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In this episode, I speak with Sarah Popelka about her superhero power of Collaborative Leadership.
By being authentic and focused on community goals, Sarah demonstrated collaborative leadership to increase the quality of performance, decision-making, and relationships-building along with her fellow Co-Executive Director, Mario Flores, to help Global Visionaries survive and ultimately thrive after 4 of the most tumultuous years in the 22-year history of the organization.
In this episode, Sarah answers the following questions:
- What is collaborative leadership?
- What is a collaborative leadership style?
- What are the values of collaborative leadership?
- What are the benefits of collaborative leadership in the workplace?
Through their partnership, and with the buy-in and dedication from their staff, they were able to lead Global Visionaries, a youth leadership development non-profit in Guatemala and in the United States, through a series of very difficult events: the financial impacts of cancelled trips due to a volcanic eruption, flight disruptions, unsustainable financial models, the aftermath of the departure of the founder and another Executive Director…and, oh year, a global pandemic that required a complete re-write of how GV delivers programs to youth.
Although Sarah recently left to become the Executive Director of another organization, GV is in the strongest position it’s ever been, and that’s a testament to all involved. And a style of leadership that is authentic, requires humility and vulnerability, invites participation and buy-in, and ultimately builds community.
What I know to be true about the episode: Sarah does a great job of sharing in the episode the characteristics that invite others into a collaborative leadership experience - humility and vulnerability – and also the mindset of “I do not have all the answers.”
What I learned from the episode: I was surprised when Sarah says that “collaborative leadership builds community.” I had not thought of the cumulative impact of collaborative leadership in that way, just the in-the-moment impact of collaborative leadership. And now I can see how it invites and weaves together a sense of belonging and community.
For more information about GV and Community for Youth:
Global Visionaries: https://globalvisionaries.org/
Community for Youth: https://www.communityforyouth.org/
And the book that Sarah recommends is “Humble Inquiry” by Edgar and Peter Schein:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575055/humble-inquiry-second-edition-by-edgar-h-schein-and-peter-a-schein/
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What Do You Know To Be True? is also available on the following platforms:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-do-you-know-to-be-true/id1708762851
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fJ9ME5AzOhfEZtFGCH2lA
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/97817e1d-596b-4c79-8414-1aa5945b5efd/what-do-you-know-to-be-true
Music in this episode created by Ian Kastner.
"What Do You Know To Be True?" is a series of conversations where I speak with interesting people about their special talent or superhero power and the meaningful impact it has on others. The intention is to learn more about their experience with their superhero power, and in doing so a maybe learn something about the special talent in each of us that makes us unique.
"What Do You Know To Be True?" is hosted by Roger Kastner, is a production of Three Blue Pens, and is recorded on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Suquamish people. To discover the ancestral lands of the indigenous people whose land you may be on, go to: https://native-land.ca/