The Community Leadership Collective: Co-design in action
Cath McNally
What happens when you bring together a room full of people who care, not just about their own communities, but about unlocking each other’s potential? You get something like the first gathering of the Community Leadership Collective.
Before the conversation deepened, the energy in the room shifted as we split into two groups and each faced their own Puzzle Path. Each group clustered together, strategising how to guide each group member across within hitting a ‘roadblock’. The shared challenge brought out encouragement, collective problem solving, and bursts of celebration each time progress was made – there was even a few line dancing moves thrown in. In those moments, filled with tension, laughter, and trust, the groundwork was laid for a day built on teamwork and the understanding that leadership flourishes when everyone has a role to play.
We then kicked off the conversation with simple open questions: What does leadership look like to you? How do you see yourself contributing to leadership in your community? You could almost feel the hum and warmth as ideas, hopes, and experiences landed on flipchart paper with answers unfolding through honest stories and shared moments – recognising the gifts of others and the importance of listening.
The groups moved easily between discussion and reflection, uncovering what makes leadership work in their communities and naming the challenges too – burnout, imposter syndrome, boundary setting and a need for self-care. There were sparks of laughter, real discussion about hopes and reality, and those affirming nods when shared experiences came to light.
By the end, what stood out wasn’t just a list, but a sense of shared purpose. The session wasn’t about experts handing down a blueprint. It was about crafting the programme together, so that it reflected everyone’s experiences, strengths, and ambitions. Alongside affirmations of shared purpose, questions surfaced that we will carry with us: How can we add value to people’s leadership journey’s without adding to the pressures already placed on people’s time and capacity? How can we create shared spaces and places for learning that people feel comfortable engaging with? The real achievement of the co-design session wasn’t on a flipchart – it was in the feeling that, here within the collective, leadership can belong to everyone.
