As funders, organizations, and communities seek to confront and solve persistent societal problems and foster systemic improvements in population health, poverty, educational disparities, and other areas, previous approaches to social sector leadership are no longer enough.
At its core, social sector leadership is about bringing out the full potential of people and starting to address systemic, complex societal issues — so called “wicked problems” — by uncovering the roots of the issues. At CCL, we’ve had the privilege to work alongside many social sector leaders and partners as they invest in improving the health of entire populations, transforming education to serve all, and alleviating persistent, intergenerational poverty. These experiences have led us to an increased understanding of the aspects of social sector leadership that propel these efforts to greater success.
We believe that transformational change and networked, collaborative approaches to confronting wicked problems require reframing and expanding upon the traditional leadership competencies. Interpersonal communication skills, a tolerance for ambiguity, and strategic thinking are critical, as are embracing broader capabilities and frameworks.
This paper explores our recommended leadership strategies for societal impact and a collaborative approach to reimagining what leadership looks like and how it works in the social sector. For example, who leaders are, the kinds of problems they take on, how they connect, and how they sustain themselves can be foundational and powerful in terms of leadership effectiveness and societal impact.
Challenges That Social Sector Leaders Face
Given their size and complexity, systemic societal problems cannot be solved by individuals alone, however heroic. Collective, interdependent approaches are required for lasting success.
Yet many social sector leaders try to go it alone. Burnout among nonprofit workers is all too common, and maintaining resilience is a challenge. Interestingly, through one of our grant-funded partnerships to develop nonprofit leaders, we found that “work-life balance” was rated as the least important leadership competency among participants and their bosses. In another one of our partnerships, 61% of nurses reported they would like more company support for wellness, and in a third, just 40% of nonprofit executives told us they felt they could accomplish their work without sacrificing their lives outside of work. The resource-scarce context challenges social sector leaders’ sense of balance.
It’s clear that though social sector workers understand the connection between self-care and performance, there’s a gap between what individual leaders know is important to sustain the work and the support provided by their organizations. To tackle complex, systemic societal issues sustainably, institutions must provide tangible support to their workers and intentionally build a culture of resilience. They must also help to foster larger, more diverse networks of individuals and organizations committed to working together collectively and collaboratively.
An additional challenge facing social sector leaders and one of the reasons they consider leaving the field is that many nonprofit organizations face a lack of resources and few opportunities for career growth and development. For those working to foster systemic change in public and population health, or addressing poverty, educational disparities, and other enduring problems, reimagining what leadership looks like and how it works is foundational.
Download White Paper
Download the full white paper to learn more about our recommended leadership strategies for societal impact.
