Protective Mask on Street Sign that Says Broadway

by Rad Pereira and Jan Cohen-Cruz with Introduction by Susan J. Erenrich

Share this article:

In this Grassroots Leadership & the Arts for Social Change Corner, Rad Pereira and Jan Cohen-Cruz discuss socially engaged performance in the context of the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and the attempted U.S. coup of January 2021. In this corner, which is a modified version of a chapter in their new book, Meeting the Moment: Socially Engaged Performance, 1965-2020, by Those Who Lived It, they scan the “immediate performative responses to the circumstances of the pandemic, artists’ growing consciousness of the possibility of seeing their work on the world stage, and the rise of resistance and loss.” Corner editor Susan J. Erenrich provides an introduction to the piece.

Requires Member Login. Not a member? Join today!

Screen Shot of Kathryn Goldman Schuyler and Rasmus Hougaard during their Exploring Leadership Interview

Kathryn Goldman Schuyler Interviews CEO Rasmus Hougaard

Date 31 May 2022

Requires Member Login. Not a member? Join today!

Share this article:

In this episode of Exploring Leadership, Goldman Schuyler interviews Rasmus Hougaard, founder and CEO of Potential Project, a global consulting firm emphasizing how simple mindfulness practice combined with an attitude of compassion helps leaders do hard things in a human way.

Exploring Leadership is a series of conversations hosted by Kathryn Goldman Schuyler in which she introduces viewers to leaders who dance with possibility and whose creativity, depth, and vision bring leadership to life — people from many arenas whose lives add vitality and meaning to our planet.

Blog About the Interview

“All Human Beings Are Inherently Good….”:

A Conversation with Rasmus Hougaard — Author, Company Founder, and CEO

In Potential Project, company founder and CEO Rasmus Hougaard has created one of the largest nonprofits consulting globally to leaders from the perspective of helping them to understand and manage their minds. Before working in the corporate world, Rasmus studied in monasteries in India and Nepal and then directed a major meditation center in Copenhagen. I spoke with him to glean wisdom about how he incorporates both ancient teachings and contemporary science in his books, training, and consulting. Potential Project’s approach is to emphasize how simple mindfulness practice combined with an attitude of compassion helps leaders do hard things in a human way.

I immediately felt comfortable with Rasmus. He has an easy warmth that seems accepting and is very clear and articulate. He has built his company over 12 years to one that works in 28 countries on four continents, in 17 languages. To join it as a facilitator, one is expected to have had a mindfulness practice, usually for at least five years, and to have experienced regular in-depth retreats. In addition, facilitators must have a strong professional background as a manager, consultant, or professor. It’s encouraging to see such a commitment to personal practice in a consulting firm.

Rasmus believes that leaders of many organizations around the world live in what he calls the “PAID (Pressure, Always on, Information overload, Distracted) world.” In my consulting experience, I have also found this to be true for many leaders. The combination he has brought together of mindfulness and compassion makes it possible to put the PAID world aside, clear one’s mind, think about people and their needs, and make necessary decisions. Potential Project supports their framework with data, both on their website and in Rasmus’s new book Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way (Harvard Business Press, 2022). Their user-friendly research reports, gathered in partnership with researchers from Harvard, Columbia, and Berkeley, show that over half of leaders are out of touch with the way they are perceived by their people. They also show that when leaders manifest both wisdom and compassion, the job satisfaction and engagement of their employees are significantly higher (see https://www.potentialproject.com/research ). I found it particularly interesting to read that, in the population they sampled, female leaders rated themselves fairly high in compassion and wisdom and were rated higher in both by their teams, whereas male leaders rated themselves higher on both than the women leaders did but were rated below average on both by their teams (Hougaard & Carter, 2022, p. 49).

So many aspects of civil society and work are in the midst of rapid, disruptive change. This is why I have found it essential for leaders to embrace some type of awareness practice. It enables us to bring ourselves into the present, quieting the often busy chatter in our minds or the constant planning, and get back in touch with our heart, connection and love of people and life, and our purpose for doing the work we do. As Sandra Waddock and Erica Steckler have shown in their fascinating research on the leaders who created the social responsibility movement in investing (Steckler & Waddock, 2018; Waddock & Steckler, 2013), such a practice may be one of mindfulness or meditation, but it may also be anything done regularly that gets one in touch with beauty, nature, oneself, and others.

As Rasmus and I spoke, it seemed more and more obvious that such training can be done fairly easily and should be intrinsic to all professional education in today’s world. The amount of pressure that leaders, as well as professionals in healthcare, social work, education, and services like policing and firefighting, are under seems only to be increasing. With simple training in awareness and compassion practices, leaders can be more present in tough situations — as both his and my research show (Goldman Schuyler et al., 2019; Hougaard & Carter, 2022).

About Potential Project & CEO Rasmus Hougaard

Potential Project is a global consulting organization that works in 28 countries with over 200 consultants. It describes itself as being “on a mission to create a more human world of work.” Its company founder and CEO, Rasmus Hougaard, has co-authored several books on leadership, including his most recent: Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way (Harvard Business Press, 2022). He also writes for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Business Insider and supports C-suite executives at global organizations such as IKEA, Accenture, Wal-Mart, Cisco, and Unilever.

References

Goldman Schuyler, K., Wolberger, O.M., Gillette, M., & Samad, M. (2019). Mindfulness, love, and greater good at work: A research-based exploration. Journal of Leadership Studies, 13(3), 44-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21661

Hougaard, R. & Carter, J. (2022). Compassionate leadership: How to do hard things in a human way. Harvard Business Review Press.

Steckler, E., & Waddock, S. (2018). Self-Sustaining practices of successful social change agents: A retreats framework for supporting transformational change. Humanistic Management Journal, 2, 171–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41463-017-0031-9

Waddock, S., & Steckler, E. (2013). Wisdom, spirituality, social entrepreneurs, and self-sustaining practices: What can we learn from difference makers? In J. Neal (Ed.) The handbook for faith and spirituality in the workplace, pp. 285-301. Springer.

Kathryn Goldman Schuyler has many years of experience in leadership development, organizational consulting, research, and somatic learning. She has helped hundreds of executives to cultivate healthy organizations and is Professor Emeritus of Organization Development at Alliant International University. Kathryn has published widely on leadership and change and is the author of Inner Peace – Global Impact (IAP, 2012) and the lead editor of Leading With Spirit, Presence, and Authenticity (Jossey Bass/Wiley, 2014), and Creative Social Change: Leadership for a Healthy World (Emerald, 2016). In 2020, she was chair of ILA’s first virtual global conference, Leading at the Edge. Her most recent articles on mindfulness and leadership have been published in the SAGE journal Leadership, the Journal of Leadership Studies, and the Journal of Management Inquiry.

Her recent research focuses on awareness, connection, and inclusion. Her explorations of generative mindfulness highlight how being fully present enhances participants’ connectedness with others and the natural environment, while renewing their sense of purpose in their work and creating a culture of inclusion. She has studied with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mingyur Rinpoche, Roshi Joan Halifax and Lama Tharchin Rinpoche. Kathryn and her husband, a composer, live overlooking San Francisco, a view that encourages them to pause and appreciate gleaming sunsets and foggy mornings, the calls of ravens and the circling of hawks, and the sparkling city lights.

by Joanne Barnes, Chair, ILA Board Membership Committee; Professor of Leadership Studies & Past Dean of the Graduate School, Indiana Wesleyan University

16 May 2022

Share this article:

Introduction

On the 24^th of February, Ukraine came under attack and was invaded. The news has covered the stories. Men, women, and children, people of all ages and walks of life have had their world turned upside down. We hear about the heroes — the Ukrainian president, and his steadfast resolve to stand in the face of adversity. Yet, there are women and young girls who do not make the headlines, who are in Ukraine and across the border working to support all Ukrainians. These women and young girls often do not communicate with their husbands and fathers for days. They don’t know if they will ever see their loved one(s) again. But they continue to support and do what they can, using the skills they have to make a difference.

Shortly after the invasion, I reached out to my dear friend Valentyna, “Valya,” to check on her safety and to see if she would share her perspective on the ground with the ILA. The following is a lightly edited interview I conducted with her. I have not included her last name in the interview over concerns for her safety and the safety of her husband. A silent, humble leader, Valya is a woman who continues to cry openly as she does not know if she will ever be able to go home again. She does not know the fate of her husband and extended family. She cries, not as a sign of weakness; but because leading with emotions is okay.

Interview

Joanne Barnes: Valya, I would like to share your story about what is happening in Ukraine, what do you think?

Valya : My friend asked me to share about how the war started for me. I wanted to refuse initially as I am not a good speaker. But after I talked to her, I gave in as I realized a very important reason for us to talk about the war – to remember, stay alert, and work without ceasing for the victory. We should not get used to it!

Joanne: Share with me, what was your decision to leave Kyiv?

Valya: My war story is short as I left the country on the third day, after the two sleepless nights. So, I encourage you to listen to other stories as everyone has their own. You will hear more dramatic stories and miraculouse rescues, but the start of it was the same almost for all – with the bombs exploding in the early morning and calls of scared and caring friends and relatives: “Wake up! The war started!”

Initially we could not even say these were explosions as they were too far away. We jumped up that morning, waiting for other explosions, scared and refusing to believe. I did not even dare to think that we would live through a war. As my grandmother, a World War II survivor, used to say, “war and famine are the worst things that could happen to humanity.” I heard it many times and thought that in our civilized society such things just could not happen. Of course, we had 2014, [when Russia annexed Crimea] but we were so stubborn to realize the realities of war and got used to it as the time went by.

We jumped out of bed feeling scared and lost. We tried to find some official information hoping to hear that it was a mistake, that it was not true and soon be over.

Joanne: Valya, your young daughter, Katia, was sent out of the country prior to the beginning of the war. How difficult was it to send her out of the country not knowing the future?

Valya: A week before the invasion, I sent our daughter to Poland to stay with her brother that lives there. I was just following my intuition, but not really believing we would end up in a war, not accepting that the dark clouds were densely gathering over our heads. So, when the war started, to my great relief, I knew that my children were safe and together. If something happens to us, they will take care of each other.

Joanne: The resolve as a mother to protect her children has been seen many times across Ukraine — silent leadership to do what is best for others without recognition or accolades. You and Andrey are still in Kyiv, your daughter is safe in Poland, what were the decisions you made next?

Valya: We almost did not sleep the next days. In our region, we did not hear alarm sirens, but the scary explosions continued, and the Russians ruthlessly fought their way to Kyiv.

We decided to go west to our children and asked all our friends and relatives to go with us. At that time not many people wanted to go. There was still a great hope that this would end before we went west. For all of us, during those first few days, it was very difficult to grasp that the war was real and was here to stay. We all hoped to wake up the very next morning to the life we had before.

Joanne: I know it is difficult to reflect on what you have went through; however, will you share your journey as you left Kyiv?

Valya: We left Kyiv the next morning by car driving small village roads. Village after village took us further from Kyiv. Thank God for GPS as it made our journey possible, and for the other people on the road who drove carefully and safely. It took 12 hours on the road for a journey that usually takes 6! We stayed the night with our friends in western Ukraine and started for Lviv the next morning to catch a train to Poland. The station was crowded with people that seemed to live there. My husband couldn’t go out of the country, so he planned to stay with his friend, and they registered as volunteers. I went to Poland by train. The trip would usually only take 3 hours, but that day it was 24 long and exhausting hours. A trip that would normally take me 1.5 hours by plane, this time took 3 days.

There were so many people at the station, so many children. When the train arrived the crowd tightly closed around me, and I became captive to it as it carried me around – being in the crowd is scary! Thus, by the crowd I was carried to the train and got in. There were no places to sit, so I stood for many hours. After that, I sat a little, holding other people’s children in my lap. There was no air to breathe, and I fainted. When I regained consciousness, the train carriage became a community that took care of children and each other.

Nobody expected the train ride to go so long. People did not have enough water, food, baby milk, diapers. This journey was only possible due to the great efforts of the volunteer groups on our way. Every time the train stopped for several hours, volunteers brought water, food, baby milk with boiled water, sandwiches — everything to help us all survive this journey. At one stop there was even a little kitchen fire cooking hot soup, baking potatoes, even making coffee. We were really thankful for those hard-working tremendous people who managed to provide for so many people – more than a thousand. Arriving in Warsaw we also got into the hands of the volunteer groups organizing everything upon arrival. They were like saving angels flying with us on the way.

I was so happy to see my children and to feel safe.

Joanne: Valya, we have been friends for so many years, your train ride was so difficult, yet you continued to be strong and help care for others. You shared with me in one of our earlier conversations how the windows on the train would not open because of the age of train and how children would wake up trembling, yet through all of this and through your own struggles, other Ukrainian women and children became your priority as you assisted them on this long journey to Warsaw.

Joanne: You’re in Warsaw with your son and daughter, now what?

Valya: Yes, but the worry and prayer for the safety of the people that stayed in Ukraine is always with me. I pray that God will protect their homes, provide for their needs, and make them invisible to the invading soldiers. Nothing is treasured as much now as receiving an SMS [a type of text] from my cousin in the occupied region with the words “We are alive.” Peace is the greatest treasure now.

Joanne: There are so many men and women who are in Ukraine, fighting to protect the country you love, what are your thoughts?

Valya: I’m really proud of our army, the bravest, smartest, and most handsome army in the world. It breaks my heart to hear about every loss for the freedom of our country. Look closely in those faces — we should remember them always: athletes, champions, scientists, artists, all united in the fight. I’m really thankful to God for every one of them!

That is why I really want to call all of us not to get used to this war — fight it to the end and support it to the end. Support and provision are a great part of every victory, of every regained city and village, of every evacuated and rescued life. Let’s stay alert and deeply motivated to continue donating and supporting and sharing true information about this war – all of this save lives.

Joanne: What an amazing call to arms for support! I know your strength and your willingness to always help others, no matter what. Share with me, now that you are in Poland, what are you doing to support those still in Ukraine?

Valya: In Poland, I got involved in some initiatives organized and coordinated by the youth of our Ukrainian church buying supplies for the Red Cross, army, and territory defense brigades in every city and town. My part was small — writing and translating letters for our Western partners and lists of much needed supplies. I am also proud of those brave young people who day and night coordinate and send truck after truck to Ukraine from Belgium, from the Netherlands, and from other countries. These trucks with war supplies are so needed for the victory. Provision is a very important part of the war and a very demanding one.

During the war in Ukraine, we do not remember days of the week or dates — we count the days of the war. It was eighteenth today. Feelings of depression and loss, fear for all my friends and relatives, fear for the nation, feelings of being unrooted — they stay with me all the time.

Joanne: Valya, I know that you try to stay in contact with those still in Ukraine. Your daughter Katia has a friend, Sofia, who is just 16 years old. Sofia wrote a poem in Ukrainian, and you have translated her impressions about the war for me to share. Let’s look at what this beautiful young girl has shared.

Valya: Below you will find impressions on the war from my daughter’s friends in a poetic form:

Original:

Sofia, 16. City: Severodonetsk

“Освободители” на танках к нам заезжают в города.

Они приходят рано утром и подрывают все дома.

Где русский, там всегда разруха. Где русский, там всегда война.

Там ложь, там мрак, там нищета.

Там матерщина и насилье, там пьянки с ночи до утра.

Где русский, льются всегда слезы, там страх, отчаянье и боль.

Они не знают про свободу, про верность, силу и любовь.

Им не понять нас, украинцев, ведь мы верны своей стране.

Мы создаём, творим и строим. Мы ценим, любим, бережем.

И независимость свою из года в год мы в свет несём.

English Translation:

Sofia, 16. City: Severodonetsk

“Liberators” are driving tanks to our cities

They come early in the morning and blow up our houses.

Where there is a Russian, there is always devastation.

Where there is a Russian, there is always war, lies, darkness, and poverty.

There is swearing and violence, there is drinking from night till morning.

Where there is a Russian, tears always flow, there is fear, despair and pain.

They do not know about freedom, about fidelity, strength and love.

They do not understand us, Ukrainians, because we are loyal to our country.

We create, make and build. We appreciate, love, and protect.

And we carry our independence to the world from year to year.

Joanne: This is so powerful from a young girl just beginning to experience life, experience the world. Her future is so uncertain. How brave…young women leading through their voice. You shared with me the powerful words of another 16-year-old, Christina, who is from Berdiansk.

Christina, 16. City: Berdiansk

My name is Chris and in general this story will be about the small town of Berdiansk, which is located on the shores of the Sea of Azov. Unfortunately, the war that covered us, tremendously affected me, my loved ones, and my hometown.

On the 24^th of February in the early morning, our military bases were subject to fairly large and strong blows, though the air defense station and all other military defense equipment was taken away beforehand.

But after the explosion it was quiet and calm until the moment when the Russian troops entered the city, but first the airport, since they had old maps, and no connection — they got lost. So, we heard lots of explosions and shootings from there till 2 p.m. They could not find the way to the seaport, they asked people for the directions. People gave them the wrong direction trying to confuse them, so that they would not reach the seaport. People blocked the roads with cars and did not give them the opportunity to pass.

But the next day they launched an attack on the seaport, ships, and port buildings. A bomb that aimed at the port was caught by the air defense station that remained at the port. So, it exploded in the air, and only the fragments flew into the port and damaged some area. The roar was all over the city. I was at that time on the street and jumped with fear because it was very loud. I live close to the port, 10-minute walk.

After that, everything became quiet for some time. The Russians walked around the city, put marks, scattered mines, went from house to house asking for food and water, robbed a large supermarket store. They controlled the checkpoints of entry and exit to the city, fired at cars that tried to drive in or out, blocked the road to the nearby villages and the delivery of products.

A little later when I went to the grocery store, they went to the police offices and the city authorities, and I heard shooting of the machine guns there… I ran to hide… Russians went to our passport office and took all the passport documents, biometrics, and data on people.

Since we have public transportation in the city, Russians entered buses and rob people of phones and all valuables. For a few days we did not have mobile connections and Internet access was cut off, there was no social media working at all. It was very stressful for me as a teenager. I didn’t even have the opportunity to write to friends and relatives to find out how they were doing.

At the moment we do not hear shooting, its rather quiet, I don’t know if this a sign to rejoice or be upset waiting for the worse. Psychologists work with people in our city. Also, the needy people are provided with hot meals and food supplies.

My family voluntarily helps and supports many families and people who came from the city of Mariupol, as it is very difficult situation there. As Mariupol is under severe bombing and shooting. People are cut off from gas, heating, hot water, and many are killed or dying.

It’s hard, but I’m sure we can handle it! Russian troops have not left the city, and still live here. People do all kinds of actions to protest. I really hope that this will end soon, I really want to return to my normal way of life.

Sincerely,

Chris

Joanne: Thank you for sharing the words of this very powerful young lady speaking out. Valya, you also have a friend in Mariupol. She shared the following with you.

“In my city of Mariupol, Ukraine, shelling again today. The whole city is blown up. The bomb hit near the house where my son Andrei and his girlfriend Tanya live. They are alive, but there are no windows in the apartment…. Where they will run and what they will do, I do not know. The weather is very cold outside, -6. Support me in prayer. I really need your prayer. 03/13/2022”

Joanne: As you continue to lead by translating and coordinating what is needed to help citizens of Ukraine, what are some of the organizations you are involved with besides the Red Cross?

Valya: There is a place that cares for battered women and children. They need blankets and baby cots.

Joanne: I know you have spoken much about Andrey. Is he ok? What is he doing in Ukraine?

Valya: Andrey is a volunteer. He is working on evacuations. He is safe for now.

Joanne: Thank you so much for sharing. I know this is difficult for you, but you are a role model to so many, especially the young women who are openly sharing and standing up for justice.

Conclusion

Leadership lessons. There are so many. Leaders persevere. Valya, whose voice may not be as loud as some, has shown perseverance in the face of danger. She continues to choose hope and love over hate and, as an excellent translator, shares the message of need. While Valya shared that there are times when she just cries and prays, the cycle continuing for hours, she will do what she can to make a difference. While she often shares with me that she is not a leader, she demonstrates leadership in her actions: Her story reminds me a quote from Maya Angelou: “A leader sees greatness in other people. He nor she can be much of a leader if all she sees is herself” (McGregor, 2014).

References

McGregor, J. (2014, May 28). Maya Angelou on leadership, courage and the creative process. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2014/05/28/maya-angelou-on-leadership-courage-and-the-creative-process/

Joanne Barnes (Ed.D.) is a Professor in the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership program at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and a senior consultant with Kozai Group in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Joanne also consults in Cultural Competence and Diversity and is a certified trainer/coach in the Inclusive Competency Inventory, Inclusive Behaviors Inventory, Intercultural Effectiveness Scale, Cultural Intelligence, and Global Competency Inventory. She consults with business, healthcare organizations, boards of trustees and higher ed institutions to assist in developing cultural humility and creating a more equitable work environment. She also works with institutions to help them develop curricula that prepares students to enter a global workforce that desires leaders who have cultural humility. Dr. Barnes serves on the board of trustees for Houghton College in New York and is also a board member for the International Leadership Association. She has worked with the 2019/2020 United Nations WE Empower winners as a “master leadership coach” and served as leadership coach for the 2018 UN WE Empower winner from Jordan.

by Dr. Randal Joy Thompson

28 July 2021

Share this article:

Although the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action embodied the commitment of the international community to achieve gender equality and provide better opportunities for women and girls, much progress remains to be made. Established in 2011, ILA’s Women and Leadership Member Community (W&L – formerly the Women and Leadership Affinity Group (WLAG)) has devoted itself to promoting Beijing’s platform and women’s leadership globally. W&L’s Asilomar Declaration and Call to Action, published in 2013 and amended in 2015, laid out the community’s five focus areas of: 1) Increasing Equality in Power and Decision-Making; 2) Helping Girls and Young Women Become Leaders; 3) Expanding Leadership Education and Development Worldwide; 4) Advancing Women in Leadership; and 5) Identifying Critical Areas for Future Research. Five ILA W&L conferences, a series of seven ILA W&L books, and a 2014 colloquium to advance theories of women and leadership and stimulate scholarly research among ILA W&L members have served to operationalize the Asilomar Declaration and establish a firm foundation upon which to advocate for women and girls. The 2021 ILA W&L Academic Colloquium pushed the needle for advancing women’s leadership further forward by moving the community “From Intent to Action.”

Fifty-five scholars formed into eight teams and gathered virtually for four hours per day from June 3 to 5 to develop research in critical areas impacting women — areas that need to be raised to the policy and action level. These areas, derived from a survey circulated among ILA W&L members, include structural inequities; critical feminism; collaborative leadership; power and politics; globally mobile female leaders; intersectionality; young women and girls; and impact on outcomes, problem-solving, and results. Highlighting the global reach of ILA’s W&L community, colloquium participants hailed from Botswana, Canada, Egypt, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the United States. PhD students were included on each team as an expression of the community’s commitment to mentor new scholars.

Colloquium participants focused on action-oriented research, which disrupts the dominant system’s patriarchal narrative and its imbedded power structure through the inclusion of the marginalized voices of those being studied. Action-oriented research can result in a change of attitudes and opinions, the introduction of a far more equitable narrative with a broader power base, and the mobilization of public action around it. In the Asilomar Declaration, ILA’s W&L community adopted a model that includes four tactics for change: advising, advocating, convincing, and resisting (see figure). As the Declaration contends, “the horizontal axis represents a spectrum of beliefs and goals; our ideas fall along the spectrum from the far left (advocating for human rights) to the far right (advocating for an end to patriarchy) and everywhere in between. The vertical axis represents the spectrum of rhetorical strategies we use to construct our arguments for change. Arguments based on the notion of scientific neutrality or evidence-based practice are above the horizontal axis, and arguments based on values or interests follow” (p. 6).

Colloquium leaders organized the event such that keynote addresses by women leadership scholars who have emphasized action were followed by time for research teams to formulate their research questions, methodologies, and timelines. The team included:

Colloquium Co-Chairs: Dr. Rita Gardiner (Assistant Professor of Critical Policy, Equity, and Leadership Studies in the Faculty of Education at Western University in London, Ontario) and Dr. Marlene Janzen Le Ber (Brescia Excellence in Research Professor and Chair, School of Leadership & Social Change, Brescia University College, London, Ontario).
Program Co-Chairs: Dr. Ann Berghout-Austin (Professor Emerita, Human Development, Utah State University) and Dr. Lynne Devnew (formerly on the Doctoral Faculty and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the University of Phoenix.)
Planning Committee members: Dr. Adrienne Castellon (Leadership Development Consultant, Fraser Health Authority, British Columbia, Canada); Dr. Chrys Egan (Associate Dean, Liberal Arts, Salisbury University); Dr. Liza Howe-Walsh (Reader in International Human Resource Management, University of Portsmouth Faculty of Business and Law); and Dr. Susan Kirk (Deputy Subject Group Head, Leadership, Work and Organisation / Senior Lecturer International Human Resource Management, Newcastle University Business School).

Dr. Rita Gardiner opened the colloquium with a land acknowledgment that pays tribute to those Indigenous nations who have taken care of the land they have called Turtle Island for thousands of years. This is a practice recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and adopted by universities throughout the country. Dr. Gardiner acknowledged that her and Dr. Le Ber’s university is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek (Ah-nish-in-a-bek), Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-no-show-nee), Lūnaapéewak (Len-ahpay- wuk) and Attawandaron (Add-a-won-da-run) peoples and recognized that this land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) who are contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of Canadian society. Recognizing the recent discovery of a mass grave of 215 Indigenous children at Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Dr. Gardiner reminded us of how systematic discrimination against Indigenous peoples is threaded throughout Canada’s history as it is throughout the history of the United States and many other countries. Acknowledging countries’ complicity in the harm caused by this and other tragedies, including the ongoing pandemic, makes action-oriented research that builds awareness and includes measures that promote justice and equality for all, all the more important.

The colloquium’s first keynote speaker was Dr. Susan Madsen who is known internationally for her work promoting women’s leadership. Dr. Madsen is the Inaugural Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, founder and Director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project, and the founder of ILA’s W&L member community. During her keynote, she emphasized the importance of civic dialog and becoming active in one’s community to form relationships for change. Her Utah Women and Leadership Project strengthens the impact of Utah girls and women by producing relevant, trustworthy, and applicable research; creating and gathering valuable resources; and convening trainings and events that inform, inspire, and ignite growth and change for all Utahans.

Following this keynote, Drs. Le Ber, Devnew, and Berghout-Austin provided an overview of action-oriented research methodologies. All of the methodologies discussed have a long history of moving a variety of disciplines from intent to action and afford possible avenues for colloquium participants to follow.

On day two, keynote speaker Dr. Candace Brunette-Debassige, Special Advisor to the Provost (Indigenous Initiatives) at Western University spoke from her experience as a Mushkego Cree woman originally from Fort Albany First Nation (Treaty 9 territory) of the importance of the Indigenizing Movement. The movement, consisting of reconciliation, decolonization, and indigenization, emphasizes the importance of Indigenous self-awareness, research combined with refusal and action, and storytelling as an approach to challenge the triple bind of race, gender, and two-world occupation that Indigenous women leaders struggle against.

Dr. Brunette-Debassige also presented her transformative, decolonial leadership model consisting of 1) critical Indigenous transformation; 2) the five R’s of respect, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, and relationships; and 3) Indigenous place-based community engaged processes. Five stances map the model into action: 1) positionality–locating oneself in relation to Indigenous People, power and privilege, Indigenous lands; 2) criticality–understanding power relations; 3) structural and culturalist considerations–understanding social change processes at various levels; 4) praxicality–commitment to ongoing cyclical reflexivity in relation to decolonial praxis; and 5) transformability–evaluation of the aims of change processes.

Dr. Joyce Osland, formerly the Lucas Endowed Professor of Global Leadership and Executive Director and founder of the Global Leadership Advancement Center at San Jose State University, emphasized the importance of disseminating one’s research through all possible channels available as an essential component of action-oriented research. She spoke of journals’ resistance to publishing articles on women leaders from countries they consider to be insignificant and of journals that do not consider articles on women’s leadership to be cutting edge. Dr. Osland’s groundbreaking research in global leadership has successfully provided scholarly input into the practice of leadership on the global stage. In particular, the surveys she designed with her colleagues to determine the desired traits for effective global leadership have been instrumental in helping global companies select and train their leaders to be able to navigate the increasing complex, wicked problems faced by the world and by multinational organizations.

On day three, each of the eight research teams presented their research questions, possible methodologies, and plans for working together over the next several months. During the colloquium, the teams clearly made significant progress in developing their working styles and in clarifying the impact they envision their research having on their area of focus.

Associate Professor of Ethics and Director of the Lorentzsen Center for Faith and Work at Concordia College, Dr. Faith Wambura Ngunjiri, concluded the colloquium. Inspired by feminist scholar Dr. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Dr. Ngunjiri situated her activist scholarship in a voice that is true to her, a Black Feminist/Africana Womanist. She warned against epistemological imperialism and argued for the legitimacy of standpoint theorizing. Dr. Ngunjiri characterized her approach to action-oriented research as being tempered radicalism and a critique focused on the deconstruction of undemocratic power relations blended with spiritual reflection grounded in an African sense of moralism, prophetic resistance, and hope. Her critical spirituality includes courage, conviction, compassion, calling, servant leadership, and the compulsion to act.

Overall, the colloquium succeeded in its intent to advancing women’s leadership further forward by moving the community “From Intent to Action.” During the event, eight strong research teams formulated their research problems, methodologies, plans to obtain IRB approvals, data collection and analysis plans, and established how they will work together to craft their articles. We are excited to see the results of these teams, who will have the opportunity to submit their research to special issues of the peer reviewed journals Gender and Management and/or The Journal of Excellence in College Teaching to be published in Spring 2022.

Randal Joy Thompson, Ph.D, is a scholar-practitioner with 40 years professional experience in international development, serving in countries around the world. A Fellow with the Institute for Social Innovation, Fielding Graduate University, her research focuses on the commons, on gender, education, evaluation, and organization development. Her publications include Proleptic Leadership on the Commons: Ushering in a New Global Order (2020), Leadership and Power in International Development: Navigating the Intersections of Gender, Culture, Context, and Sustainability (2018) which won the Human Resource Development R. Wayne Pace HRD Book of the Year Award. Her new book Reimagining Leadership on the Commons: Shifting the Paradigm for a More Ethical, Equitable, and Just World will be out September 2021 from Emerald Group Publishing.

Gama Perruci looks on as colleague Rob McManus shakes hands with Max Klau at ILA’s 2017 global conference in Brussels.

by Robert M. McManus, Ph.D., McCoy Professor of Leadership Studies and Communication, The McDonough Center at Marietta College

Date 12 July 2021

Share this article:

The International Leadership Association (ILA) mourns the passing of Dr. Gamaliel Perruci, who died on July 9, 2021, following an extended battle with cancer.

Always approachable and kind, most members of the ILA knew him simply as “Gama.” He served on the ILA Board for many years and served as Chair of the Board from 2011 to 2015. He was recently honored with the title ILA Board Member, Emeritus.

His wife, Kathleen, recalls Gama’s three passions: his family, the McDonough Center at Marietta College (Ohio), and the International Leadership Association.

Gama called the ILA his “professional home.” He was a native of Brazil, and he was committed to ILA’s mission and its vision to create a thriving global leadership community. Indeed, his last project with the ILA was to serve as the editor of The Study and Practice of Global Leadership, a volume in ILA’s Building Leadership Bridges series, which will be released in January 2022.

A gifted educator, Gama served as Dean of the McDonough Center at Marietta College since 2003. He brought this experience to his service as a facilitator for the Young African Leaders Initiative, as well as his work as the co-chair of ILA’s General Principles Task Force. Through his work as an educator, he has influenced a generation of young leadership scholars and practitioners.

I will best remember Gama as my friend. I think many people will remember him this way.

Of course, Gama had a long list of other scholarly accomplishments including serving as a leadership education consultant for The New York Times, being a frequent guest on the BBC, and serving as a member of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s Academic Advisory Council. He also left behind his books Global Leadership: A Transnational Perspective; Teaching Leadership: Bridging Theory and Practice with Sadhana Warty Hall; and Understanding Leadership: An Arts and Humanities Approach, which he and I co-authored.

Yes, Gama was an accomplished scholar, educator, and leader; however, I will best remember Gama as my friend. I think many people will remember him this way. In the past few days, I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of grief I have witnessed from my fellow ILA members. It seems that everyone has a Gama Perruci story – a kind word of encouragement, a friendly embrace at an annual conference, a piece of wise advice at a difficult time. Gama would be happy that so many people considered him a friend. He worked to make the ILA a place where everyone would feel welcome and think of it as their professional home. Because of him, we did, and we still do.

To celebrate Gama his many scholarly accomplishments there will be a session at the ILA global conference this October. Details are forthcoming.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Gama to Marietta College and in support of the International Leadership Association’s International Student Case Competition.

International Leadership Association: Donate online at https://ila.memberclicks.net/donate. Select “International Student Case Competition Fund” and indicate that this is a Tribute Gift in honor of Gama.

by Azedeh Davari, Certified Executive Leadership Coach; Faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership in San Diego

6 July 2021

Share this article:

Greetings!

This August, the ILA will offer the Leadership Education Academy (LEA) for the fourth time. I am honored and fortunate to be a new member of LEA’s global, experienced, and diverse group of facilitators. I join this group with a unique combination of academic, organizational, and community practice experience. As an organizational leadership consultant, my clients consist of multinational corporations, government agencies, universities, and international NGOs. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to design and deliver leadership development programs as well as diversity and inclusion initiatives for organizations in different countries and across many different cultures.

My early career started around 20 years ago as a food science and technology engineer working at a national research institute in Iran. Soon after I entered the workforce, I realized that the food and nutrition sector was a woman-dominated field, but the voice of women in leadership was clearly missing. Women would barely be recognized in higher level decision-making roles. I started immersing myself in learning about leadership and how, as a young scientist, I could change the status quo. That was the turning point in my personal and professional life — when I transitioned to be a leadership educator.

Over the past 10 years, I pursued a doctorate in Organizational Leadership and have been designing and delivering leadership programs in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. I have been intentional in combining my passion and experience to deepen the conversation around cultural understanding, inclusive workplace, racial justice, women empowerment, and personal and social identity and how they connect to leadership. I am committed to finding my voice as a woman of color and as a leader, as well as empowering those whose voices are not being heard and recognized enough in the workforce and in society.

I currently serve as a Leadership Solution Facilitator at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) based out of the San Diego campus. I facilitate open enrollment as well as customized solutions for organizations focusing on developing self-awareness, leadership and organizational change, women empowerment, group relations, conflict management, and diversity and inclusion. I also serve as faculty and executive coach at RISE San Diego Urban Leadership Fellows Program. RISE’s unique goal and commitment is to identify and empower a generation of leaders who will not only bring our urban communities up but also bring them together. I am also an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology where I teach a doctoral course on Personal Leadership, Ethics, and Social Justice.

I applied to be an LEA facilitator for the 2020 academy hoping to share some of my global and practical perspectives and, more importantly, to co-create and engage in a deeper learning experience with my colleagues and participants. So far, I am fascinated by my colleagues’ intentionality, work ethics, and collaborative spirit.

I am writing this piece to introduce myself to you all after the world has spent more than a year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. It makes me pause and reflect on how, together, we can incorporate reflective learning and Adaptive Leadership as a fundamental aspect of what we practice at LEA. I realize it is a time when “I” needs to shift to “We.” As this public health crisis continues to unfold, people have and are suffering from the circumstances and are adapting to new norms and behaviors. Those of us in education likely experienced a transition to online teaching. Globally, the world seems to be extremely fragile and powerless in the face of crises such as the pandemic. I believe we collectively have the potential, power, and opportunity to make sense of crises like this and be part of a global shift.

As part of the LEA community, I am hoping that we can reflect on how we can be and how we can effectively perform in the space of not knowing. Given the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity of the current time, how can we be more prepared for the challenges a VUCA world holds in store? How do we hold safe space for ourselves, for our neighbors, families, colleagues, and students as we go through challenging times? How do we respond?

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrates that we, as individuals and collectives, can no longer operate the same way as before. We have to pay more attention to what is actually happening every moment. Change is the only constant factor. The pandemic created a situation that has many different interconnected parts and variables that are unknown. Issues of public health, racial justice, financial instability, emotional distress, and educational accessibility are unexpected and unstable. We are not capable of predicting what exactly is about to happen in the future. For many, this brings a sense of anxiety and powerlessness. I wanted to share some of my thoughts as I reflect on the past year:

We are globally united. This time more than ever! It may be under a very painful circumstance, yet no matter where we live in the world, no matter any borders and boundaries, any climate, any language we speak, or any religion we practice, we feel the same pain; we seek the same solution. It is a call for us to transcend from “us” versus “others” and embrace oneness and unity. This past year taught many of us to see the darkness of racism and discrimination and showed us how ugly that it. As we strive to recover from the pandemic, we must find ways to build a renewed social construct based on inclusivity and sustainability.

It may be under a very painful circumstance, yet no matter where we live in the world, no matter any borders and boundaries, any climate, any language we speak, or any religion we practice, we feel the same pain; we seek the same solution.

We all needed to pause. During the pandemic, many of us discovered that being is far more important than doing. We checked-in with ourselves, rediscovered what matters most, and breathed. During lockdowns, we also provided space to let the earth, trees, ocean, blooming spring flowers, and all other species breathe more deeply. Once again, we could see blue sky and hear singing birds.

We need more love, kindness, and compassion. Many of us experience different emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, anxiety, discomfort, stress, pain, and so many more. We collectively experienced losing loved ones, jobs, homes, what we knew to be a normal life, and we were left with the challenge of homeschooling our kids, transitioning to online education, caring for elders, and giving birth to newborns. In a fearful time of social distancing, every single act of kindness, any way we could connect and care for others and show love and compassion was a ray of light and hope. As we experience a shadow, we can still access and offer our inner lights.

We have to let go of past patterns and habits. They no longer serve us! One of my favorite leadership books is Theory U by Otto Scharmer. In it he explains ways to lead the future as it emerges. The key is to observe what is happening in the field and explore patterns and past behaviors. In order to be connected to the core, which he calls Presencing, we are required to let go of what no longer serves us. The pandemic reminds us of so many behaviors and patterns that are not working, that are not allowing us to access new ways of being and creative ways of solving our challenges. We cannot fix this issue with any technical, previously known solution. We have to pause and co-create new ways that are unknown to meet the challenges of this century.

We are invited to see new ways of being and becoming. We need to be more intentional and focused on co-creating a present and future that is more inclusive and connected to our essence. We are part of a bigger global transformation to something that is unknown. According to the book Presence (Senge et al., 2004), by encouraging deeper levels of learning, we create an awareness of the larger whole, leading to actions that can help to shape its evolution and our future.

I am hoping that all of us will emerge from this challenging time with a higher level of individual and collective consciousness. Being part of the team of LEA facilitators, I am excited to experience the intentional and learning mindset in preparing for and executing this year’s academy. I look forward to meeting you virtually this August and exploring the deeper work of leadership together.

Azadeh Davari

References:

Heifetz, R.A., Linsky, M., Grashow, A., (2009). The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. Harvard Business Press.

Kail, E. G , (2011). Leading Effectively in a VUCA Environment: A is for Ambiguity. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2011/01/leading-effectively-in-a-vuca-1?referral=03759&cm_vc=rr_item_page.bottom

Scharmer, O. (2016). Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges. 2nd Edition. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Inc.

Senge, P.M., Scharmer, O., Jaworski, J., Flowers, B.S., (2004). Presence: An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society. Crown Publishing Group.

Azedeh Davari, Certified Executive Leadership Coach; Faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership in San Diego

Develops customized leadership solutions that focus on self-awareness, conflict management, intercultural understanding, and diversity and inclusion.

by Jerry Mitchell with Introduction by Susan J. Erenrich

30 June 2021

Share this article:

In this month’s Grassroots Leadership & the Arts for Social Change Corner, investigative reporter and MacArthur “Genius Grant” award-winner Jerry Mitchell shares memories from his book, Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era. Jerry documents his decades-long pursuit of justice in this article with introduction by column editor Susan Erenrich.

Requires Member Login. Not a member? Join today!

Jerry Mitchell is the author of Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era, his memoir for Simon & Schuster on how families fought and finally won justice in these cases. He is also the founder of the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit that exposes corruption and injustices, investigates cold cases, empowers citizens, and raises up the next generation of investigative reporters.

Susan (Susie) J. Erenrich is a social movement history documentarian. She uses the arts for social change to tell stories about transformational leadership, resilience, and societal shifts as a result of mobilization efforts by ordinary citizens. Her career in nonprofit/arts management, civic engagement, community organizing and community service spans more than four decades. She has diversified teaching experience at universities, public schools and community-based programs for at-risk, low-income populations; has edited and produced historical audio recordings and anthologies; and has extensive performance, choreography and production experience. Susie holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. She is the editor of The Cost Of Freedom: Voicing A Movement After Kent State 1970; Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: An Anthology of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement; Kent & Jackson State 1970-1990; co-editor of Grassroots Leadership & the Arts for Social Change (a volume in ILA’s BLB series); and co-editor of the forthcoming book, A Grassroots Leadership & Arts For Social Change Primer For Educators, Organizers, Activists & Rabble-Rousers. She is the producer/host of Wasn’t That A Time: Stories & Songs That Moved The Nation, a live community radio broadcast on WERA.FM. Listen on-demand or live every Friday from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern time.

by Dr. Carol S. Pearson

30 June 2021

Share this article:

The theme of this year’s ILA global conference calls us to Reimagine Leadership Together. For Carol Pearson, this is also a call to reimagine one’s own leadership. In this article, based on her book What Stories Are You Living, she discusses how a psychodynamic approach can encourage us to reflect and then act from the inside out.

Requires Member Login. Not a member? Join today!

Dr. Carol S. Pearson served most recently as President of Pacifica Graduate Institute. Previously, she was Professor of Leadership Studies in the School of Public Policy and the Director of the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland. She is the author or co-author of The Hero Within, Awakening the Heroes Within, The Hero and the Outlaw (on branding), Mapping the Organizational Psyche, Persephone Rising, the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator®, and, most recently, What Stories are You Living — written to further narrative intelligence (NQ), authenticity, situational flexibility, and cognitive complexity. Learn more at: www.carolspearson.com/.

Blog About the Interview

Contact Us

Plan Ahead

Join ILA