Guest Post by Paula Jensen Leaders are the essence of small towns and rural communities. The success or failure of any housing, community or economic development efforts in the places we call home often rests upon the level of engagement and investment of local citizen leaders. Yet, in so many communities I work in across South Dakota there is an invisible divide holding back the development of a strong leadership base. I hear experienced leaders saying, “Young people just don’t want to be involved in the community!” and I hear emerging leaders saying, “The people in charge won’t let us try anything new!” So, I am asking you, “How can we empower more people to lead in our rural communities?” To begin searching for a solution to this question, I want to help you understand two community leadership systems that exist:
The two systems listed above are quite different, yet if we are going to show emerging leaders that they do have the power to innovate and have real impact on the community, then we need to begin transforming the community’s leadership structure. Experienced community leaders can initiate this process by asking good questions, listening with curiosity, and taking new ideas seriously. Below are some sample questions to help these transformational conversations begin. Questions to transform rural leadership:
The responsibility of building a pool of leaders in our rural communities falls to both sides. Experienced leaders must let go a little bit, and emerging leaders must build a foundation of trust. This will allow a smooth community leadership structure transformation with minimal chaos – ultimately good for the future of our rural communities. So, if they want to lead, empower them to lead. #Iamrural New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates. from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/04/if-they-want-to-lead-empower-them-to-lead.html
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ABOUT MEHello I am Dian Arispe 28 years old from Miami. I love reading articles about business consulting and like to learn more about it. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |