This can be the biggest challenge for a young group. A campaign or organization should never fail when its leader graduates – to prevent this, you should begin developing leadership early.
Develop personal relationships. Members are rarely comfortable stepping into leadership positions without the support and friendship of a current leader.
Aim for a non-hierarchical leadership structure. It’s surprising how easy consensus can be if you listen to one another, respect each other’s opinions, and share power and responsibility. Brainstorming sessions become more productive as more individuals offer input. Additionally, members will be more comfortable becoming leaders if they take an equal seat at a roundtable.
Pair up new and experienced folks. You can develop personal relationships between members and train new leaders if experienced members work alongside them, offering both guidance and more responsibility.
Engage low level members with responsibility. If a member has a good idea, let him or her “own” that idea and bring it to fruition. Don’t be afraid to let someone new spearhead an event – all they need is a little coaching and guidance. He or she then feels respected, empowered, and involved.
Don’t let knowledge depart with leaders. Keep passwords, templates, contact lists, past budgets, campaign outlines, media resources, training materials, and instructions for specialized projects in a binder or Google Document so the information stays within the group.
Set leadership goals alongside campaign goals. In the organizing world, adding members to your executive board is as important as getting media hits or impacting university policy. In your semester plans, don’t shy away from setting long and short term (measurable) goals regarding leadership development.
Include members in important tasks. The more that members have done for them, the less ownership they will feel. Being actively included in decision making and planning not only introduces and eases members into leadership roles, but also makes them feel more attached and valuable to the organization.
Have fun! You’re allowed to party with your fellow activists. Set aside time to celebrate victories and get to know each other better.
