Man in Box

Man in Box

Monday, March 31, 2008

Notes on Feminist Leadership

by Charles Knight, 31 March 2008

These are some aspects and common themes of feminist leadership that I recognize from a few years of practice. I have compiled these here from a quick survey of literature:

1. Awareness of self as part of a larger whole -- both in the present moment and through generations and cultural legacy. Attention to history (ancestry). Greater attention to interconnectedness and collectivity than to autonomy and independence. Understanding that leadership is rooted in communities and histories and therefore one person or group cannot define it for another (Women’s Theological Center - Spiritual Leadership). Self/community knowledge and discovery is a necessary part of the process.

2. Shared leadership. Attention to bringing the collectivity/community along. Affirmation of emergent leadership qualities inherent in all (“training more about affirming skills than imparting skills” – Susan Eaton). Mentoring. Collective support for challenging each person toward the best practice of leadership.

3. Relational. Building strong trusting relationships. Relational/Cultural models. Importance of storytelling in affirmation of the person and the community.

4. Inspirational/Spiritual (with depth). Oriented to the protection and nourishment of the human spirit in everyone wherein the capacity for leadership resides – thus increasing the capacity to transform the individual, their relationships, organizations, and communities.

5. Clarity of purpose with an orientation toward the transformational (of the individual and the whole).

6. Explicit awareness and attention to power dynamics and their varied meanings in the context of different cultures and identities. Critical attention to the role of fear and the need for control in the power relations of dominance. Sympathetic recognition of fear in the individual and the community. Much of leadership is about bringing people through their fears toward collective goals.

7. Attention to learning the practice of ritual, celebration, and the personal and community expressions of joy and sadness. Joyful expression is highly valued.

8. Creating safe environments for expression, self-care, participation, and growth of leadership skills. Welcoming and affirming the presence of the whole/complete person in the community.


Sources

Disabled Women’s Network Ontario (DAWN Ontario), Feminist Principles - Leadership, http://dawn.thot.net/feminism11.html (31 March 2008)

Women’s Theological Center (Boston), What is Spiritual Leadership?, 2004 http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/womenstheologicalcenter.pdf (18 April 2019)

Judith V. Jordan and Linda M. Hartling, The Development of Relational-Cultural Theory, http://otherbeyondrealmen.blogspot.com/2006/10/jean-baker-miller-celebrating-her-life.html (31 March 2008)

Seminar in Honor of Susan Eaton, MIT Faculty Club, 14 May 2004.

Jean Lau Chin, References, 2003
http://www.feministleadership.com/discuss/read.php?22,270 (31 March 2008)
http://www.feministleadership.com/



Charles Knight edits the blog called OBRM – other & beyond real men http://otherbeyondrealmen.blogspot.com/