DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Four counter-intuitive guiding principles for effective collaboration” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in May 2022
Note to Reader:
Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. Storylines accommodate a range of reader attention spans. Read the headline and move on, or take the time to delve deeper – it is your choice! Downloadable versions are available at Living Water Smart in British Columbia: The Series.
The edition published on May 24, 2022 featured Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow with the Haas Business School at the University of California Berkeley. Based on her case study research into the modus operandi of organizations in the nonprofit sector, she has identified four counter-intuitive guiding principles for growing effective networks.
Jane Wei-Skillern’s four counter-intuitive guiding principles for growing effective networks
Focus on mission before organization. Effective network leaders build strategies that advance the mission even when it does not result in direct benefits to their organization.
Build partnerships based on trust, not control. Leaders depend upon shared values and trust rather than top-down controls and accountability systems.
Promote others rather than yourself. Network leaders exhibit a strong norm of humility above all else, sharing credit and foregoing opportunities for individual advancement and institutional growth and brand building.
Build constellations rather than lone stars. Leaders who catalyze successful networks acknowledge their weaknesses as readily as their strengths. The goal is to build the larger system that is necessary for delivering on the mission, not to become the “market leader”.
Knock down barriers
“I find that many people who are network leaders are often swimming upstream, struggling, and fighting an uphill battle. That is such a waste of time and energy. They are the unsung heroes, who should be free to catalyze and build the network to get the work done without so many senseless barriers getting in of the way,” states Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern.
“Much of the work that I am doing is with an eye toward how we remove those barriers that are keeping people from building thriving networks.”
To learn more about Adriane Pollard, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: The Role of the Municipal Champion as the Interpreter.
A Commitment to the Mission
“So, really, I have embarked on a culture change in the social impact space. Not on my own. That is why I am always trying to network with others who are of like mind, to try to move this forward – because I truly believe this is the way we as human beings will change the world. We must let go of traditional models of working.”
“Advancing this agenda requires a different mindset, a different way of working, and most importantly, a commitment to something bigger than ourselves and our organizations,” concludes Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern.
TO LEARN MORE:
To read the complete story published on May 24th 2022, download a PDF copy of “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Four counter-intuitive guiding principles for effective collaboration”.
DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/05/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_grow-the-network_2022.pdf