About Facilitative Leadership

Facilitative Leaders respectfully elicit the insights, creativity, and wisdom from others

What is it that is distinctive about "facilitative" leadership? How does it differ from the traditional forms of leadership?

A leader is one who takes responsibility for leading a group. Traditionally this has meant being placed in positions of authority and responsibility. The leader is expected to know what to do, the right way to do it, and have the ability, charisma, and expertise required to get the job done.

So who is a facilitative leader? One who has added the above practices and assumptions to their leadership abilities!

The style of facilitative leaders differ from more traditional leadership styles in that a facilitative leaders tend to ask specific questions rather than command or direct or ask vague questions. They prefer dialogue to debate, understanding the values beneath an opinion instead of arguing over competing opinions, and tend to offer sets of related answers rather than one answer. They are naturally skilled in synthesis and gestalt processes and in transforming analysis into shared understanding. They respectfully elicit the insights, creativity, and wisdom from others.

  

Today leaders have discovered that they have become more effective when they:

  • Realize that each member of the group has genuine wisdom and something important to contribute
  • Invite and sustain the active participation of all members of the group in depth dialogue and decision making
  • Assume that collaboration and teamwork produces better results
  • Bring out the rational, intuitive, and creative capacities of every member of the group
  • Participate in depth dialogue and reflection with the group on the vision, issues, mission, and outcomes on a consistent and frequent basis
  • Use consensus based methods to arrive at decisions that are owned and supported by all members of the group
  • Facilitate planning processes that build on the creativity, skills, decisions, and capabilities of the people who will implement the plan
  • Insist that all action planning is done by those responsible for carrying out the recommendations, activities, and actions
  • Rely on the accumulated experience and wisdom of the group
  • Recognize and celebrate the small and large achievements of each individual in the group
  • Create an environment where each individual profoundly respects the wisdom and contributions of each member of the group
  • Let go of selling or controlling others on a set of predefined results and help the group accomplish what they want

The Facilitative Leadership Training Institute of ICA New Orleans provides leaders with tools and methods to be effective and innovative facilitative leaders within their organizations and communities.

Contact Jean Watts by email or call the Facilitative Leadership Training Institute at 504/913-7028 to discuss your organization's facilitation or training needs.