Margaret Wheatley and Angela Blanchard

Leaders For The Storm: Wisdom Old and New for Leading in Crisis and Chaos
August 23-27

This is the age of uncertainty, disillusionment and exhaustion. And the age of exploration, generosity and clarity. Leadership has never been as difficult and perplexing as it is today. The systems that created modern crises cannot resolve them. New systems must be created to find our way through to real solutions. Leaders are called upon to play two roles-hospice workers to the failed systems and midwives to the birth of new ones.

This course is an inquiry into how we, as leaders, can work effectively with the deep and conflicting dynamics of our role and make choices about who we choose to be for this deeply troubled time. Each day is an exploration of a belief that stands in contrast to today's prevailing assumptions about how to lead and organize. We'll explore the implications of these beliefs and the challenges they raise for us as leaders. We'll harvest the wisdom gleaned from the experiences of all in the class. We'll compare our personal wisdom to some of the great wisdom traditions of the past. We'll challenge ourselves for how we take the wisdom we've gained and apply it every day--in the next meeting, the next budget decision, the next conversation, the next policy. We'll delve deeply into leader identity-what role do I willingly take on? How do I claim and use my power and authority? To what greater purpose do I hold myself accountable? And we'll feel nourished, focused, and strengthened as a result of our shared reflective inquiry.