#CreatingSpace2013 Tweet Chat
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Over the last year that I have been working at LLC, I have been learning a lot about what leadership development looks like, how it is defined in different contexts, and how it’s applied. As I am learning more about development of individuals, within the culture of their communities, I have observed programs and organizations that build up leadership capacity as a process; a process of learning, growth, and personal strength development. And many times these transformative leadership opportunities take place outside the of traditional leadership development programs. Whether it’s bringing together a group of multi generational folks on an issue important to a community; such as building an urban oral history library or empowering youth to build community gardens to sell local fruits and vegetables; we can see leadership development taking place. 

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I met Rahsaan Harris, the Executive Director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, at the Independent Sector meeting in San Francisco last April.  I knew instantly that Rahsaan was a kindred spirit as we joined a round table conversation about the IS initiative on Leadership Talent in the sector.  I was excited by conversations with Rahsaan and his colleague Kate Seely about network leadership and the contributions of next generation leadership.  After the meeting I had additional conversations with Rahsaan and Kate about how to be intentional about our partnership and collaboration.  Rahsaan walks the talk when it comes to acting on what we all know are good ideas but sometimes get to bogged down to follow up on.  I was very enthusiastic when Rahsaan asked me to share some of LLC's thinking about collective leadership at their national meeting and we are equally excited that he will be attending our national meeting, Creating Space.  We are happy to be spotlighting Rahsaan’s authentic partnership spirit which we know is a precursor of great things to come.  

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By Odin Zackman, DIG IN

In early May, 130 passionate practitioners committed to transformative leadership development for social change will gather in Baltimore for Creating Space X.

These gatherings are unlike any that I have attended, serving as a crucible for connection and learning to enhance leadership development practice. I am always buoyed by the combination of experience and dedication to making a difference that participants share.

The hope—particularly with this year’s theme of “Breaking New Ground”—is to provide inspiration and new perspectives to fuel innovative work that ultimately deepens social transformation.

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Earlier this month, I attended the last Bay Area showing of Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop,^[1]” a fictional play inspired by the last moments of Dr. Martin Luther King’s life. It takes place on his last day on earth, as he is battling with the public’s blame and guilt over the death of Larry Payne,^[2] a 16-year old boy who died when a march lead by Dr. King turned violent the week before.  Here Dr. King is portrayed as a real person, who is not only reflecting on his life but also battling with his own demons and eventually accepts his own impending death. In this play, Martin Luther King is arrogant yet insecure. He is an adulterer but definitely a loving family man, a “King” who is undoubtedly devoted to the public’s service, and always very passionate about racial equality. Among these contradictions and passions, the play does not smooth over his humanness but rather highlights it.

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I was flattered to be invited to speak about Collective Leadership at the recent EPIP conference in Chicago since I am a fan of the organization.  I also saw it as an opportunity to get feedback from people who are more hardwired for collective leadership.  Research by the Building Movement Project suggests that younger people are generally more collective in their leadership styles.  In research conducted by LLC for the Annie E. Casey Foundation about why there are not more people of color in leadership of the sector, we heard stories from people who were getting great results by inspiring their teams and were still given feedback that they needed to be stronger leaders, or at least stronger by the normative cultural standards.  The ways in which our culture of individual has become embedded in our models of leadership renders invisible leadership happening all around us in a more collective form.  I wondered if folks from EPIP might shed some light on this so off I went to Chicago.  I would like to extend this conversation to all of you. 

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By Deborah Meehan and Natalia Castañeda Chaux

This month, Bryon organized the first meeting of our Restructuring (AKA Transition) Advisory Committee of LLC board volunteers.  The interesting thing about this process and collective leadership, is that our best made plans are always subject to challenge and improvement by welcoming other perspectives into the conversation.  First, the committee was whole heartedly supportive of promoting Natalia Castañeda (our former Communications Director) to become Managing Director, and to carry this recommendation forward to the full board.  Subsequently, we got into a discussion that was anchored by the following critical questions: is a co-leadership model right for LLC? What is the best solution for our workload/capacity issue?

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On Evaluation and Data…

Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) Seattle Chapter’s new co-leader, Efrain Gutierrez, reflects on the recent EPIP national conference, highlighting four recommendations for philanthropy leaders around collaboration: Be humble, know who you are not, listen, learn and adapt. Further on the theme of listening, Stanford Social Innovation Review recently published a piece called Listening to Those Who Matter Most, the Beneficiaries, wherein beneficiary feedback initiatives are featured including CDA Collaborative Learning Project’s Listening project, GreatNonprofits and NeighborWorks America Success Measures. Case studies on the YouthTruth program and the Institute of Medicine’s report “Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century” give concrete examples of beneficiaries’ experience being used as drivers of positive change.

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