How do you develop the characteristics of effective systems leaders?
Investments in the social sector have become increasingly complex, with many foundations shifting toward strategies focused on improving outcomes for entire populations and communities. These systemic change efforts require coordination among stakeholders across all levels of the practice and policy continuum — from direct service providers, to nonprofit intermediaries, funders, advocacy organizations, and policymakers. It is in this context that Irvine Foundation’s Linked Learning Regional Hubs of Excellence investment serves as a systems change experiment, offering insights and critical lessons that can inform others undertaking similar work. In this second post of a three-part series based on our recent Issue Brief, we share themes from this project around how to cultivate systems leaders.
Regional and community-based philanthropic initiatives are increasingly adopting more systemic approaches to solving social issues like inequitable access to education. While there is much discussion in the philanthropic sector on the importance of systems thinking and having the right people in place to lead systems change efforts, less discussion focuses on how to develop the characteristics that effective systems leadership requires. The Linked Learning Regional Hubs of Excellence prompted the initiative partners to delve into this under-explored area of leadership development. Below, we illustrate our synthesized research on two categories of systems leadership cultivation — individual and collective development strategies.
We found three overarching types of individual leadership development strategies: coaching, mentoring, and experiential learning. Leadership development coaches — provided by Jobs for the Future for this initiative — help emerging leaders adjust behaviors to achieve desired goals by advising them to reflect on and expand their thinking about the relationship between their actions and the results they see. Drawing from theories, models, and frameworks in human and organizational psychology, coaches encourage leaders to experiment with new mindsets that can enhance their effectiveness in driving systems change efforts. Similarly, a mentoring relationship can guide emerging leaders through the “ins and outs” of the role through authentic conversations with those who have experience influencing systemic change. Tying coaching and mentoring together is experiential learning, a powerful form of leadership development. Shadowing and role swapping, in tandem with coaching and mentoring, can increase reflection on these experiences and inform the individual’s future leadership approaches.
Along with coaching, mentoring, and experiential learning are development strategies that involve collective effort: structured learning activities and communities of practice. Like all professionals, systems leaders benefit from opportunities to learn from others. Bringing systems leaders together at conferences or other events encourages sharing promising practices and new ways of thinking that can energize leaders to stay committed to systems change goals. An ongoing series of activities, such as learning communities or communities of practice, allow individuals to share their subjective experiences in a safe environment. Building trust with others “in the same boat,” can encourage safe, mutual exchange of successes and challenges as well as solution-focused ideation based on multiple perspectives.
Led by Jobs for the Future, leaders of the Regional Hubs receive one-on-one coaching, convene regularly with other grantees and their partners as a learning community, and attend conferences focused on policy and practice. The peer learning exchanges promote the formation of informal mentoring relationships among leaders across the Regional Hubs. The initiative’s multi-tiered approach to cultivating leadership is a major area of inquiry for the developmental evaluation, and we will continue to study it to understand its influence on regional systems changes.
Thanks for reading! Learn more about the characteristics of effective systems leaders in our previous post on the Linked Learning Regional Hubs of Excellence initiative.
