Importance of Strong Coalition Leadership

When we think of high-functioning and successful organizations, teams, schools and coalitions, we see one or more leaders using their strengths to catalyze collective work. Leadership provides direction, clarifies purpose, models the way, creates (or destroys) trust and either supports shared interest or attempts to lead the group toward self interest.

Early in my career I (Jennifer) remember a coalition situation where the coalition had collaboratively developed materials and put the coalition’s logo as the primary logo. One of the partner organizations wanted to get more credit than the rest of the group and attempted to put their logo as the only other logo on the resource and make it even larger than the coalitions. Recognizing the damage this would do to the collective work and synergy, the coalition chair courageously stood up to this organization. He insisted that the resource be only branded as the coalition and that every contributor would be listed by name. This leadership supported the intention that this coalition was truly a neutral entity and was willing to have the hard conversation to protect the coalition. He demonstrated that every voice and contribution was important and not just the loudest ones.

While the list of characteristics for good leadership in a coalition could be very long (just like in any organization), in our experience here are 3 that are essential.

1. • Collaborative. In a coalition, the concept of “we” being more important than “me” is essential. Coalition leaders need to both understand and demonstrate that they believe that when we work together and honor the collective work of one another, that we can truly do more together than we could on our own. Although this is easy to say, demonstrating the collaborative mindset can be challenging. Working with other people to focus on common goals, shared interests, complementary roles and multi-faceted strategies takes a commitment to collaboration. 
   • Humble. Coalition leaders that succeed over time are open, humble and willing to seek first to understand before being understood. When working with coalitions, there are many different perspectives and areas of expertise. Successful leaders find a way to honor these different perspectives and do not allow themselves to think so highly of themselves that they cannot listen, learn and lead. Humility creates a welcoming environment where coalition members feel appreciated and valued. This is also a critical characteristic for trust and relationship-building which are foundational for coalitions.
   • Action-Oriented. While it is important to plan, discuss and evaluate options in coalition work, leaders must be willing to follow-that up with action. As in the story shared earlier, one of those actions is a willingness to courageously challenge those who may be endangering the work of the coalition. Action happens when leaders facilitate conversations, make connections and follow-through with commitments. Coalition leaders are never “seat warmers”. They are willing to do the work of the coalition and find ways to use their strengths to build and maintain momentum. 

One of the common misconceptions of leadership is that it requires someone to be extroverted, energetic, commanding or a good public speaker. While some leaders may have these strengths, other strengths include a strategic thinking mindset, ability to work one-on-one with others, someone who learns well and considers all the options before making a recommendation. The collaborative, humble and action-oriented characteristics of leaders can be demonstrated in many different types of people who exhibit many different strengths. These engaged coalition leaders provide a foundation for a strong coalition so that you can do more together to impact your important positive health or societal goals.

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Join us the 3rd Thursday of the month for our live Coalition Spotlight Conversation: https://info.coalitioncoaches.com/coalition-spotlight