In October 2009, at a Leadership Learning Community (LLC) Bay Area Circle, Miho Kim and Celia Davis of the DataCenter shared their learning about the “Shared Leadership” model adopted by the Center in 2006.  The two hour meeting was very well-attended, raising many questions, which as a result of the time constraints went unanswered.  The high level of interest and participation in the topic appears to reflect the degree to which many in the nonprofit sector are beginning to explore different models and ways of working together.  Miho Kim generously agreed to a follow up conversation with me to flesh out some of the questions raised at the convening (this piece is a synthesis of our interview and the Bay Area circle convening).  Read the entire article here.

Click here to learn more about DataCenter’s Shared Leadership Model.

The motto “be the change you want to see in the world” has manifested in DataCenter’s Shared Leadership Model since 2006.  With a Design Team comprised of representatives from Bay Area social justice organizations, we convened a monthly three part-series of dialog with more than thirty other organizations to document our diverse experiences – both successes and challenges – exploring alternatives to a top-down leadership structure as a social justice movement.  We listened to each other and exchanged tools and resources, as well as wisdom.  The knowledge capture using participatory methodologies imparted insights appreciated by grantmakers, capacity-builders, and organizers alike.  Check out the powerpoint summary of this experience, recently presented at the brownbag hosted by Learning Leadership Community – the funder of the series – available on our websites!

For more information and resources, visit the Leadership Learning Community Bay Area Learning Circle wiki at: http://leadershiplearning.pbworks.com/BayArea_10212009

Download powerpoint summary pdf format

The ‘First Wednesdays’ Series

First Wednesdays, 4pm-7pm, April-June 2009

April 01, 2009
‘Power’ and Leadership Principles & Values
@ The Foundation Center-San Francisco

May 06, 2009
Sustainable Systems and Structures
@ Madison Park Community Room
100 9th Street, Oakland, CA
across from Lake Merritt BART

June 03, 2009
Building a Sustainable Accountability System
@ The Foundation Center-San Francisco
312 Sutter Street, Suite 606, San Francisco directions

Please RSVP as space is limited! to miho althea kim, DataCenter miho@datacenter.org or (510) 835-4692 ext. 302.

Have you tried to or dreamed about how to effectively foster social justice values in the internal practices of your organization? Conflicted with challenging dynamics of power and authority that hinders leadership development of not only constituents, but staff themselves?

If you want to engage in stimulating dialog and exchange wisdom with other progressive and social justice non-profit organizations in the Bay Area, to deepen both the theory and practice of multicultural, values-based leadership development, come join us! We hope to create a space for a facilitated participatory program where people involved in numerous capacities in the organization can walk away with concrete, practical tools & ideas to be positive and effective agents for social justice inside their workplaces and out…

In the first part of the series on April 1st, we will begin generating values and principles of shared leadership and exploring the realities and possibilities of power and leadership in our organizations. We’ll move through small and large group discussions, share tools to frame our thinking, and document our learnings together toward a deeper and broader understanding of how we can put our principles into practice.

Attendance is FREE; however, due to limited capacity, RSVP is requested.
Refreshments will be served, but feel free to bring your own food!

Co-presenters: Patricia St. Onge of Seven Generations Consulting, with
DataCenter, brought to you by the First Wednesday Series Planning Committee
(group of local non profit organizations interested to share their work on values-based
organizational culture, policies, and practices)

The First Wednesday Series is a part of DataCenter’s commitment to long-term cultivation of a circle of social justice non-profits that are exploring alternatives to hierarchy in different forms. We are creating an open, participatory venue to examine collaborative leadership structures. The First Wednesday Series Planning Committee believes the documentation and sharing of alternate models of leadership to advance social justice offer a significant tool to the rest of the field and the broader social justice movement.

The First Wednesday Series is funded by the Leadership Learning Community Seed Fund, with space generously provided by the Foundation Center of San Francisco for two out of three of the convenings.