Reflections on Learnings – Page 3 – Transformative Leadership

WORKSHOP ON CAPABILITIES OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP

I recently had the opportunity to give a workshop on Teamwork to over 20 people who serve at the Bahá’í Temple in Chile. The workshop consisted of 4 sessions – one on Teamwork in general, and each of the others dedicated to a capability of Transformative Leadership: Learning from Reflection on Action, Systemic Thinking and Giving Encouragement.

I more frequently give workshops on the conceptual framework of Transformative Leadership and the capability of consultation, which I gave to personal at the Temple last March. So I thoroughly enjoyed delving into these three capabilities , since we usually only have the opportunity to do so in long-term projects.

Since the participants all serve in different teams of the same organization, they were able to consult in depth about how to apply each of the capabilities in their teams and how to better coordination between the teams.

The workshop on teamwork was based on the booklet Commitment-Based Administration and included topics, such as matching each person’s skills and interests to the tasks he is assigned, listening skills, different types of supervision, and characteristics of effective meetings.

In the workshop on learning from reflection on action the participants in each area used the following questions to guide their reflection related to a challenge they were facing:

If and how what they have been doing contributes to the personal growth of those involved and to the quality of their service
Positive aspects of the activity that they want to continue
Aspects that they would like to better and how
Their most important learning from the experience

In the workshop on systemic thinking, the participants practiced identifying patterns and then searching for the generating structure that created each pattern in order to apply solutions that address the root of a problem, instead of simply responding to the symptom.

In the workshop on giving encouragement, they focused on how to give effective compliments by being sincere, expressing the compliment as their personal feeling, mentioning concretely what the person did well, and complimenting effort and perseverance, rather than innate intelligence and capacity. (Those interested in learning more about this topic can sign up for the free digital course at https://transformative-leaders.teachable.com/p/giving-compliments) They also consulted about the process of accompaniment and how to make it more effective.

I was impressed by the speed with which the participants grasped the concepts and by the concrete examples they gave of how they could apply the capabilities, including practical suggestions that could be applied in the near future.

After the last session, one of the organizers wrote: “Thank you for sharing this marvelous workshop with us. Personally, it contributed greatly to both my personal and professional growth. What most impressed me was that it was very practical and concrete, adapted to the services we carry out at the Temple. Consulting in groups (composed of people who work in the same area of service) helped to achieve that.”

Comments from the Panel Discussion on Transformative Leadership

On February 2 the team participated in a panel discussion on Transformative Leadership, sponsored by the Wilmette Institute and coordinated by Niki Daniels. If you weren’t able to listen to the panel live, we invite you to check it out on YouTube at https://youtu.be/k7gkH8B0uZ4

The panel discussion was followed by a period of questions and answers. Some interesting points that came up in the discussion were:

What the Participants Will Gain from Taking the Course that Will Be Offered from February 13-April 1

(Joan) The participants in the course can experience any of the following results, depending on their own interests and engagement with the course.

Hopefully, all who take the course will experience some degree of personal transformation in their own lives.
Since the course also focuses on social transformation, it will be especially helpful for those who want to reach out to community groups, especially youth.
You will be better able to take part in social action, “contributing to the spiritual and material upliftment of communities.” An example are the local social action projects, incorporating Transformative Leadership that Jess describes during the talk. We have also incorporated Transformative Leadership in long-term projects focused on specific populations or professions that have a duration of a year and a half or two years.
Finally, the course will help you to better participate in the discourse of society. Today people in all parts of the world are becoming increasingly discouraged with leadership . By participating in the course you will have a productive alternative to contribute to this discussion, rather than just lamenting the problems that exist.

The Relevance of Transformative Leadership Today

(Jess) I discovered the Transformative Leadership book in 2017, and was just overwhelmed and absolutely ecstatic to find it. I had already been engaged in community-building activities, contributing to the spiritual and material well-being of the community at the grassroots level for seven years. Complementing this with the systematic framework presented by Transformative Leadership that encompasses all people, all ages, all backgrounds, was truly transformative. We immediately integrated it into our Junior Youth program. The kids practice the six elements of Transformative Leadership, learn how to engage, looking through the lens of personal and social transformation, the two-fold moral purpose that human beings have.

We had a workshop in 2017 open to the public. An assistant principal who attended commented that ‘Transformative Leadership would benefit educators in all areas: new teachers, new administrators, as well as seasoned veterans.”

We also did some work with a local non-profit called Intercultural Community Builders that hosts workshops for middle and high school students that address bullying behaviors and intercultural leadership skills. We integrated the six elements of Transformative Leadership into their “Find Your Voice, Take a Stand” Anti-Bullying Workshop curriculum.

For the past year and a half, I have integrated Transformative Leadership into a passion of mine, which is photography and the arts, focused on empowering young people. These young people have really been receptive and taken this to heart. Now we have 20-30 students in Northern Colorado engaged weekly in Transformative Leadership.

Our young people are constantly in spaces where divisiveness and adversarial relationships are really taking its toll, so these kids use this framework to navigate these challenges and they are able use their conscious knowledge and passionate desire for justice to make informed decisions, to basically elevate themselves, to not take part in these adversarial relationships. They practice their capabilities in order to make situations more unifying. It’s been incredibly heart-warming to see these kids do that.

Integrating Transformative Leadership into Programs Focused on Particular Professions

(Joan) One of the beauties of Transformative Leadership is that you can integrate it into programs focused on specific professions or populations. When giving a three-semester program for 1000 teachers in Ecuador, we integrated the conceptual framework of Transformative Leadership and its 18 capabilities with academic capabilities directly related to education. Likewise, Transformative Leadership has been integrated into long-term programs on public health and community development.

Online Study Group

(Vahid) A friend of mine reached out to me and asked how they could go about studying Transformative Leadership. She was aware that the model existed and was really impactful, and she was particularly concerned with the situation of the world today. Part of her concern was: How do I go about changing my community and the participating actors? She reached out to a number of friends from different communities and organized a group. I coordinated it, using online webinars. We would get together once a week, talk about the reading they had done and consult on the questions that emerged from the reading.

Relation to the Ruhi Institute Process

(Jessica) Both the Institute process and the Transformative Leadership framework build capacity for personal transformation and also for contributing to the betterment of our world. Looking at the two, they go hand-in-hand. In my grassroots efforts to contribute to the betterment of the community, when I discovered the Transformative Leadership materials in 2017, they just fit perfectly. I really see it as all integrated, looking at it as one, as opposed to compartmentalizing. I think the Transformative Leadership model could strengthen any endeavor, any engagement, complementing the Institute process.

Learning More about Transformative Leadership

From February 13-April 1, our Transformative Leadership Education team will be conducting an online course on the Wilmette Institute platform. In the course you can delve more deeply into Transformative Leadership and develop ideas of how you can apply it in your community. Get more information and sign up at bit.ly/tlcourseinfo. If you sign up as a member of a study group, there is a discount for members 2 through 10.

If you know others who may be interested — either in listening to the Web Talk on YouTube (https://youtu.be/k7gkH8B0uZ4), or signing up for the course (bit.ly/tlcourseinfo) — please share this information with them.

If you have any doubts or questions, please write us at translead9@gmail.com.

Giving Compliments that Motivate

I am happy to invite you to the free digital course “Giving Compliments that Motivate” that you can find at https://transformative-leaders.teachable.com/p/giving-compliments

We often think that complimenting others is a good way to encourage them. However, some kinds of compliments have negative results, such as:

Flattery that seeks to manipulate others to do what we want
Generalized praise that inflates the person’s ego and creates an attitude of self-complacency coupled with a fear of failure. As a result, the person does not take on challenging tasks and stymies her growth.

The following practices help to avoid these errors:

Always be sincere, affirming the truth as you see it. Practice looking for positive qualities and actions in others and compliment these.
When complimenting someone, express that compliment as your personal feeling or reaction, saying, for example: “Your explanation impressed me,” rather than saying “You are a good speaker.” In general, avoid using the word “you” since it comes across as an evaluation.
Mention the concrete action that the person did well. If the compliment is too general, the person won’t know what she did well or how to repeat the positive action.
Praise the effort and progress made, rather than innate talent or intelligence. The studies of Carol Dweck have demonstrated that praising others for their efforts and perseverance contribute to the development of a ‘growth mindset’. This encourages them to continue striving and eventually achieve their goals.

In contrast, when people are praised for their intelligence or innate talent, they develop a ‘fixed mindset’. As a result, they tend to give up when things get difficult because they conclude that they are not intelligent enough or capable enough to work at that level.

In one of her investigations, Dweck divided a class into two groups. After giving an easy test to both groups in which all did well, she praised the students in the first group by saying: “You got a good grade. You must be very intelligent.” She praised the students in the second group by saying: “You got a good grade. You must have studied a lot.”

She then gave both groups of students a number of other tests and compared their results. She concluded with the following explanation of the difference in the achievements and attitudes of those who received praise for their intelligence or innate talent compared with those who were praised for their effort and perseverance:

“The child or adult hears: ‘oh, you think I’m brilliant and talented. That’s why you admire me – that’s why you value me. I better not do anything that disproves this evaluation.’

As a result, they enter a fixed mindset, they play it safe in the future, and they limit the growth of their talent.

Whereas focusing on the strategies they use, the way they are stretching themselves and taking on hard tasks, the intense practice they are doing: those are the kinds of things that say to a child or to an older athlete: ‘It’s about the process of growth.’

As a result, they don’t feel: ‘Oh, if I make a mistake you won’t think I’m talented.’ They think: ‘Oh, if I don’t take on hard things and stick to them I’m not going to grow.’” (Carol Dweck – A Study on Praise and Mindsets)

If you want to delve into these ideas with more detail, including practical examples, I invite you to watch the videos and carry out the practices in the free course Giving Compliments that Motivate.

Youth Light the World through Transformative Leadership

On December 17, 2019, students from Compass Community Collaborative School in Fort Collins, Colorado, presented artwork from the Being the Change through the Lens seminar in the Illumined Youth Art Exhibition.

The 6 elements of Transformative Leadership framework and the four capabilities that better interpersonal relationships were displayed for peers, family, and community during the Illumined Youth Art Exhibition.

Compass students and participants of Being the Change through the Lens seminar enjoy photo mobiles that express newly developed skills in basic photography and are inspired by the elements and capabilities of Transformative Leadership.

Students explored capabilities that help them nurture positive and authentic relationships with others, practiced skills and techniques with cameras and experimented with diverse lighting in preparation for the Illumined Youth Photo Exhibition. For several weeks we explored and practiced the Transformative Leadership capabilities that better interpersonal relationships, such as:

Imbuing thoughts and actions with love,
Giving encouragement,
Effective consultation and,
Promoting unity in diversity

Participants in one seminar learned basic photography skills and were invited to photograph their environment and each other through the lens of capabilities that better interpersonal relationships.

Photos by Compass students during Being the Change through the Lens seminar.

In another seminar students formed creative working groups and learned how to photograph in manual mode, setting shutter speed and aperture as they used a variety of lights to create designs and words with light. The class was asked, “how do youth light the world?” and were invited to express themselves through painting with light. Each student created a unique piece of art that captured their vision of inspiration and creative expression.

Talen, age 12, who has been engaged in Transformative Leadership seminars for over a year stated, “Transformative Leadership has helped me become a better person by having better relationships with family and friends. A capability that I practice is promoting unity in diversity.” When reflecting on the capability of promoting unity in diversity, Talen said: “It has helped me when I have a disagreement with someone. I say to myself that it is okay if we have different opinions and beliefs. What we believe shouldn’t define us or restrain us from having unified relationships.”

During our recent photography session Illumined Youth, Talen integrated this capability into his photo. Talen reflected that “some people see rain as a sad, gloomy, depressing thing. But I think rain is beautiful & refreshing. Rain is like mother nature’s way of washing away the bad. I want my photo to inspire others to not be one-sided. I want to help others to see things in a different ‘light’.”

Ryden, a Compass student taking the Being the Change thru the Lens seminar for the first time shared that he was “attracted to taking photos that had light and make others happy.” It was exciting to see Ryden use his creative initiative in composing photos. “I want to make challenging photos that look interesting”, stated Ryden when we were reflecting on our learning through action. His creative vision was expressed when we worked with light painting.

He chose to draw a sword and shield of light to represent how youth arise to overcome today’s challenges. I have found when using the Transformative Leadership framework for personal and social transformation and teaching photography skills, it creates a foundation for young people to see the world with their own eyes, fosters powers of expression that are sometimes difficult to put into words which empowers them to inspire others through art and brings meaning and purpose to life.

Opal, another student of Transformative Leadership reflected on the capability of imbuing thoughts and actions with love. She said, “I learned that I am a very caring person. I think I have always known that but I feel like I have more tools to show that now.” She continued, “my photography has grown with love because I take photos of things I find beautiful.” Recently Opal had the opportunity to travel to Belize with her family which provided her with time for further reflection. She shared, “I would say that I have grown because of my trip to Belize. It was humbling because there I am seen as ‘wealthy’ but here I am seen in society as ‘poor’. So when I catch myself feeling ungrateful I think of how the people in Belize live. I consciously fill my thoughts and actions with love.”

Watercolored card art imbued with love and encouragement created by Compass student.

In addition to Opal practicing filling her thoughts and actions with love during her travels, she created watercolor art cards of ‘love’ and ‘encouragement’ for her peers at school. Opal shared why Transformative Leadership is important to share, “because it helps us change the world for the better in whatever we are doing.”

Photo of Jessica Kerr, facilitator of Being the Change Through the Lens, taken by Compass student.

As the facilitator of the seminar, I strive to inspire the youth by sharing skills and techniques with the camera while integrating elements and capabilities of Transformative Leadership which cultivates personal and social transformation. The youth have so much to contribute to their social spaces. I am learning to listen and hear the voice of the youth through their art and to appreciate each individual’s thoughts, experiences, perspectives, difficulties, and joys. Transformative Leadership enables them to take ownership of their learning by creating photographs filled with a vision of purpose. I have seen a student’s face light up with excitement and joy as they talk about their work. It is beautiful.

The power of the youth is filled with potential. They have the power to create beauty, influence peers for positive change and express their vision for the world they want to live in. I am witness to how impactful and transformative their work is to themselves personally, to peers, families and to their educators and community members. They inspire everyone to be the change. Youths are the light that illumines the world.

Proclamation of Transformative Leadership in Santiago del Estero, Argentina

For several months we had been corresponding with Daniel Rodriguez Lujan, who works at the National University of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, (UNSE) about the possibility of my visiting the University to give a conference and workshops on Transformative Leadership. Finally, in mid-November, I was able to make the trip and share Transformative Leadership, not only in the university but also with other organizations in the city under the auspices of the Mediation Department of the University.

The Provincial Congress declared the Conference on “Education for Transformative Leadership” of significance for the province, which enhanced the level of interest.

I had the opportunity to give the Rector of the University a copy of Liderazgo Moral (in English: Transformative Leadership ). As he thanked me for the book, he mentioned that he loved reading and expressed several ideas aligned with Transformative Leadership.

Rector of UNSE receives the book Liderazgo Moral

Approximately 50 people – including the three heads of schools for the police – attended the Conference at UNSE, which lasted more than an hour and a half. In the final dialogue, some interesting comments emerged.

Participants in the Conference exchange ideas in response to a question.

The coordinator of the event asked one of the subcommanders his opinion on Transformative Leadership since the police is a hierarchical organization in which orders must be obeyed. The subcommander explained that even though there is a hierarchy, they use consultation in a meeting they schedule with everyone at the beginning of each week in which they discuss the main tasks to be carried out. At the end of the conference, he bought the book and expressed interest in taking these topics to the School for Policemen.

These comments led to the explanation that there are different ways to use consultation. The most common is to come to decisions by consensus. But another legitimate use is for the person who has authority to consult with others in order to enrich his or her ideas and make a better decision. I clarified that when consulting for this purpose, at the beginning, it is important that the authority explain that the decision will not be made by consensus, but that he will take into account the different opinions proposed. With this clarification, people do not feel disillusioned when the decision is not made by consensus.

With regard to the benefit of belonging to a creative group of people who have similar ideals or a common vision, someone commented that there have been figures in history who have achieved great social changes alone, without belonging to a group, citing Christ, Buddha, and Confucius.

In response to this comment, I clarified that the Manifestations of God – the Founders of the great world religions – are very special figures with a power endowed by God that makes what they say come true.

There are also people who have led great social movements, such as Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and Gandhi. In these cases, although they led, they surely had people around them with whom to consult. We concluded that one person can take the initiative to start a project and lead it, but it is always enriching to have a small group of people with whom to consult.

In brief, the public showed great interest and several people bought books or booklets in order to deepen their understanding of Transformative Leadership and consultation.

The participants showed interest in the books on Transformative Leadership and its capabilities

Due to the interest generated, on the following days, I was able to give a short workshop with more people at the University, and a talk at the Forensic Center with several lawyers.

In addition to the talks on Transformative Leadership, on the first day, I participated in two television interviews and one radio interview of 20-30 minutes each, sharing the basic concepts of Transformative Leadership and extending an invitation to the conference in the evening.

On the following days, I was able to take part in an interview with the press and participate in the filming of a complete presentation of Transformative Leadership, which will be broadcast by sections on the television of the University and made available on YouTube.

Finally, I had the opportunity to consult with the School of Innovation of UNSE about the possibility of offering a virtual course on Transformative Leadership under their auspices, and with the editorial of the University on the possibility of their publishing Liderazgo Transformador para Jóvenes (Transformative Leadership for Youth).

In brief, perhaps due to the increasing signs of disintegration that are affecting society, all the institutions with which I interacted were extremely aware of the need for a new style of leadership and open to the focus of Transformative Leadership.

A Reflection on Relationships by a High School Student

What makes a relationship? Is it the bonds and connections with other people? Is it how we feel towards ourselves? The answer is, both. Interpersonal and personal relationships are fundamental to being human. Relationships are necessary; unfortunately, they can be challenging to manage.

Do you have perfect relationships in your life? When was the last time someone told you that their relationships were perfect? No one has ideal relationships. People aren’t perfect.

Environments and opportunities dedicated to learning, analyzing and practicing relationship skills are valuable, especially for young people. I personally partake in these activities as a high school student.
I do my best to make sure that my thinking is always self-reflective and analytical. In our Transformative Leadership seminar, we listened to an extract from the audiobook Giving Love and Encouragement, then looked at what we can do to fill our minds with positive thoughts. It was very reflective. Questions included “What actions resulted from these positive thoughts?” and “Share examples of actions you have taken in the last 2 days that have contributed to positive thoughts.” I found these questions interesting; not only do they ask for a reply, they ask you to take responsibility for your actions or lack thereof.

Group of students reading and answering reflection questions on “Imubing Thoughts and Action with Love”, one of the capabilities of Transformative Leadership that betters interpersonal relationships.

*Handout with questions and answers*
*from a recent seminar.*

As a young person, I go to school. I am continuously surrounded by the type of relationship issues people have in their lives. Common ones encompass friend drama, lack of trust between parent and child, and the pressures of graduating from high school and applying for college as well as authority figures who are disconnected from what we are facing every day. As a teenager, these matters are life. Your parents are in charge of everything, you need good grades to graduate, and problems with friends can feel like the world is crashing and burning.

Students consult on how elements of Transformative Leadership can be applied to everyday challenges.

This last week, we did a puzzle-like exercise. Every participant wrote down a situation that included problems youth face today. These situations were not light topics. They included bullying, depression, suicide, and abuse. We then mixed all the situations up and gave one to each group. The groups were to look at the areas related to the situations, and find where the 6 elements of Transformative Leadership would be effective. This was to exhibit the use Transformative Leadership has in real-life situations.

*Exploring and applying the element Transcendence from the Transformative Leadership framework to address challenges in daily life.*

My partner and I collaborated well. We were able to work together to find the elements we thought fit with each of the situations. We had two specific ideas on this. She made the point that Transformative Leadership isn’t always sufficient when dealing with themes like depression. I thought it was fascinating how an awful lot of accountability is put onto every person. In the end, we both came up with Transcendence as the appropriate element to apply to topics such as depression, suicide, and abuse. Transcendence consists of looking toward eternal values and achieving a broader vision in order to overcome challenges. Getting assistance from professionals can easily be incorporated into Transcendence.

*Bella Kerr and peer consult on problems youth face daily and explore how elements of Transformative Leadership can help better these challenges.*

Recently, I have been becoming aware of how much everything depends on perspective. We all have choices in life, I have been practicing Transcendence to look outside myself. Transformative Leadership is one of the driving factors behind this. Relationships give purpose, that’s why it hurts so much when they are lost. They take a lot of management and care, but if both sides contribute and make an effort, it’s worth it.

Bella is a sophomore at a school in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is the founder of DanceAgents a grassroots dance group that empowers and inspires youth through positive change and the arts. Bella serves on the board of Intercultural Community Builders, a Fort Collins based nonprofit that promotes diversity education and training for middle & high school students. She strives to ‘be the change’ through learning and action while mentoring peers.

Filling Our Minds with Thoughts of Love

Have you signed up for the 5-day challenge that will start on Monday, November 4? You can find out more about it and sign up at bit.ly/LoveEncourage.

Those who participate in the challenge will receive 4 sections of this audiobook.

To prepare for the challenge, today I am sharing one of the topics we will explore.

FILLING OUR MINDS WITH THOUGHTS OF LOVE

Love exercises an attractive force and is the source of unity. The greater the love among the members of a family or organization, the stronger the power of attraction that maintains the unity of the group. Unity facilitates cooperation and motivates service, two attitudes that are necessary to achieve significant results.

The more we fill out thoughts, words and actions with love, the better relations we will have with others and the more effective the actions of our group. Together, love, cooperation, and service form a virtuous circle, reinforcing one another.

The reality of human beings, what distinguishes us from animals, is thought. What we think, sooner or later, influences our actions. These reflect what we really think, which at times differs from our words. Thoughts are like seeds and actions, their fruit.

In Real Magic Wayne Dyer tells the story of a boy from Jamaica who dreamed of becoming a doctor. Even though they lived in extreme poverty, his grandmother encouraged him, saying that he should always keep in mind his desire and act to achieve his vision. After graduating from high school, the youth applied to hundreds of universities for a place in a pre-med program; but they all rejected him. He didn’t give up. Finally, he was accepted by a university in Europe. He moved there, working to pay for his studies. When he finally became a prosperous physician, his friends and relatives commented on how ‘lucky’ he had been. (Adapted from Wayne Dyer, Real Magic, chapter 5)

Just as concentrating on positive thoughts and acting on them gradually brings them into existence, dwelling on negative thoughts leads to harmful actions. People who are full of resentment may constantly think about how they were wronged and complain about how badly someone treated them. It would not be surprising if one day their anger explodes and they get into a fight with that person. Even if they control themselves and avoid a fight, their ongoing negative thoughts can lead to depression and even illness.

Once we are aware that thoughts have the power to influence our actions, we can consciously influence our thoughts, by making wise choices about what goes into our minds, selecting:

The movies and TV programs we watch: Are they inspiring or are they full of conflicts, lies, deceit, explicit sex and violence?
The books and articles we read: Do we usually choose content that inspires us, makes us think or teaches us something useful?
The web pages we visit: What thoughts and feelings do they generate in us?
The topics about which we converse: Are we positive and hopeful, or are our conversations full of blame, complaints, and pessimism?
Our friends: Studies indicate that we tend to reflect the values, habits, and lifestyle of the five people with whom we spend the most time, whether personally or by exposing ourselves to their ideas through reading their books or interacting with them on the internet. With whom do we spend most of our time?

Everything that goes into our minds influences whether we generally have positive or negative thoughts. To a considerable degree, we can select that content.

If we want to strengthen our capability of loving, we can experiment with the following practice.

Identify specific people to whom we wish to show greater love (certain members of our family, colleagues, members of an organization to which we belong).

Every morning we ask ourselves: What can I do today to show love to each person I have chosen?

Throughout the day we can check in with ourselves to see if we are carrying out what we have planned.

Arielle Ford reminds us: “Love is both a choice and a behavior. Every day we choose whom we love and we choose to express this love through loving behaviors.” (Ford, Arielle, Turn Your Mate into Your Soulmate, p. 31)

If you haven’t yet done so, sign up for the challenge at bit.ly/LoveEncourage. One of the participants will win a free copy of the audiobook.

Studying Transformative Leadership as an Online Group

Why did we start the online study group?

In August 2018, I was contacted by an old friend and colleague who was intensely concerned by what she was seeing happening in society around her. She was distraught by the number of pressing issues piling up around the world. She trusted in the goodness of humanity and her neighbors and friends around her, but wanted to find a way to create a community for sustainable action – one that would work well together, with respect, shared purpose, and in a systematic way to collaborate and pursue projects for the common good.

This friend, however, felt she didn’t know how to start to build her own capacity and to help build that community (with neighbors and friends) that together could bring positive change to the society she so desired. She reached out to me to see if the work Anello and Hernandez had done with Transformative Leadership might help her both to understand what was happening in the world and at the same time provide inspiration for things to do in her context.

We consulted and decided to set up an online Transformative Leadership course to which we would invite friends of ours that had a similar desire to impact a positive change in society.

How hard was it to create an online study group on Transformative Leadership?

We drafted a Facebook post invitation to our “Virtual Book Club” that was to last nine weeks. We also followed up our facebook invitation with telephone calls directly to friends and neighbors in our circles whom we knew were also concerned about the state of the world and could be interested in becoming part of a community for sustainable action.

Our Transformative Leadership “Virtual Book Club” course had 2 components:

Vahid Masrour in headphones — Vahid Masrour coordinating a video conference.

Weekly reading (of a chapter of the Transformative Leadership book), with the help of a reading guide that included reflection questions and suggestions of practical activities (and some activities from the companion workbook).
A weekly videoconference to discuss the contents and their relevance to the participants.

The group formed with half a dozen participants, all based in the US, from different states and cities. Some participants knew each other prior to starting the class while others were new to the group.

How was the program organized?

The schedule was organized by week as follows:

Preface + Introduction
Chapter 1: The crisis of our times
Chapter 2: Mental models of human nature and society
Chapter 3: Dominant models of leadership
Chapter 4: A conceptual framework of transformative leadership
Chapter 5: Capabilities for personal transformation
Chapter 6: Capabilities for the transformation of interpersonal relationships
Chapter 7: Capabilities for social transformation
Chapter 8: Integrating the capabilities + Epilogue

Arranging the study by chapters made it easier for everyone to focus on what to study at any given time, while also limiting the demands the study would make on everyone’s schedules. (All participants were adults with professional and personal lives).

The participants engaged in lively video conferences each week reflecting on the contents of the book and building connections with the other learners on meaningful topics about how to work collectively for positive change in our communities.

As a facilitator, I can say that every weekly meeting was interesting and brought both valuable theoretical discussions and eye-opening connections with the reality in which we are living (mostly in terms of the need to apply and share Transformative Leadership’s propositions in communities and work environments).

What did the participants think of it?

Here are comments from Jessica Kerr, who participated actively in the study group:

What was new to you as a learner of Transformative Leadership in the study group?

As I reflect on the learning in our group, I remember feeling in awe at the magnitude of ways in which Transformative Leadership’s conceptual framework could be applied. There is endless potential for the model to better personal development as well as community and institutional growth and progress. It is truly ‘transformative’. As a participant of the group, I was especially attracted to the society-building power that the Transformative Leadership model released in a collective. It was the first time I participated in a group of individuals who were practicing the elements and capabilities and then reflecting on them as a group. I could see the transformative effects on others as well as myself. It was an experience of beauty and hope.

What were the other participants’ reactions?

I remember all the participants were greatly affected by the current state of the world. People on our planet are suffering, environmental impacts are devastating so many, and we see elements of prejudice perpetuating forces of disintegration at all levels of society. Everyone wanted to learn how to better be sources of hope through action. I feel one of the most significant areas of learning was seeing how everyone was practicing the framework in different areas of their lives and then reflecting with the group. Our reflection questions were systematic and encouraged insightful and thought-provoking responses. Overall, it was empowering to learn from each other and feel that we are engaged in a collective initiative to effect positive change personally, in our families, neighborhoods, work, and communities.

Here is an example of a mindmap that was used in the course, which gives a 10,000 feet view of the contents of Transformative Leadership:

Transformative Leadership contents mindmap

You can access (and download) a higher resolution version here.

What tools did we use in the course?

Setting up the course required limited technological resources: Access to email, and to Skype/Google Hangouts for the videoconferences. Of course, each participant had to buy the book (either in digital or print format) and that was basically it. This goes to show that the greatest requirement to set up a study group up is actually finding a group of people who share a concern for the situation of the world we live in, commitment to going through a chapter a week, and reflecting on what can be learned from it. In that sense, anyone who has read the Transformative Leadership book and reflected on the questions and exercises contained in the complementary workbook could do the same.

An online study group sounds nice, but what about a more formal course?

If you are interested in participating in a more formal online course on Transformative Leadership, you’ll be glad to know that our team is now working on the creation of such a course on the Wilmette Institute platform. So, if you want to have the opportunity to both study Transformative Leadership and discuss it with people who share that interest (and one of its original authors!), remember to check the Wilmette Institute site. This course will launch on February 13, 2020.

Youth Building Community while Learning about Transformative Leadership during the Summer: Part 2

Youth Learning

*Jadan and Bella Kerr and Makayla Watson engage in consultation during Change Agents planning session for Intercultural Diversity Night where youth celebrate diversity through food from world cultures.*

As the youth engaged in their weekly study of Transformative Leadership, they were able to engage the community by including them in their activities. During our lesson on models of human nature, two youth asked Becca (the owner of the locale) if she considered it possible to establish a world of justice, unity, and peace, and inquired as to why she gave her answers. After the youth interviewed additional community members, the group reflected on the answers.

*Makayla Waston (14) and Jeremiah Baltz (15) interview Becca owner of the locale where they met during Change Agents Transformative Leadership study session.*

One of the results of this activity was strengthening their conversational skills with new people, especially adults. They also had a first-hand experience of learning that many people wanted to see a world of justice, peace, and unity but many didn’t know how it could happen. Some also felt that it wasn’t possible anytime soon.

A topic they had a hard time understanding was the inequality in the distribution of wealth within the world’s population. This generated a lot of conversation and led to the desire to understand more about this topic.

They were intensely interested in developing the ability to navigate the challenges they often face in today’s world, such as negative self-concepts and adversarial relationships which are an integral part of the culture of contest (see Michael Karlberg’s Tedx Talk) and in acquiring skills to contribute to positive change in the community.

*Change Agents integrate multi-media art into Transformative Leadership study.*

As the youth worked on the element of personal and social transformation, which Transformative Leadership identifies as the purpose of leadership, art provided a dynamic method for each person to self-reflect and connect to their innate purpose. It was surprising to me that the youth became so focused that they didn’t want to stop work on their art to reflect as a group. I really enjoyed seeing each one using their unique style and creativity.

Youth work on a project that represents elements of
the Transformative Leadership model
for personal and social transformation

What I Learned as I Facilitated This Summer Session

As I reflect on our time with Becca at the Colorado Feed & Grain Public Market & Coffee House, I feel grateful for the opportunity to partner with a local business that values youth and their positive contribution to our community. Becca and her business is a beautiful example of how local businesses can “be the change” we wish to see.

As I worked with the youth, my understanding of common mental models of human nature was enhanced. Transformative Leadership questions predominant mental models — for example, that humans are merely “rational animals”– and suggests that it is more helpful to see humans as possessing both a higher and lower nature. Until this summer, I hadn’t grasped the many diverse perspectives on man’s nature and how they can affect an individual’s self-concepts and attitudes. By identifying and understanding prevalent models of human nature, we were better able to examine common concepts and attitudes in society. This awareness strengthened their practice of another element of Transformative Leadership: The investigation and application of truth.

It also strengthened my personal conviction that youth are the change I wish to see in the world and that through accompaniment by individuals, community, and institutions, they can change the world.

Regarding my understanding of Transformative Leadership, learning with the youth helped me to explore how to better present the material using a collaborative method, using art media and projects to integrate new learning with applications toward personal development and social action focused on positive change.

Youth Build Community while Learning about Transformative Leadership during the Summer: Part 1

[This post is a continuation of previous posts where I’ve been sharing my experience in using the Transformative Leadership framework with groups of youth, in order to empower them to address today’s challenges and contribute to positive change in the community. (See post 1, post 2.]

For many youth, summer vacation is a time for recreation and downtime. This summer I had the pleasure of working with a group of youth who thought it was important to develop skills for service and nurture a culture of learning about how leadership can contribute to bettering relationships with self, others, and community.

One issue we faced was finding space to study and engage in complementary art activities. Our goal was finding a space that did more than provide a roof, but also provided a meaningful opportunity for engagement with the community since Transformative Leadership only takes on its full meaning when participants have a clear opportunity to apply learning through action in a social context. As explained in the framework: personal and social transformation occur concurrently, as a result of engaging in service to the community.

Our group consisted of 9-12 students (between the ages of 10 -15) from 3 schools in Northern Colorado. We gathered weekly throughout the summer to strengthen authentic friendships, study Transformative Leadership, as a shared model of leadership that facilitates personal and social change, and actively apply our learning in action through service.

*Youth strengthen friendships and develop skills for community service at Colorado Feed & Grain Public Market Coffee House, Timnath, Colorado*

Collaboration with a Business Owner Supporting Youth Development

Colorado Feed & Grain Public Market in Timnath, Colorado offers community space for youth and cultivates Northern Colorado’s Creative Economy

Just before school ended for summer vacation, I remembered a newly opened business located in downtown Timnath: The Colorado Feed & Grain Public Market & Coffee House. I was immediately drawn to its warm and welcoming environment which promotes itself as a “community-focused space” that “celebrates tradition, engages change and connects through collaboration” using local arts and crafts. My dream to find a heart-centered community space came true! The owner, Becca, graciously opened her business, offering a space for the Change Agents to meet every Tuesday. She immediately recognized that youth are essential in contributing to a rich and vibrant community. The locale also offered the youth a wonderful example of how art and local artists contribute to the creative economy of Timnath, Colorado. Creative economy adds to the richness of community culture by stimulating creativity and fostering collaborative relationships within the community. It is a perfect example of the appreciation of diverse talents. Studying in the locale was also the beginning of a beautiful relationship between the Change Agents and a local business.

Interaction between Youth and Adults

One of the goals I had in mind by fostering relationships between the youth and a local business was to change the all-too-common perception that youth are not able to contribute positively to our community. To do that, specific needs have to be met to support the empowerment of the youth, one of which is to have a space in the community where learning and contributing can go hand-in-hand. The youth welcomed the opportunity to learn from Becca and wanted to take ownership of the space to show their appreciation to Becca for her support.

This gave them the opportunity to practice mutualistic relationships, which Transformative Leadership emphasizes. In this case, Becca provided the space for their activities and the youth contributed to the betterment of that space by cleaning and organizing the room before and after using it, taking ownership and showing responsibility in ensuring that the space was well cared for and ready for use by the community.

Youth taking ownership
of space by room setup
and cleaning

On the last day that the Change Agents met in the locale, they had a little surprise for Becca. The youth painted mugs with themes of beauty, diversity, and love. The group presented her with these tokens of their appreciation. Bella Kerr, Compass Community Collaborative 10th grade student shared, “…in my experience teenagers are looked at as problems and trouble makers.” On behalf of the group she thanked Becca for making “…us feel welcome and supported,” and added, “it means the world to us.”

It was a beautiful and inspiring experience to see first-hand how youth and a local business owner can foster a mutually supportive relationship within a community. The youth will never forget it!

Youth show gratitude and appreciation
to owner Becca Bay

In the second part of this series, I will share some of what the youth learned from this experience, as well as what I learned as a facilitator.