership is a continuous process that needs to be consistently reinforced. I hope that the alumni programming offered by such leadership programs would devote a significant part of their programming to reinforcing the value and the skills of collaborative civic leadership.
Thank you for this post and follow up to the Systems Leadership article. I am wondering if you have any thoughts or leads for developing leadership and governance for a collaborative platform once it has been formed? I am specifically looking for consultants who specialize in this area—or helpful reports/studies.
To be sure shifting mindsets toward collaboration is challenging work, sustaining the effort is equally difficult, if not worse. (There are funding opportunities for your start-up efforts at least!) Leadership transitions and unstable economic situations are big impediments, as well as convincing Boards that this time for “discovery” among the players is important to future outcomes. Lastly, I would offer that the tenets of system leadership need to be embedded within organizations, not just individuals. It would be great if training opportunities were available for a larger range of staff positions.
This emerging dialogue about systems leadership is a leap forward in collaborative efforts to address complex issues in the civic space. The conversation to this point has stressed capabilities and skills that are needed in order to achieve collective transformation. Perhaps a third strand of the DNA of systems leadership is the attitudes that are necessary to activate and sustain a culture of systems leadership. While the importance of attitudes is implied in much that has already been written, it may be helpful to highlight the underlying affective dimensions that are the sine qua non of effective systems leadership.
Inquiry is at the heart of the dialogue so far, and a certain attitude toward inquiry is probably needed. Schein (2013) has termed such an attitude humble inquiry or “the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not already know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” Humble inquiry leads with putting aside the taken-for-granted assumptions (referred to in “The Dawn of Systems Leadership”) that too often form the starting – and ending—place for organizational leaders. We usually begin with a pretty good idea of what the solutions will be and delimit the thinking space right from the starting gate. Lots of good tools are available, but they will never be effective unless systems leaders begin with a genuine attitude of humility, openness and curiosity – a willingness to “to step across a threshold – and to let go of whatever might limit stepping forward” (Senge, et al, 2015).
An attitude embedded in the notion of humility, and addressed in the dialogue thus far, is an eagerness to nurture relationships with diverse individuals who have valuable insights to contribute. We often talk about the importance of trust, perhaps thinking that certain activities, together with time, will make trust happen. But without warm, accepting attitudes that are visible, no scripted activities will lead to trust. In fact, nothing engenders trust more than a humble, self-deprecating sense of humor. A hallmark of systems leaders may be that they do not take themselves too seriously!
“A Safe Place to Practice” has given strong direction to how leadership programs could evolve to create the conditions that will produce leaders for complex systems change. Pearticipants in such programs might actually have some fun focusing on the attitudes that make them want to FOLLOW someone and developing ways to nurture and sustain those attitudes in themselves.
I think the experience of our friends in Canada at the Tamarack Institute may be very helpful to you. And the consulting firm of FSG specializes in leadership and governance for collaboration. You may also want to joint the Collective Impact Forum online, which has hundreds of resources and members who are committed to this work.
Our hope is that as organizational leaders embrace the importance of collaborative leadership they will indeed make sure it spreads throughout their organization. At a recent workshop with Leadership Akron alumni one corporate president said the training he received was so helpful that he asked that his whole leadership team receive it. We hope to have similar reactions as we continue to spread our work.
Thank you very much for your insightful comments about “attitudes.” As Churchill said: “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
Perhaps systems leaders don’t take themselves too seriously because they know that they have no authority within the complex system. Nothing makes a person more humble than accepting that one doesn’t have control.
I look forward to adding some “Follow” elements to our leadership curriculum.
Sue Ellen—I loved your insight that boards need to understand the importance of creating space/time/capacity for nonprofit executive leaders to explore and hone collaborative leadership and opportunities. I’ve been discussing with several nonprofit execs the tension between running their own organization on a shoestring and the need to come up and explore partners/opportunities. Are nonprofit boards challenging their executives to set aside time for the relationship-building and leadership practices that lead to collaborative opportunities? If the demands of working with boards/staffs and delivering programs/services are too great for execs to carve out space to build a community of practice with peers across boundaries, some soul-searching may be in order. One way to shift the mindset in this area is to reframe from boards focused on building the organization to ones focused on stewarding the charitable purpose. Part of stewarding is connecting to other players in one’s eco-system to work better together.
I think that the question “How do we create more systems leaders?” is more appropriate. Yet as this report argues, our world is facing unprecedented challenges.
It is becoming more diverse, more complex, less sustainable and less
equal. And if we are to mount any meaningful response to the collective
challenges we face we have no choice but to change starting with
our public education systems. It’s good to know there are such non profit organizations like yours.
COMMENTS
BY John G. Lynch
ON March 8, 2015 11:02 AM
I think that the disparity between the skill set of organizational leaders and systems leaders is of a lesser magnitude than the disparity between the mindset of organizational leaders and systems leaders. So another way community-based leadership programs help develop systems leaders is through exposure: exposure to complex social problems; exposure to complex social systems; exposure to leaders with a diversity of backgrounds and expertise; and exposure to, or at least a welcoming invitation to, actively engaging in systemic change through collective action, even if that is only within the safe space of the program.
This type of exposure is an important aspect of community-based leadership programs because in addition to helping develop the systems leadership skill sets of participants it also opens the door for the mindset shift. Not everyone will experience a mindset shift in the same way or at the same time; light bulbs go on in participants’ minds at different times and for different reasons even within the same curriculum. While it is difficult to guarantee a mindset shift as an outcome the sustained exposure to complex systems and collaborative leadership embedded into the best community-based leadership programs definitely helps.
Returning to the initial question of “Where do we find and how do we create more systems leaders?” it is important to remember that while the exposure I describe above may be necessary for the mindset shift to move organizational leaders to systems leaders it is in no way sufficient to achieve that end. Community-based leadership programs fail to create more systems leaders when the focus is solely on the months-long duration of the “program” itself. Systems leadership is not a terminal skill one ought to get a certificate in by virtue of participating in a program; rather it’s an ongoing practice that one is compelled toward with the right mindset. Its practitioners know, through that mindset oriented toward collective action, that they have an obligation to try to cultivate systems leaders all around them and at all times through exposure and engagement. Community-based leadership programs that actively engage alumni through providing opportunities to continue to engage in this practice are best positioned to create more systems leaders, and thus accomplish greater change, in their communities.
BY Chris Thompson
ON March 8, 2015 04:22 PM
John, Thank you for the insight. I agree that a mindset shift is critical; recognizing the value of different skills is part of that mindset shift.
And I couldn’t agree more that community-based leadership is a continuous process that needs to be consistently reinforced. I hope that the alumni programming offered by such leadership programs would devote a significant part of their programming to reinforcing the value and the skills of collaborative civic leadership.
BY SueEllen Kroll
ON March 9, 2015 02:20 PM
Thank you for this post and follow up to the Systems Leadership article. I am wondering if you have any thoughts or leads for developing leadership and governance for a collaborative platform once it has been formed? I am specifically looking for consultants who specialize in this area—or helpful reports/studies.
To be sure shifting mindsets toward collaboration is challenging work, sustaining the effort is equally difficult, if not worse. (There are funding opportunities for your start-up efforts at least!) Leadership transitions and unstable economic situations are big impediments, as well as convincing Boards that this time for “discovery” among the players is important to future outcomes. Lastly, I would offer that the tenets of system leadership need to be embedded within organizations, not just individuals. It would be great if training opportunities were available for a larger range of staff positions.
BY Karen Nestor
ON March 10, 2015 07:14 AM
This emerging dialogue about systems leadership is a leap forward in collaborative efforts to address complex issues in the civic space. The conversation to this point has stressed capabilities and skills that are needed in order to achieve collective transformation. Perhaps a third strand of the DNA of systems leadership is the attitudes that are necessary to activate and sustain a culture of systems leadership. While the importance of attitudes is implied in much that has already been written, it may be helpful to highlight the underlying affective dimensions that are the sine qua non of effective systems leadership.
Inquiry is at the heart of the dialogue so far, and a certain attitude toward inquiry is probably needed. Schein (2013) has termed such an attitude humble inquiry or “the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not already know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” Humble inquiry leads with putting aside the taken-for-granted assumptions (referred to in “The Dawn of Systems Leadership”) that too often form the starting – and ending—place for organizational leaders. We usually begin with a pretty good idea of what the solutions will be and delimit the thinking space right from the starting gate. Lots of good tools are available, but they will never be effective unless systems leaders begin with a genuine attitude of humility, openness and curiosity – a willingness to “to step across a threshold – and to let go of whatever might limit stepping forward” (Senge, et al, 2015).
An attitude embedded in the notion of humility, and addressed in the dialogue thus far, is an eagerness to nurture relationships with diverse individuals who have valuable insights to contribute. We often talk about the importance of trust, perhaps thinking that certain activities, together with time, will make trust happen. But without warm, accepting attitudes that are visible, no scripted activities will lead to trust. In fact, nothing engenders trust more than a humble, self-deprecating sense of humor. A hallmark of systems leaders may be that they do not take themselves too seriously!
“A Safe Place to Practice” has given strong direction to how leadership programs could evolve to create the conditions that will produce leaders for complex systems change. Pearticipants in such programs might actually have some fun focusing on the attitudes that make them want to FOLLOW someone and developing ways to nurture and sustain those attitudes in themselves.
BY Chris Thompson
ON March 10, 2015 08:40 AM
SueEllen,
I think the experience of our friends in Canada at the Tamarack Institute may be very helpful to you. And the consulting firm of FSG specializes in leadership and governance for collaboration. You may also want to joint the Collective Impact Forum online, which has hundreds of resources and members who are committed to this work.
Our hope is that as organizational leaders embrace the importance of collaborative leadership they will indeed make sure it spreads throughout their organization. At a recent workshop with Leadership Akron alumni one corporate president said the training he received was so helpful that he asked that his whole leadership team receive it. We hope to have similar reactions as we continue to spread our work.
BY Chris Thompson
ON March 10, 2015 04:39 PM
Karen,
Thank you very much for your insightful comments about “attitudes.” As Churchill said: “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
Perhaps systems leaders don’t take themselves too seriously because they know that they have no authority within the complex system. Nothing makes a person more humble than accepting that one doesn’t have control.
I look forward to adding some “Follow” elements to our leadership curriculum.
BY Mark Scheffler
ON March 10, 2015 06:04 PM
Sue Ellen—I loved your insight that boards need to understand the importance of creating space/time/capacity for nonprofit executive leaders to explore and hone collaborative leadership and opportunities. I’ve been discussing with several nonprofit execs the tension between running their own organization on a shoestring and the need to come up and explore partners/opportunities. Are nonprofit boards challenging their executives to set aside time for the relationship-building and leadership practices that lead to collaborative opportunities? If the demands of working with boards/staffs and delivering programs/services are too great for execs to carve out space to build a community of practice with peers across boundaries, some soul-searching may be in order. One way to shift the mindset in this area is to reframe from boards focused on building the organization to ones focused on stewarding the charitable purpose. Part of stewarding is connecting to other players in one’s eco-system to work better together.
BY Frank P. Walters
ON April 19, 2016 01:36 AM
I think that the question “How do we create more systems leaders?” is more appropriate. Yet as this report argues, our world is facing unprecedented challenges.
It is becoming more diverse, more complex, less sustainable and less
equal. And if we are to mount any meaningful response to the collective
challenges we face we have no choice but to change starting with
our public education systems. It’s good to know there are such non profit organizations like yours.