Page 139 - Appreciative Leadership

112 Appreciative Leadership

created controversy and concern among the members of the
selection committee. It would be a risk to include her in the
class of 40 leaders. It would also be a risk not to include her.
Ultimately, they decided to invite her to participate.
At the start of the program, the tension in the group was
apparent. But over time, classmates began to bond, to feel

safe, and to be open with each other. They told the young
lesbian about what they called her “in-your-face” leadership

style. This along with sincere appreciation for her positive
contributions created a dramatic change. She was accepted
by people that she appreciated and who appreciated her. She
began to blossom. Gradually, her abrasive style disappeared.

She became an effective community leader. A few years later
she accepted an invitation from the local chamber of com-
merce to serve on its board of directors—a position that nei-
ther she nor members of the selection committee could have
imagined four years earlier.

Improbable participation is a two-way street. It invites you to
take a risk and include someone with untapped potential onto your
team or into your meeting. It also invites you to be an improbable
participant by joining a group, a network, or a meeting where you
are the unlikely participant. It takes courage to be an improbable
participant. Ask a colleague in a different department if you can

attend her staff meeting. Go and learn. Take a class on a subject that

interests you but is very different from your field of work. Attend
another faith’s religious service or celebration. Read their sacred

text and learn. Study and become proficient in another language.
Attend a meeting in your community on a topic with which you
are not familiar, and seek to understand why it is important to the
community’s well-being.