Blog

The Creating Space Design Team has set a high bar for CSX!  We want to create a transformative learning experience to explore how leadership development approaches are promoting social innovation around complex challenges and we need your help.  We are turning to you for ideas/models/approaches that are breaking new ground.  Maybe you are experimenting with a new approach in your leadership development work or your recruitment strategy; maybe you are developing curriculum for bringing a race conscious lens to leadership work or a more network-centric approach.  Maybe you don't run a leadership program but you are consciously developing people in the course of organizing work, developing a network or a coalition effort. The design team will be creating multiple opportunities for you to share and learn about the work of others in meaningful ways. We invite you to share what you would like to offer in informal or formal exchanges.  All of your ideas will be shared on the Creating Space page on the Leadership Learning Community website as you post them. 

 read more »

I am closely following the movement for immigration reform that has gained traction at the beginning of President Obama’s second term in office.  This is an interest inspired by my own family’s journey of migration from Mexico to the United States as well as my bicultural and bilingual upbringing along the U.S.- Mexico border. Having been involved in different elements of the migrants rights struggle, I thought I would reflect on the movement, by means of a leadership lens, as we work towards comprehensive immigration reform. 

I have been most struck by the movement for comprehensive immigration reform for the reasons that leadership mobilization has taken on a more collective and networked outlook.  Traditional notions of leadership tend to idealize the notion of the inspirational person, a figure who exercises influence or mobilizes others. This idea is reinforced by a culture of individualism that permeates our socialization and our beliefs in extraordinary individuals. This is not to mean that the traditional role of the individual leader may or not be absent from the immigration reform movement, but that the reform movement is centered around a shared experience that inspires collective action. The role of collective experiences of oppression related to unjust and inhumane migratory policies have inspired people to organize and to prioritize actions for the collective change. Shared and collective grievances become a driving factor for mobilization coupled with a demographic shift taking place on in this country. This  means that immigrant families and their children are growing at rates that are strong enough to challenge Republicans at the polls and have pushed them to get behind reform; giving voices and power to historically marginalized populations in American society. 

 read more »

This year’s Creating Space will focus on Breaking New Ground: Leadership Development for Social Innovation and Impact.  We assembled a diverse team of thought leaders to help us design a unique learning experience that allows participants to consider a broad range of leadership development experiences, both tried and true and unconventional approaches that could elevate our work to a new level of impact on complex social issues.

Take a look at the design team for Creating Space 2013!

 read more »

If you know the LLC Board of Directors, you will not be surprised to hear that we had a very rigorous conversation about leadership transitions that again 

generated another set of lessons:
 

1.    Look at the ‘for what’ of your leadership needs:  That’s a pretty popular leadership question and it turns out to be relevant to the transition conversation.  For example, the board reminded us that the discussion about transition and restructuring does not happen in a vacuum and is not static.  It needs to be closely tied to our big and reaching goals for the next three years. In fact, the board asked the question broadly to include the type of leadership we would need from the staff and the board itself as we refine and operationalize our goals.  For example, one question that emerged was whether or not we would need to continue expanding the staff to reach our 2016 targets.  This caused me to think differently about fundraising and whether we needed to build this capacity as part of our leadership restructuring.  The board is thinking about the capacities that they also need and will be inviting guests to the Creating Space board meeting.  It’s pretty cool the way this conversation is permeating and invigorating the entire organization.

 read more »