Developing Communities of Leaders: Outcomes of a Statewide Initiative

Abstract

Community leadership programs are the most common approach to leadership development in the United States and traditionally emphasize community education and professional networking. Directors and volunteer board members from 17 local community leadership programs participated in the Kansas Community Leadership Initiative (KCLI) designed to enhance their community leadership skills. Participants gained new insights about themselves and others, frequently used the leadership skills in professional and personal relationships, and had future intentions to further incorporate what they had learned into their leadership programs and communities. Insights for creating and sustaining change in leadership programs and initiatives are presented.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Avolio, B.J. & Bass, B.M. (1998). You can drag a horse to water but you can't make it drink unless it is thirsty. Journal of Leadership Studies , 5 (1), 4-17.

Borkman, T.J. (1976). Experiential knowledge: A new concept for the analysis of self-help groups. Social Science Review, 50, 445-455.

Brungardt, C.L. , & Seibel, N. (1995). Assessing the effectiveness of community leadership programs. Kansas Leadership Forum Publication Series.

Cleveland, H. (1985). The knowledge executive: Leadership in an information society. New York: Dutton.

Community Leadership Association. (1995, December). A profile of community leadership programs. Washington, DC.

Cruze, G.L. (1988). Developing community leaders: An analysis and evaluation of a metropolitan leadership program. Dissertation Abstracts International, 50 (01), 51-A. (University Microfilms No. DA89-07694).

Duhl, L.J. (1997). Leadership in American communities. National Civic Review, 86 (1), 75-80.

Gardner, J. (1961). Excellence. New York: Harper & Row.

Gardner, J. (1990). On leadership. New York: Free Press.

10.

Gladwell, M. (2000). The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.

11.

Greenleaf, R.K. (1977). Servant leadership. New York : Paulist Press.

12.

Howell, R.E. , Weir, I.L. , & Cook, A.K. (1979). Public affairs leadership development.

13.

Pullman: Washington State University, Rural Sociology .

14.

Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

15.

Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (1995). The leadership challenge: How to keep getting extraordinary things done in organizations (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

16.

Lappe, F. , & Du Bois, P. (1997). The quickening of America: Rebuilding our nation and remaking our lives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

17.

Miles, M. , & Huberman, A. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

18.

Moore, C.M. (1988). A colorful quilt: The community leadership story . Indianapolis: National Association of Community Leadership Organizations.

19.

Northouse, P.G. (1997). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

20.

Patton, M.Q. (1999). Enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis. Health Services Research, 34 (5), 1189-1208.

21.

Rost, J.C. (1991). Leadership for the twenty-first century. New York: Praeger.

22.

Sandmann, L.R. , & Vandenberg, L. (1995). A framework for 21st century leadership. Journal of Extension, 33 (6), 1-9.

23.

Tropman, J.E. (1997). Successful community leadership: A skills guide for volunteers and professionals. Washington, DC: NASW Press.

24.

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2000). Statistical abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

25.

White, O. (1991, December). Evaluation of the Indiana Leadership Initiative. Atlanta, GA.