Student United Way—Change leaders for the 21st century
By Howard Mason
I had the privilege of working this weekend with some of the wonderful leaders of the Student United Ways forming at University of Louisville and at Indiana University Southeast. We met in a retreat and talked about what brought us to the work of community change, when and why we have seen community change work, and what community change we are passionate about leading.
Spending time with these young leaders reminded me of the work of Bob Stilger, a colleague at the Berkana Foundation who has spent time with young leaders all over the world and has described what makes them tick and how they are different from the leaders of the 20th century.
Bob calls the leadership of social movements of the 21st century Enspirited Leadership. This leadership comes from mind, heart and spirit and provides a foundation for action in the world. Here are some of Bob’s key findings:
The work of 21st century change leaders is:
Enspirited- Leaders work with an irresistibly strong sense of calling.
Appreciative- Leaders look for what is already working, for the wealth and assets that are already present and for the possibilities that already exist.
Emergent- Leaders follow a path of discovery, exploration and inquiry, standing in the now and looking for the new.
(In the 60s and 70s, social change movements tended to be ideological, strategic, and tactical.)
The world view of enspirited leaders
- We live in an abundant, nourishing and nurturing environment.
- We have a deep trust in the inherent goodness of the human spirit.
- It is not only possible, it is essential that we learn to live with each other on this planet in ways which promote mutual respect, fairness and justice.
- Issues of fairness and justice are of paramount importance.
This kind of leadership focuses more on possibilities than problems, and comes from a part of us beyond the capacities of our analytical, logical minds.
Six key characteristics of enspirited leaders
1. Life leads these leaders to work.
Enspirited leaders step into their work because of a strong sense of calling, rather than a logical, rational, methodical, strategic decision-making process
2. They journey in the company of others.
This work is rarely done alone. Moving into new territory, doing work that seems unconventional and perhaps even foolish to some, requires companions.
3. They demand diversity and wholeness.
When these leaders look at a given situation, they look for the surrounding web of relationships and systems. They look for the whole picture.
4. They work from a spiritual center.
The presence of a spiritual center is what allows these leaders to hear and trust their inner voice and follow its call. They also move, with that spirit, into a place of reflective learning which acts as a compass to guide their action.
5. Reflective learning guides their lives.
Enspirited leaders practice a continuous process of surfacing facts and impressions, talking about them with others in order to surface patterns and assumptions, examining their actions and behaviors, and then affirming or changing their course of action.
6. Their work is filled with ambiguity and uncertainty.
Ambiguity and uncertainty are befriended in this work. To follow a sense of calling, in the company of others, aware of a diverse world, from a spiritual center and with an awareness of assumptions, is to let go of control. There is simply no other way.
As Adam Kahane has said: To change the world, you both have to be committed to changing it and be able to listen to how it wants to change.
That is how these young change leaders will show how us how to LIVE UNITED in the 21st century.
Awesome recap! Go Student United Way!!!