One of the core traits of a top-level community leader is the ability to step aside and let their team shine. One of the best places to observe your team is in meetings and gatherings. In today’s world, this is the playing field. A great community leader focuses on the process and relationships during a gathering, not necessarily the content. Let me say that again: A great community leader focuses on the process and relationships during a gathering, not necessarily the content.
The team is responsible for content and information sharing. While the leader may occasionally weigh in, their primary role is to support others as they discuss and discover opportunities.
In any discussion, gathering, or meeting, three elements are always present: the content (the what we need to talk about or get done), the process (the how we want to talk about it or get it done), and the relationships (the who should be involved or informed). Many leaders, especially some board presidents and chairs, tend to focus heavily on content. These leaders often feel the need to dominate the conversation, showing strength through idea generation and Socratic dialogue. They start and end conversations with little input from others. It's rare to find a leader who manages the process and relationships instead of providing the content.
Have you ever attended a conference, training, community gathering, or team meeting with an excellent facilitator? You likely left feeling good about the fairness and progress of the meeting. The facilitator kept things on schedule, wrote down key points, included all members in the discussion, managed dominant speakers, brought ideas together, advanced the thinking and finished on time! We enjoy these meetings but rarely recognize that we, too, can facilitate great discussions when in charge.
The true role of any leader is to be a great facilitator. A leader's role is not to single-handedly envision the community's future, raise all the funds, or counterbalance the community's challenges. Instead, a leader facilitates the team's work and their relationships with staff, donors, members, stakeholders, customers and the broader community.
Facilitation is a skill that must be learned and practiced. To facilitate literally means to "make it easy" - this means to clear the path, encourage the team and to make easy for others to speak and participate before the facilitator ever offers an opinion or solution. Facilitation involves framing issues, synthesizing input, and laying out a course of action.
To focus on others, the facilitator must play a neutral role, holding back personal ideas and opinions until others have contributed. This neutrality fosters a healthy dialogue. The facilitator invites participation, especially from those who haven't spoken. While some people readily join conversations, others struggle to find their way in. A good facilitator watches for non-participation and creates opportunities for involvement.
I often liken a facilitator to a great conductor or maestro of a band. The conductor doesn’t actually play an instrument, but instead guides all other instruments to make a harmonious sound. Let’s take three examples from Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in the movie "Maestro” that exemplify great facilitation:
Rehearsal Coordination: During rehearsals, Bernstein, as the conductor, ensures that every section of the orchestra is heard and understood. He steps back, allowing musicians to express their interpretations before providing guidance, much like a leader facilitating team input before offering their own ideas.
Encouraging Collaboration: Bernstein frequently encourages collaboration among the musicians, asking for their thoughts on different pieces and how they believe certain passages should be played. This mirrors a facilitator who invites participation and values diverse perspectives.
Managing Dynamics: In tense moments, Bernstein deftly manages the dynamics within the orchestra, balancing dominant personalities and quieter members to ensure a cohesive performance. This is akin to a facilitator ensuring all voices are heard and maintaining harmony within a group discussion.
Think about how you might apply these dynamics to your week. When you’re leading meetings or discussions this week, take a count on how many times you are the first to offer information or answer a question. Next week, we will delve into a few more tips of an effective facilitating leader.