Leadership Development: Learning to Lead in Partnership with Others
NAMAC s program director Dan Schott recently interviewed Paula Manley about the ins and outs of leadership development. Paula is co-founder of The Learning Commons, NAMAC s partner in presenting the Media Arts Leadership Institute (MALI) for staff leaders of NAMAC member organizations. She draws on more than 20 years of experience as an executive director, board chair, media maker, and consultant to media arts groups.
How do you define "leadership"?
There are many definitions of leadership, but the one that has become my favorite comes from learning-organization theorist Peter Senge and his colleagues. They see leadership as "the capacity of a human community to shape its future, and specifically to sustain the significant processes of change required to do so." This definition conveys the essential point that leadership is not the province of a solitary leader, but rather is a capacity (or set of capacities) needed within a community - whether that community is a production crew, a work group, or an organization. Of course, we need to develop our individual skills and abilities as leaders, but leadership occurs only in the context of a group. That means leadership is more about co-creating with others, rather than directing or controlling.
What is included in "leadership development"?
The "what" that develops in leadership development includes self-awareness, self-confidence, and the ability to see how systems relate to each other; that is, to take a systemic view. Other leadership capacities include working with people, thinking creatively, and learning from our experiences.
Although some people seem to be "natural leaders," leadership capacities can be developed. That means there is no good reason not to broaden the base of leadership within our media arts organizations. In doing so we stand to strengthen our organizations, our field, and our potential impact on the larger society.
Most media arts organizations have an executive director. Quite often, that person has a huge and seemingly unmanageable job. How can executive directors get the support they need?
The executive director s workload is often unmanageable. Burnout is a risk. As a starting point for getting the support they need, executive directors must remember that they are not supposed to have all the answers. A vast network of relationships and knowledge is required to operate an organization; it is simply too much for any one person to "hold." When an executive director seeks assistance from others in the organization, the very act of asking for help reminds staff and board members that they are needed and that organizational success is dependent on the knowledge and skills of many people, not one person. Peers in the media arts field and colleagues at other local nonprofits can also be invaluable sources of support.
Forging a productive partnership with the board chair is an important foundation for getting support as an executive director. This includes talking together about key questions such as: What expectations do each of you have of the other (as executive director and board chair)? What support do each of you need to do your job? In particular, executive directors should talk with their board chairs about their professional development goals and needs. To help make this kind of conversation a norm, some organizations create a job description for the board chair highlighting the board s responsibility to foster the executive director s professional development. (For more about the partnership between executive directors and board chairs, see sidebar.) Sabbaticals are gaining popularity as a vehicle for reflection and renewal, especially for long-term executive directors. Sabbaticals have other benefits, too. They provide an impetus for strengthening organizational systems, and they tend to "make space" in the organization for bringing forward the leadership capabilities of other staff members.
What can executive directors do to help develop other staff leaders?
The most important thing an executive director can do to develop other staff leaders is to foster a learning culture within the organization. Learning is a necessary part of leadership development. A learning culture is rooted in respect, which leads to trust, which makes it possible for people to communicate openly and learn from each other (and learn from their mistakes). Executive directors can serve as role models to their staffs by consciously working to develop their own leadership and by asking for feedback on their performance. They can engage staff members in strategic planning and strategic thinking, assuring that others have opportunities to learn about "big picture" issues and take part in creating a shared vision for the future. Finally, executive directors can encourage staff to set leadership development goals, and then assure on-the-job opportunities for staff to grow their skills. Examples of on-the-job experiences than support leadership development include: facilitating meetings, designing programs, conducting research, leading a project team, and representing the organization as part of a multi-agency committee. Even a mundane task can be a leadership development opportunity. One executive director I know invites new staff members to take minutes at board meetings as part of their employee orientation. In this way, new hires are immediately exposed to policy discussions and gain a broader picture of the organization.
What advice do you have for younger or emerging leaders?
Think about what difference you would like to make in the organization, your community, and the field. What are your strengths? What skills and abilities will you need to grow and develop? Who are the leaders you most admire? Why? Set a few leadership development goals for yourself, and enlist your supervisor in thinking with you about on-the-job opportunities for growing your capabilities. Identify allies and resource people in your network of peers and the larger community. Find opportunities to talk with them about your goals so that they can become more active supporters. Look for opportunities to build your leadership skills through volunteer work. Consider asking a more experienced colleague outside your organization to be a mentor. Challenge yourself. Expect to make some mistakes and have some setbacks - but take time to reflect on your progress, to learn from your experiences, and to be intentional about the next steps of your leadership journey.
In planning for leadership succession, what are the most important questions for founders or long-term executive directors to be asking?
What steps need to be taken to preserve and perpetuate the media arts history that you have lived? Is the board engaged enough to understand the environment within and the issues important to the organization? In what ways might you be fostering dependence? For example, are you the only one who knows the funders or understands the budget? Are others engaged in developing a shared vision for the future of the organization? What is the state of the organization s internal systems? How much systems knowledge lives "in your head"? Can you envision yourself contributing to this organization in some way other than as executive director? What might that look like? Based on your tenure as executive director, how will you be remembered? What will your legacy be to this organization? To the community? To the field?
Our organizations are so stretched, especially in these difficult economic times. How can we make leadership development a priority when there is so much else to do?
At all times, and especially dark times, we need to look to ourselves and our organizations as the seedbeds for bringing about the long-term future we want to create. The current political climate has brought into sharp focus the need for each of us to bring forward our best and most powerful self. I don t think we can afford not to make leadership development a priority.
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