Reimagining leadership: Global Fellows embrace the role of convener

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What does it look like when we see leaders not as visionaries and deciders, but instead as connectors who bring people together and help communities work together to build solutions to the most pressing challenges?

That’s what the WKKF Global Fellows Network (GFN) set out to learn in a series of Leader as Convener training sessions hosted by Designed Learning and inspired by “Community: The Structure of Belonging,” a book by renowned speaker and author Peter Block. Block believes that building relationships to serve the common good empowers people to exercise accountability and make meaningful choices. Small groups – like the ones Global Fellows participated in during the workshop series – foster connection and transformation; this in turn helps people feel more connected to the larger group, creating a sense of safety and support.

The three-part workshop focused on six key conversations leaders should have: invitation, possibility, gifts, ownership, commitments and dissent. With facilitators, Global Fellows engaged in open-ended discussions about these topics, worked through exercises relevant to the challenges they face in their work and received helpful feedback.

The workshop helped members of the GFN – a powerful network of alumni from WKKF’s signature leadership development programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, Southern Africa and the U.S. – reimagine their roles as leaders beyond traditional expectations, visions and roles. It equipped them with tools to facilitate productive, inclusive and more collaborative spaces to better lead in the communities they serve. It also provided protocols for gathering groups of any size in a way that maximized co-creation and accountability.

• “Leader as Convener is a way of thinking that starts with people — their perspectives, their aspirations, and their capacity to co-create the sustainable development of their communities. It has transformed how I understand and engage with my colleagues.” – Martín Hernández (Mexico)
• “Having the opportunity to participate in the Leader as Convener training meant being able to highlight the importance of listening, speaking the truth with love and caring for the people involved in our activities. It was a space to open up emotionally and understand the value of small groups for co-creating and building in community.”-
  Elizabeth Hernández (Mexico)
• “Turning problems into possibilities challenged me. I was amazed at how expressing disagreement openly can lead participants in transformative processes to consciously and proactively commit to concrete actions.” – Ulsia Urrea (Mexico)

In Southern Africa, fellows described the workshop as empowering and transformative:

• “It is one of the best workshops l have attended. It was engaging, interactive and very practical.” – Neo Matome (Botswana)
• “This training has impactfully created a new me – so powerful – and I’m so grateful to have been part of it.” – Bakang Nico Marape (Botswana)
• “This was an extraordinary learning experience!” – Bertha Chiroro (South Africa)

In the United States, fellows spoke to the clarity and healing the training brought to their leadership journeys:

• “The framework expanded my perspectives to reframe leadership challenges as possibilities rather than problems to solve.” – Carmen Foster (Virginia)
• “Leadership often feels isolating and driven by control. However, these sessions illuminated the idea that effective leadership is founded on empathy and the freedom to guide and be guided rather than control.” – Celeste Lloyd (Michigan)
• “Through small group sharing of stories, we shifted problems towards possibilities. The conversations were rich, deeply personal, reflective and full of compassion.” – Glenna Voigt (New Mexico)
• “Leader as Convener was a high point during this challenging year. Talking to the group made me even more aware of all the stories there are to share and all the opportunities there are to bring glorious voices together for action.” – Andrea Collier (Michigan)

The immersive nature of the workshop allowed fellows, many attending a GFN event for the first time in many years, to connect with each other while exploring new ways to drive  meaningful transformation in their work. They walked away energized to take the leader as convener approach home to their own communities.

Participant feedback also reflected the trainings’ impact:

• 71% of all attendees found the training to be very useful
• 79% strongly agreed that the facilitator created an environment that helped their learning
• 72% strongly agreed that they would recommend this workshop to their friend

Block teaches that true leadership is less about having all the answers and more about asking the right questions, listening with intention and co-creating solutions together. The workshop encouraged Global Fellows to explore new ways to inspire meaningful transformation, ensuring every voice is heard and valued.