Page 121 - Appreciative Leadership

94 Appreciative Leadership

conscious, but how can we do that if they don’t give us the informa-

tion?” Meaning is made in conversation. Thus it was not until all
levels of this organization met together, to discuss and determine a
path forward for cost containment, that the two conversations came
together. With everyone engaged in the same conversation, a shared
vision and path forward—calling for action by everyone—was coau-
thored and carried out successfully.
As this story illustrates only when all levels, experiences, and
ranges of diversity are in the conversation can you achieve full-
voice engagement and commitment. Recognizing this, Appreciative
Leadership hosts meetings and forums for diverse groups of people
to come together to share ideas, interests, and concerns. Even when
holding positions of authority, Appreciative Leadership leverages
the positive power of inclusion and coauthorship. For example, the
dean of the school of nursing’s invitation list for a recent strate-

gic planning summit included faculty, staff, and students, as well as
community and hospital nurses, physicians, medical students, and
patients. Everyone who had an interest in the future of the school
was invited to attend and to participate fully in coauthoring its
future together.
In ancient Greece, it was thought that all groups, communities,
and gatherings have a genius: a spirit that animates their conver-
sations, decisions, and activities. Th e genius of inclusion emerges
when all relevant and interested people have a voice in the dia-
logue and decision making: when they are invited to coauthor their
future together.
What people want from leadership has changed dramatically
over the past decade. People no longer want leaders who are bosses,
who act as if they know best. The people we talked with said that

they are not moved to follow authoritarian, command-and-control
leadership. Now, people want leadership to include and engage

with them. They want leadership to facilitate collaboration. A suc-

cessful architect described how this shift has changed the way he
works: