From Transactional to Transcendental Leadership - Governance

I finally got down to read this article and it contains a lot of great wisdom and insights which resonate with my own leadership journey. Particularly these quotes:

1. Essential elements of transcendental organization:
" 1) a climate of trust (integrity, consistency between words and deeds);
  2) information sharing (disclosure of data necessary for decision making);
  3) meaningful participation (broad involvement in all aspects of decision making and planning);
  4) collective decision making (moving toward group consent);
  5) protecting divergent views (valuing, nurturing alternative perspectives); and
  6) redefining roles (all members are leaders)."

2.Noprofits (like DC)are in a natural position to model:
"Nonprofit organizations are winning the hearts of workers and thus offering insight regarding the nature of the change required to transform shared governance in all organizations: well-defined missions, functioning/ empathic boards, trained volunteers,
and value-centered communities of learners ..."

3. Carver Model is cited:
" As John Carver (1997, p. 212) said on the concluding page of his work on Boards that make a difference, “ ‘To rule is easy,’ counseled Goethe, ‘to govern difficult."

4. The Message is the Journey
The road ahead may be difficult, but the course is clear: a new paradigm is needed to bring human efforts to higher levels of synergy, to involve a more diverse people in true shared governance: the metaphor of transcendent leadership.

Glad to see that the DC Board through the balanced use of Carver Policy Governance is modeling the traversing of the journey.

Thanks, Al! You've chosen some great excerpts to highlight to which I will add the following 2 attributes from Mary Crossan et al (The Leadership Quarterly, 2008).

A transcendent leader is a strategic leader who leads within and amongst the levels of self, others, and organization.

Strategic leadership includes: making strategic decisions concerning the products and services of organizations and
markets; selection of key executives; and allocation of resources to major organizational components; formulation of
organizational goals and strategy; providing direction for the organization with respect to the organization's domain;
conceptualizing and installing organizational designs and major infrastructures, such as compensation, information, and
control systems; representing the organization to critical constituencies such as representatives of financial institutions, government agencies, customer interest groups, and labor; and negotiating with such constituencies for legitimacy and
resources.

Harping back to our May retreat mtg, the core concept from our mtg feels a lot like Transcendental Leadeship

How does an inclusive and welcoming community feel?
It feels like family, loving, supportive, healing, contentious, where each member is heard and their true self is valued and accepted. It’s a place where open and honest conversations can happen, when each person’s reality is accepted and not dismissed or resisted.

How does embracing diversity create a foundation for a healthy, prosperous, inclusive community?
Embracing diversity is the ability to tolerate tensions that naturally come with many voices in a conversation. A community that can deal with conflict management and is willing to value and listen to all voices is more adaptable to changes leading to growth.

Who benefits from an inclusive and welcoming community?
The community as a whole benefits from including those who are now marginalized. There will be no longer a need to shout or struggle by those whose voices have been taken, and those who feel they must speak for the unheard and invisible.
An inclusive and welcoming community is where everyone takes ownership and the personal responsibility to be curious to be proactive to find out someone else's story--person to person.

What one thing can the Diversity Council do for maximum leverage in creating an inclusive and welcoming community?
It begins with each board member and staff person making the commitment to listen, to understand, to be leaders in creating an environment for growth. It means committing to stay in the conversation.

http://diversitycouncil.mid[…]eaning-of-diversity-council