How would you resource and support community leaders and program?
Hi Mitch, and thanks for asking.
Many factors might have an effect on community leadership, ranging from the strengths and needs of the community, the leaders' knowledge of leadership skills, the community's awareness (and opinions about) of the needs being addressed and the strategies chosen to address them, cultural competence of the leaders and facilitators, the administrative structure and financial options chosen, the necessity for figuring out how to sustain the initiative, and methods chosen to evaluate results.
An important place to start resourcing and supporting leaders is to develop a clear description of need and project goals, for use in raising community need and for recruitment and training of leaders. CTB encourages open communication with both leaders and constituents, and flexibility in response to feedback. We offer several chapters on Leadership and Management (Chapters 13 through 16 and the related Toolkit #6 in our Learn a Skill Section). Although not specifically addressed, it is important that some leaders have knowledge of Business Administration and can educate other leaders about those skills. It is a good idea to build ongoing training into the leadership agenda, keeping leaders up to date not only on organizational status, but also changes in community dynamics and outcomes of the initiative.
Your questions cover a lot of territory. In addition to information you may find useful here, we encourage you to connect with persons in your community who might serve as mentors to your ledership group.