Leaders of globally oriented social purpose organizations have a unique set of challenges. Founded in 2012, the Global Leadership Forum (GLF) is Pacific Northwest-based leadership and organizational development program that creates a trusting space for globally-oriented leaders to gather for conversations over two seasons and gain practical strategies to advance their leadership and organization. You’ll learn alongside a trusted community of peers dedicated to their work and to each other.
The program is for globally oriented practitioners and each cohort is customized through intentional and continuous needs assessment so that leaders are working on the emergent challenges, opportunities, and solutions that are most important to them and their organizations. Cohorts include those doing work in public, private, nonprofit, community-based, and philanthropy sectors. This includes leaders from more traditional international aid and development organizations, to community based organizations, to those working domestically in work that inherently has global dimensions (eg. immigrant and refugee issues, international exchange/study abroad, climate change and environmental justice, etc.) The list of GLF alumni provides a window into the variety of perspectives represented in cohorts in terms of sector, organization size, and field.
Cohort sessions center on the following components:
Leadership Development
Developing your personal language of leadership
Identifying and developing agility in your leadership approaches and style
Learning skills and practices for collaborative leadership and problem solving
Developing reflective and healthy practices that support good leadership
Navigating complex relationships with Boards of Directors, overseas staff, teams, program participants and advisors, host governments and international funding institutions
Organization Development
Understanding how organizations behave and how to make yours more successful
Exploring the complexities of working side-by-side with global partners and local in-country leadership given power dynamics and colonial legacies
Exploring new organizational forms, partnerships, and financial models
Leading your organization through predictable stages of evolution
Understanding how strategic elements of your organization lead to success
Why Join a GLF Cohort? As a GLF participant you will gain:
New strategic and operational directions for your organization
A collaborative and trusted learning community of leaders in the global social impact community
Practical skills and knowledge to advance your leadership and organization
Greater self-knowledge and leadership capacity
What is GLF? GLF convenes cohorts of 7-9 leaders from globally oriented nonprofits, foundations, and businesses with a social purpose. Cohorts gather monthly over two seasons (6-7 months) to address management, leadership, and organizational development topics in a trusting peer community. Creative problem solving and real-time application of topics results in personal and organizational growth. Alumni of the program form an enduring community who support each other to improve lives in communities worldwide.
Cohorts are co-facilitated by faculty with deep international experience who support the development of quick and deep trust among participants. Cohort alumni have expressed high appreciation for the program.
How do Cohorts Work Together GLF utilizes best practices of adult learning methods in sessions that are highly interactive, including:
Creative and collaborative problem solving
Peer coaching and accountability
Real-time and global social purpose applications
Individual reflection
Guest faculty
Assessment of leadership strengths and areas for personal and professional growth
Assessment of organizational structures and practices
What is the Composition of GLF Cohorts? GLF offers cohorts for mid-career leaders and senior-level leaders. We carefully build cohorts composed of leaders who have roughly similar levels of leadership maturity and experience. Factors that may help determine which cohort is the best fit could include:
Size/complexity of organizational experience
Experience managing/leading teams
Length of experience in leadership roles
Complexity of issues addressed in roles
Positional authority
Breadth of global development knowledge
Depth of knowledge of social purpose and nonprofit sectors
Ready to Apply? Click below to apply for GLF today!