Book Recommendation on Civic Leadership

<p>A new book by David Chrislip and Ed O’Malley titled For the Common Good is a highly recommended source of ideas on how civic leadership can facilitate meaningful change in our communities. The title captures how the authors argue we should redefine civic leadership. Rather than being motivated by personal interests (such as “not in my backyard” concerns), civic leadership that is focused on proactively effecting change for the good of the whole community can “help transform the civic culture of our communities and regions.”</p> <p></p> <p>When people talk about leadership they are usually referring to the idea of someone influencing others in order to get them to do what they want. Such leaders have a vision of some new direction for the group or organization to go in and the ability to motivate the members of the group or organization to act in ways that will help realize that vision. There is usually some sense of hierarchy or authority involved, with the “leader” being “over” the “followers.” Civic leadership is different. Rather than leading from the top, civic leaders lead from the middle. They bring together people that they don’t have authority over, but who all share a common concern, to develop solutions and the means whereby they can work together to implement them.</p> <p>Chrislip and O’Malley’s book stems from their work with the Kansas Leadership Center whose mission “is to foster civic leadership for healthier Kansas communities.” From that work they derive four key practices of civic leadership:</p> <p>1)      Managing self, which involves self-awareness (an understanding of [...]</p>