Collaborative leadership
The premise of collaborative leadership says: If you bring the appropriate people together in constructive ways with good information, they will create authentic visions and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of the organization and community.
The traditional concept of leadership is that of the heroic leader – they have a vision, they assert it, they persuade us, and they gain followers. Collaborative leadership turns that concept upside down simply by saying that if we bring good people together in constructive ways, we will be able to make conscious, inclusive decisions.
Collaborative Leadership Workshops
Monday, September 30 | Building Your Planning Canvas
Transformative community change requires skilled changemakers. The most effective changemakers understand, embrace, and practice collaborative leadership and the trust-building which makes it possible. Today’s session by Lindsay Daniller (Daniller Associates, Edmonton, Alberta, CA ) and Tom Klaus (Tenacious Change, Laurel, MD, USA), two experienced collaborative leaders, will lead participants in an exploration of what it means to lead collaboratively and the critical role trust plays in making it possible.
Session goals:
- Define collaborative leadership and assess your readiness to engage in collaborative leadership
- Identify how to build your capacity to engage in collaborative leadership
- Expand your understanding of the role of trust in effective collaboration
- Identify strategies for building, and repairing, trust
Tuesday, October 1 | Innovative Stories and Case Studies
We are all on a collaborative leadership journey. Tom Klaus and Lindsay Daniller will lead a conversation about the joys and struggles, challenges and rewards of collaborative leadership. Each have had successes and failure, and they will transparently share their stories and insights. Participants will have an opportunity to share their stories of the good, the bad, and the ugly of collaboration. You can also pose some of the challenges you have had and seek the wisdom of the group.
Session goals:
- Be inspired by seasoned leaders who have navigated collaborative leadership opportunities and challenges
- Share your own reflections and insights on collaborative leadership practices you have used and choices you have made
- Receive insights from the experiences of others and offer insights to those are on the collaborative leadership journey
Wednesday, October 2 | Methods to Put Theory Into Practice
Put what you have learned about collaborative leadership into practice with this unique case study experience. Tom Klaus will lead a case study called “The 10 o’Clock Fire.” The case study uses photography and storytelling to take you into an unusual but true experience in which collaboration makes the difference between success and failure, life and death. (Of course, no workshop participants will be harmed in the case study!) “The 10 o’Clock Fire” is a memorable conclusion to our exploration of collaborative leadership.
Session Goals:
- Actively apply collaborative leadership ideas and principle in a compelling case study experience
- Increase understanding of the use of “simple rules” in collaborative leadership
- More fully appreciate the value and power of trust in collaborative leadership
- Understand how collaboration can be used to bring sense and order in times of disruption
Meet Liz, your festival faculty member
Liz Weaver
Co-CEO & Consulting Director, Collaborative Leadership
Tamarack Learning Centre
Liz Weaver is the Co-CEO of Tamarack Institute where she is leading the Tamarack Learning Centre. The Tamarack Learning Centre has a focus on advancing community change efforts and does this by focusing on five strategic areas including collective impact, collaborative leadership, community engagement, community innovation and evaluating community impact. Liz is well-known for her thought leadership on both collaborative leadership and collective impact and is the author of several popular and academic papers on the topic. She is a co-catalyst partner with the Collective Impact Forum and leads a collective impact capacity building strategy with the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Liz is passionate about the power and potential of communities getting to impact on complex issues. Prior to her current role at Tamarack, Liz led the Vibrant Communities Canada team and assisted place-based collaborative tables
From 2006 – 2009, Liz was the Director for the Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction, which was recognized with the Canadian Urban Institute's David Crombie Leadership Award. In her career, Liz has held leadership positions with YWCA Hamilton, Volunteer Hamilton and Volunteer Canada. In 2002, Liz completed a Masters of Management, McGill University. Liz has been awarded Queen's Jubilee Medals in 2002 and 2012 for her contributions to volunteerism in Canada and in 2004 was awarded the Women in the Workplace award from the City of Hamilton.