by Laura Giddings, Community Leader

Over my five years in the Community Leader / Executive Director role, I’ve become intimately familiar with the inevitable tensions of leadership. Lead change, but provide stability. Share leadership, but make bold moves. Be deliberate, but don’t keep staff waiting on decisions. Be transparent, but respect confidentiality. Embrace possibility, but don’t reinvent the wheel. Be vulnerable, but don’t burden others with your stress. Be empathetic, but hold staff accountable. Be yourself, but be a role model. Share power, but carry ultimate operational accountability.

One of my strategies in navigating these tensions is to try to embrace “and,” instead of getting stuck in the contradictory space of “but.” Can we figure out how to share leadership and make bold moves together? Can we build relationships of mutuality that allow each person to share their journey authentically, regardless of role? Can we find the patience for consensus processes and also trust leaders to move quickly when needed? Can we invite and respect everyone’s input, while understanding that disagreement is healthy and not every need or hope will be met?

One of the reasons that I am willing to accept a second mandate at L’Arche is that this is a place where “and” seems more possible. Where we wrestle with mutuality, instead of settling for traditional power dynamics. Where we ask one another for the benefit of the doubt. Where forgiveness and mercy have a role in accountability. And where hope is as important in our daily life as it is in our name.

Five years in, while I’m more experienced, I’m less sure what the path forward will look like. What I do know is that just like when I started, I neither want to nor can I do this alone. I hope you read this as the invitation it is meant to be. Let’s work as partners, and let’s build L’Arche’s future together.