It was supposed to be everything I wanted. As Visiting Assistant Professor for Community-Based Learning at Grand Valley State University, I had finally found a position that reflected my unique academic interests. The department chair and college dean were supportive and I got along great with the other three professors who were starting at the same time.
Read MoreIt was a full-blown mess. A bona fide shit-show. And she knew the bottom could fall out at any moment. She had been hired under less-than-honest circumstances, having significant financial problems hidden by her new employers during the interview process. Now, she couldn't sleep, felt like she had no allies, no good options, and a mission she deeply cared for that was in danger of being abandoned.
Read More"You're not really leadership material." Feeling like a fraud is one of the most common experiences leaders can have. It's a sensation that, at any moment, your community or organization will realize you're not qualified, prepared, or otherwise capable of leading.
Read MoreIt can feel as though every decision in life and work requires a quick, and perfect action. The urgency of a faltering organization or difficult project can cause oscillation between full-bodied determination and desperate resignation. When the pressures of crushing social problems and uncertain politics compound that stress, it is common to feel
Read MoreOur biggest challenges in community leadership require thought partners. Unfortunately, our hero culture encourages us to go it alone in leadership. A Leadership Coach walks with nonprofit leaders, community organizers, faith leaders, and people working for social transformation on a journey of growth in confidence, capacity, and integrity. Here are 6 ways
Read MoreBecause community is a relational word that is both familiar and ambiguous, it is easy to gloss over the kinds of relationships a leader should seek to support their work. But, there are at least three kinds of relationships that can make all the difference for a person working in community leadership and engagement:
Read MoreIn Parker Palmer's seminal work The Courage To Teach, he points out that conversations on teaching focus mostly on the 'what's' of teaching, i.e. the subjects of teaching, a little on the 'how's' of teaching, and even less on the 'why's' of teaching. But the missing aspect, according to Palmer, is the discussion of the 'who' of leadership.
Read MoreWhen people think of changing the world, we understandably think big. We imagine a world without racism, without poverty, without violence, and so many other worthy wishes. The more we learn about complex broken systems, structural inequity, and widespread injustice, the bigger and more complex our plans become.
Read MoreIn our power-hungry society, the language of leadership is often attached to desires for control over, authority over, and management of other people. We are taught through media portrayals that our hopes and dreams should be attached to the trappings of individual power - money, possessions, control, and life beyond accountability.
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