Leadership can make the difference between an organization that thrives and one that struggles. In the community development field, that leadership is important at every level – from neighborhood resident leaders to the organizational leaders who strengthen those neighborhoods.
NeighborWorks® America provides training and support at each level, and the theme “Waves of Leadership” can be seen throughout the Miami Beach NeighborWorks Training Institute. On Aug. 12, NeighborWorks is featuring a Solutions Lab to focus on four different leadership development areas that make a difference in strengthening organizations: resident leaders, board members, people-managers and senior executives.
Through decades of developing, delivering, and evaluating leadership programs, NeighborWorks has seen firsthand that strong leaders at every level are vital to building strong organizations and positioning them for greater community impact.
The Solutions Lab, an interactive working session designed to help build organizational strength, replaces NeighborWorks’ usual mid-week symposium. The event is open to NeighborWorks network organizations and invited guests who are ready to tackle challenges, identify solutions – and invest in leaders.
Senior Director of Network Leadership Development Jennifer Christian said it is important to focus on multiple leadership groups, “because this training is not just about the leadership development of the individual; it’s about leadership development of the organization. We need to take a holistic approach as we focus across as well as up and down. Only then are we really advancing as an organization.”
Leadership development is especially important during times like these, when budgets are tight and organizations are working to meet growing community needs, Christian said. “The need for housing is very clear,” she said. “But what is also needed is investment in leaders, investment in the people who are part of our organizations. It is more important than ever.”
Brooke Finn, senior vice president of Evaluation, Leadership & Peer Learning at NeighborWorks, agreed. “With all that’s changing in the world of community development and affordable housing, strong leaders are a constant. No matter the scenario: an organization is better able to deliver on its mission when leaders are equipped with the skills and tools to excel in their roles,” she said. “Excellence in leadership is renewable energy of our field: It fuels the work of nonprofit organizations and their impact in communities. We’re excited for the Solutions Lab as an opportunity to highlight the importance of continuing to invest in Advancing Leadership Excellence at all levels.”
Dan Ellis, executive director of NHS of Baltimore, will speak during the Solutions Lab, along with other leaders from his organization including Chief Programs Officer Kareema Pinder, Board Member Jacqueline Caldwell, and Community Leader and Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership Honoree Arica Gonzalez.
“We spend so much of our budget on people,” Ellis explained. “Honestly, if you don’t invest in those people to help them be better, you're wasting your money. So our hope is that people will come and want to grow. And we want to invest in them to help them grow.”
Participants in the Solutions Lab will leave with ideas that they can take back to their home organizations and start implementing right away, “ideas from Oregon or from New Jersey,” Christian said.
That’s one of the benefits of being in the network – to share ideas that can help strengthen everyone. And that’s the goal of the Solutions Lab as well: To create a conversation and resource that can strengthen an entire organization.
Providing leadership training just makes sense, Ellis said. “How do we use the privilege we have as an organization to invest in our staff and community leaders? How do we create opportunities?”
The Solutions Lab will take place Aug. 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Miami Beach NeighborWorks Training Institute. Network members can still register!
