BRIDGING LEADERSHIP

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Bridging Leadership is a
style of leadership that focuses on
stimulating and sustaining effective
working relationships among
stakeholders whose collective input is
needed to make progress on a given
systemic challenge.
Leadership (general perspective)
But its foundation stems from one thing:
 Leadership is, of course, subjective.
the ability of an individual to establish a following among other
individuals or teams.

 Every leader has his or her own style and strategy. Further, their
leadership styles and methods will vary because they are influenced by multiple factors
— the modern challenges all business leaders face today
(digitalization, changing regulatory and financial markets, recruiting
and retaining talent) coupled with predicaments specific to their
company, company size and the industry in which the business is
based.
11 Ways to Define Leadership
 The pursuit of bettering your environment. Leadership should be the
humble, authentic expression of your unique personality in pursuit of bettering
whatever environment you are in.
 Knowing your team and yourself well. Leadership is about playing to
strengths and addressing weaknesses in the most productive and efficient way
possible. It's about knowing your team and yourself, and doing your best job to
set both up for success.
 Giving people the tools to succeed. Leadership is serving the people that
work for you by giving them the tools they need to succeed.Your workers
should be looking forward to the customer and not backwards, over their
shoulders, at you. It also means genuine praise for what goes well and leading by
taking responsibility early and immediately if things go bad.
 Open, authentic and positive influence. Leadership comes from influence,
and influence can come from anyone at any level and in any role. Being open and
authentic, helping to lift others up and working toward a common mission, build
influence. True leadership comes when those around you are influenced by your
life in a positive way.
11 Ways to Define Leadership
 Clarity, confidence and courage. A leader is someone who has the clarity to
know the right things to do, the confidence to know when she's wrong, and the
courage to do the right things even when they're hard.
 Building consensus and common goals. Leadership styles differ, but at the
core, good leaders make the people they are leading accomplish more than they
otherwise would. The most effective leaders do this not through fear, intimidation
or title, but rather by building consensus around a common goal.
 Being the solution to problems. Leadership is the ability to see a problem
and be the solution. So many people are willing to talk about problems or can
even empathize, but not many can see the problem or challenge and rise to it. It
takes a leader to truly see a problem as a challenge and want to drive toward it.
 Helping others achieve the impossible. Leadership is the ability to help
people achieve things they don't think are possible. Leaders are coaches with a
passion for developing people, not players; they get satisfaction from achieving
objects through others. Leaders inspire people through a shared vision and create
an environment where people feel valued and fulfilled.
11 Ways to Define Leadership
 Building the next generation of leaders. A leader is someone who builds
their team, mentors them and then advocates for them. A leader develops the
talent around them to be more successful than he or she is — or to borrow from
a mentor of mine, 'a leader trains his or her assassins
 Building followership. Being a leader means building followership.Your primary
responsibility is how you can inspire those around you to support a larger agenda
under your direction and vision.You have to prioritize communications and [the]
development of others.Your job is no longer about what you can accomplish, but
what your entire team can achieve. Good leaders focus on 'we' not 'me.
 Actively listening. Leadership is about three things: to listen, to inspire and to
empower. Over the years, I've tried to learn to do a much better job of listening
actively — making sure I really understand the other person's point of view,
learning from them, and using that basis of trust and collaboration to inspire and
empower.
2 WEEK
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Leadership vs. Management. Many people quickly assume that being a good
leader means you're a good manager and vice versa. The two concepts are actually quite distinct and
understanding that distinction can help you understand what it means to be good at either or good at
both.

Management is smaller scale and more focused on details than

leadership.
The leader sets the vision and the broad plan, the manager
executes it and does what is needed to achieve that plan.
Leadership is setting the tone of an organization, the broad
objectives and long term goals will come from the leader, and
then managers need to execute on a plan to attain them.
 Leadership is not necessarily getting caught up in all the details
but rather setting the plan and inspiring people to follow them.
Key Characteristics of Management
 A tactical focus on aspects of the organization's strategy
 Executing on specific areas within their responsibilities
 Formulating and enforcing the policies of a business to achieve its
goals
 Directing and monitoring their team to achieve their specific goals
 Management and containment of risks in an organization
 Short term focus with attention to the details

Key Characteristics of Leadership

 Strategic focus on the organization's needs
 Establishing goals and the strategic direction
 Establishing principles
 Empowering and mentoring the team to lead them to their goals
 Risk engagement and overall identification
 Long term, high level focus
Q. Which is more important?
Any organization or business needs people who are good at both
leadership and management if they are going to succeed.

With good management and poor leadership they will be able to execute
everything very well, but will be doing so without a consistent direction and
overall strategy.

With good leadership and poor management a company will have the goals and
inspiration to succeed, but no one to execute the plan on how to get there.
Different ‘model’ type of leadership
 Action-centered leadership. A model type of leadership that focuses on what leaders
need to do to be more efficient. Theory revolves around key activities undertaken by the
leader, including achieving a task, building and maintaining a team, and developing individuals in
order to hone talents and skills.
 Authoritarian leadership. A leadership style in which the leader dictates policies and
procedures, decides what goals are to be achieved, and directs and controls all activities
without any meaningful participation by the subordinates.
 Participative leadership. Style of leadership in which the leader involves subordinates
in goal setting, problem solving, team building etc., but retains the final decision making
authority.
 Charismatic leadership . The guidance provided to an organization by one or more
individuals seen as heroic or inspiring and who have therefore been granted the organizational
power to make dramatic changes and extract extraordinary performance levels from its staff.
For example, a business manager imbued with charismatic leadership could be enlisted to
orchestrate a turnaround or launch a new product line.
 Democratic leadership. Involves a team guided by a leader where all individuals are
involved in the decision-making process to determine what needs to be done and how it
should be done. The group's leader has the authority to make the final decision of the group.
Leading and Motivating by Example

"A leader needs to communicate in a way that makes people feel

what they need to do. As a leader of a large group you have to
keep in mind that people need to believe in you and know
that you're behind any given message. It's not only what you say
but truly what you feel and believe. This rule reminds all of us, and
leaders in particular, that emotions are a powerful motivator -- or,
in some cases, a de-motivator. We're social creatures who need
interaction, and you use that to make points when they're
important enough. When you deliver a message face-to-face, it's
strikingly different than when you do some kind of mass
communication. If we're going to have impact as leaders, we have a
responsibility to communicate directly, eyeball-to-eyeball, and with
authenticity."
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 Bridging Leadership is
an influence relationship among
people within and across groups,
organizations and communities
who agree to work together and
intend real changes that reflect their
mutual purposes.
THE BRIDGING LEADER

A bridging leader is one whose

values compel him/her to own and
address societal inequities. This leader
likewise convenes and engages other
stakeholders toward a shared response
to resolve issues and come up with
new institutional arrangements to
address the inequities.
THREE MAIN STEPS IN
THE “BRIDGING
LEADERSHIP” PROCESS

Ownership;
Co-ownership; and,
 Co-creation
THE BRIDGING LEADERSHIP
FRAMEWORK

Ownership Co-Ownership Co-Creation

•The Bridging Leader makes a
personal response to the
issue.
•Understands its systemic
analysis and recognizes the
interests of its many
stakeholders.
•The Bridging Leader convenes
stakeholders to co-own the issue.
•Through a process of dialogue and
engagement the stakeholders arrive
at a shared vision and shared
response.
•The vision becomes the societal
outcome aspired for by everyone.
•A social innovation/intervention is adopted and
carried out through new institutional
arrangements/partnerships.
•Over time, the arrangements are institutionalized
into formal structures and processes together
with a policy environment supportive to
stakeholders’ participation and responsive
institutions.
•The Bridging Leader sustains his work by
cultivating sources of renewal.

Source: Addressing Societal Divides: Stories of Bridging Leadership Volume I, book published by the Asian Institute of Management –
TeaM Energy Center for Bridging Leadership, 2011.
OWNERSHIP
The process of ownership begins with the leader. He
realizes his leadership capital, the amalgamation of his
assets: his values and principles; his sense of mission;
his education and training experience; his social
networks and his personal relationships. He looks at
societal inequity as part of a wider system of systems and
is able to see the different subsystems and components that
make up this complex system. He can identify the
different stakeholders involved and understands their
interests in the issue; the resources they have and their
capacity to support or to block the work to address the
issue. Stakeholder analysis is important because it allows
him to see whether convening these stakeholders is within
the capacity of his leadership capital.
OWNERSHIP
Once he is able to recognize the inequity and the systems that cause
it, he decides that he wants to do something about the issue. The
intensity of his response is dependent on whether he is able to relate
his response to his life mission. This response can be articulated in a
personal vision and mission.
CO–OWNERSHIP
Once the bridging leader commits to a response to the issue at hand, he
brings together the different stakeholders to collaborate toward
addressing it. The underlying processes used by the bridging leader are
multi-stakeholder processes that facilitate collaboration and dialogue to
bring diverse stakeholders together toward understanding and agreement.
CO-CREATION.
This is the segment where collaborative agreements are operationalized
into collective action. These take the form of new institutional
arrangements that will result in more innovative programs. The institutional
arrangements would hopefully lead to a more empowered citizenry and
more responsive institutions that would ultimately reduce inequity in
society.
 Bridging Leadership is a
style of leadership that focuses on
stimulating and sustaining effective
working relationships among
stakeholders whose collective input is
needed to make progress on a given
systemic challenge.
BRIDGING LEADERSHIP
Bridging Leadership is an approach to leadership for addressing complex
social challenges, that:
Are beyond the capacity of one sector alone to
resolve;
Need collaborative action of all sectors –government, civil society,
business and donors;
Need sustainable solutions that are owned by
the diverse and multiple stakeholders.
BRIDGING LEADERSHIP: PROCESS IS PART OF
THE SOLUTION
Ownership & Collective Vision Acting Together
Personal Mastery & Relationships

• Bridging Leader • Bridging Leader • New institutional

owns the issue convenes arrangements
• Understands stakeholders of • New
systemic analysis the issues arrangements are
and interests of • Through dialogue inclusive,
many and engagement accountable and
stakeholders stakeholders transparent
arrive at a shared • Empowered
vision and actors and
response responsive
• Vision becomes institutions,
societal outcome supported by new
aspired to by arrangements
everyone collaborate on
responsive
progams and
services that bring
about societal
equity
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BRIDGING LEADERSHIP OFFERS
AN ALTERNATIVE PARADIGM IN
LEADERSHIP
FROM Leaders as TO Leaders as
Commander and controller Facilitator and convener
Sole owner of the problem Prime mover, but a co-owner of the problem
and solution and solution
Having all the answers Creator of the conditions where answers
emerge
A single intelligence Focuser of collective attention and the distiller
of collective intelligence
Head of one organization Ligament between organizations and
institutions across a system
Holder of power Distributor of power, letting go to enable new
things to emerge
Omnipotent and strong Emotionally vulnerable and open to influence
Expert Non-expert, mobilizing the expertise of others
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRIDGING
LEADERS
1. Participatory Consciousness – belief that complex social issues
cannot be addressed by one best solution but by collaboration,
participation and ownership of community & other stakeholders
2. Passion & Influence – can sustain efforts and inspire others through
personal energy and can influence the system and implement the desired
interventions with or without formal authority
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRIDGING
LEADERS
3. Emotional Intelligence –
•deal with “stuff” below the surface and “what’s in the room”
•build relationships of trust
•manage conflict
•live through ambiguity and confusion
•create safe “containers” where everyone is valued and heard
•listen to others from the others’ highest future potential •can co-own
with others, knowing when to step in front and when to step down can
co-own with others, knowing when to step in front and when to step
down
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRIDGING
LEADERS
4. Networked – able to call on a wide range of trusting relationships
across different places in society… able to embrace diversity and
difference… can achieve high social return on relationship capital,
5. Experimentation & Action Oriented – able to help others suspend
the voice of judgment, voice of cynicism and voice of fear… can create
cultures of experimentation… able to move beyond talk to try new things,
to tolerate and learn from failure, to take action even if the first steps are
small
THINGS THAT GET IN LEADERS WAY

1. Ignoring sub-surface issues, not being able to tune into

“stuff” that gets in the way. Being uncomfortable to deal with
emotion. Not able to balance emotion intellect and meaning at
the same time to deal with emotion. Not able to balance
emotion, intellect and meaning at the same time.
2. Thinking they have to own the whole problem and own the
whole solution, that they alone can make things happen.
3. Intimidating others, not letting the whole of the other
emerge to harness the true passion, talent, energy of others.
4. Under-utilizing social networks and relationships.
5. Being afraid to fail.
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QUALITIES OF THESE BRIDGING
INDIVIDUALS
 the ability to engage different kinds of people;
 openness to compromise;
 credibility with his/her constituency; and,
 an aptitude for learning to understand the language used by different
sectors of society, including government and business.
KEY BRIDGING LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Listening, empathy and self-awareness;
Ability to connect with different audiences (stakeholders);
Secure, with low ego needs;
Systems thinking;
Ability to design, convene and manage a process of partnership.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE TO EFFECTIVE
LEADERSHIP
Goleman has gathered research to show the importance to
organizational achievement of leaders with emotional
intelligence. In Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence
(published online in 2011 by More Than Sound LLC) he cites
two studies demonstrating this. In his own research looking at
the needed ratio for job success of technical skills and IQ to
EQ, the latter proved to be twice as important for jobs at all
levels. He quotes a 1996 research study by David McClelland
which found that senior managers with a critical mass of
competencies relating to EQ outperformed yearly earnings of
others by 20 percent while those without these capabilities
underperformed by the same amount. EQ was the key
indicator of success, considerably more so than the other two.
THANK YOU! MAY
GOD BLESS US ALL!