Seasons of Change Leadership
Reflections from FWD50 and Canada’s digital government journey
Can change actually happen in large, bureaucratic organizations? Is Canada’s digital government journey over, or are we really stuck in a loop? What should we stop, start and continue doing as a movement?
I shared many responses generously entrusted to me to reflect in my FWD50 presentation. To those who responded to a survey prior to the conference, thank you. For those who are seeing these slides for the very first time, I hope that they resonate for you, too.
It’s been two weeks since the conference and I continue to reflect on the wonderful Daphnée Nostrome’s presentation, particularly around the various seasons of change leadership.
Daphnée references the Ayni Institute’s framework for understanding movements and leaders, and asks us to consider: are we leading our organizations through all seasons, or are we there for a particular time, to navigate a particular season?
I must confess that I have since been wondering about various organizations’ seasons versus the season we tend to be best at leading or found ourselves having to lead because that’s where it made sense for the mission at the time. (Let’s just say there are one too many of us — especially since 2020 — who have been operating in summer mode in orgs that are somehow stuck in permafrost. But I digress).
Thank you to colleagues and friends old and new, for the opportunity to connect and recharge during FWD50. You know who you are. At our next conversation, I would like for us to chat not about building our respective organizations, but our global movement, together.
PS Many thanks to Daphnée Nostrome, rumon carter, Xiaopu Fung, Gord, Sean Boots, Tamara Srzentic and Jennifer Pahlka for the inspirational chats and reflections on this topic (or something very adjacent).
