Leadership Challenge 2001: Connecting, Communicating, Collaborating

DAL created this groundbreaking $1.2 million pilot initiative to test the belief that leadership capacity could be developed through a systematic process and that long-term systemic change in a marginalized community could be sustained through effective leadership.

• Developing and nurturing collaborative leadership capacity.
• Transforming communication styles and decision-making processes so that critical, ongoing community issues could be addressed more effectively.

• What do leaders — specifically leaders in marginalized communities — need to know to effectively lead in the 21st century?
• How should training be structured to best develop this knowledge, change behaviors and achieve sustainable results in the community?

The initiative comprised a training program based on a curriculum model that focused on four levels of leadership skill development: individual, team, organizational and community. The instructional part of the program took place over a three-year period during which participants engaged in 57 days of instruction and skills practice. The curriculum was designed to move sequentially from an emphasis on personal growth and interpersonal communications (first year) to working in teams (first and second years), then effecting change in organizations (second and third years) and eventually engaging the broader nonprofit community (third year). Although the program focused on the progressive development of skills, equally important objectives included encouraging participants’ self-exploration and creating a sense of community identity and trust.

Partners for Collaborative Change™

Following on the heels of the Leadership Challenge, Partners for Collaborative Change™, a $500,000 program, was launched in Colorado’s nonprofit community to develop and sustain collaborative, ethical and conscious leadership in nonprofit organizations that focused on health-related issues, including HIV/AIDS, mental health, substance abuse and violence prevention.

This leadership program comprised 18 days of training over nine months. In addition to formal training sessions, each participant received three hours of individual coaching designed to encourage personal awareness through observational and diagnostic feedback, and to support each participant in developing and implementing a personal development plan and a community project.