By Dr. Virginia Lacayo
As non-profit leaders, our mission is not just to create change but to sustain it over time. This is the heart of the Purpose Playbook—a guide designed to help non-profits build sustainable, impactful organizations that are adaptable to the complexities of today’s world. Each installment in the Playbook explores essential principles for navigating leadership in a way that aligns with your mission and values. Today, we turn our attention to systemic leadership—an approach that shifts how we view our organizations, our roles, and the way we engage with those around us.
How you lead shows up in the daily practices of being a leader. One of those practices is how you run a meeting. Meetings are more than just logistical touchpoints; they are the moments when leadership, decision-making, and culture converge. By focusing on how we facilitate these conversations, we begin to embody the systemic leadership principles that drive organizational effectiveness. Of course, running a meeting the systemic leadership way doesn’t work if you haven’t embraced it as a foundational standard across your organization. However, it can serve as a starting point to understand the power and effectiveness of this approach.
But first some context …
What is Systemic Leadership?
Systemic leadership is a mindset and practice grounded in the understanding that organizations, like ecosystems, are complex adaptive systems (CAS). This means they are living, breathing entities that evolve in response to their environment rather than static machines that can be controlled through top-down commands. Leaders who adopt systemic leadership recognize that the organization's health depends on the interdependencies and the quality of the interactions between its people, structures, and external factors.
Principles of Systemic Leadership:
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Interconnectedness: Decisions are not made in isolation; every action impacts the broader system. Leaders must consider the ripple effects of their choices. As I mentioned in a prior article from the Purpose Playbook, “Traditional leadership structures can unintentionally create barriers to achieving the vision and values of a non-profit. Systemic leadership addresses this by encouraging holistic decision-making."
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Emergence: Solutions emerge from the collective intelligence and actions of the group. Leaders should facilitate the conditions for self-organization rather than dictate solutions. "Good intentions, while crucial, are not the same as shared leadership"​ (Month 1, Week 1). Emergence allows for the expression of authentic shared leadership.
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Adaptability: Rather than seeking control and predictability, systemic leaders embrace uncertainty and focus on building the organization’s capacity to adapt to change.
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Distributed Leadership: Power and decision-making are decentralized, empowering teams to take ownership and responsibility. As I said in the intro article for the Purpose Playbook, when power is concentrated at the top, the voices of the community and front-line staff are left out. Systemic leadership shifts this dynamic.
How Roles and Accountability Are Different
In a traditional hierarchical model, roles are often rigidly defined, with clear chains of command and responsibility. In systemic leadership, roles are more fluid. Accountability isn’t about individuals being held responsible for specific tasks but the collective responsibility for achieving outcomes. Team members are encouraged to step into leadership roles as needed, depending on the situation and their expertise. This requires a high level of trust and communication, as well as a willingness to relinquish control.
What Not to Do in a Meeting Using Systemic Leadership Principles
It is often easier to learn new practices by knowing what NOT to do. That’s especially true here because facilitating a meeting the systemic leadership way requires a shift in both mindset and practice. Here are key pitfalls to avoid:
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Plan the meeting based on outcomes, not a rigid agenda: While a minimum structure is helpful and needed, a rigid agenda can stifle creativity and the capacity to see emerging challenges and opportunities. Instead, focus on the agreed-upon outcomes the group wants to achieve at the end of the meeting and allow space for conversation to evolve based on the group's needs to fulfill those outcomes.
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Don’t dominate the conversation: In traditional models, leaders often feel the need to drive the discussion. They come prepared with a set of ideas they want to present and how to discuss those ideas. Between presenting, summarizing, interpreting what others say, and synthesizing the conclusion, they end up talking way more than listening. In systemic leadership, the facilitator’s role is to create the conditions for others to lead and contribute.
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Avoid assuming you have the answers: Systemic leadership is rooted in the belief that no single person has all the answers. Leaders should resist the urge to impose perspectives and solutions and instead focus on fostering collective analysis and problem-solving.
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Don’t exclude key voices: Inclusivity is a cornerstone of systemic leadership. Ensure that diverse perspectives are invited into the conversation, particularly those closest to the problem. A previous Purpose Playbook article emphasized that "Inclusivity is not merely increasing attendance or distributing responsibilities... Real inclusivity means intentionally inviting diverse perspectives into the process early"​(Month 1, Week 2). Even if a specific team is used to dealing with the issue discussed as part of their roles, always consider who else can and should contribute to this particular discussion and invite them in.
How to Run a Meeting the Systemic Leadership Way
Running a meeting using systemic leadership principles requires thoughtful planning and facilitation. Here’s how to ensure your meetings are aligned with this approach:
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Create Psychological Safety: Ensure that everyone feels safe sharing their ideas without fear of judgment. This is especially important when working with diverse teams or communities. A facilitator might start by reminding the group that all ideas are welcome, and mistakes are part of learning and innovation.
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Facilitate, Don’t Direct: As a leader, your role is to guide the process, not to dominate it. Start by agreeing on the specific outcomes of the meeting. This will self-guide the discussion, and you can remind the group of the desired outcomes if the conversation gets dispersed. Then, ask open-ended questions that invite discussion, such as, “What do we know about this issue?”, “Why does it matter to our organization and mission?”, “What perspectives are we missing?” What meaning are we making of the information we have?”, “What challenges and opportunities can we see here?”, or “How can we approach this challenge differently?”​
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Encourage Emergent Ideas: Allow space for new and unexpected solutions to emerge. This requires being comfortable with ambiguity and trusting the process. As highlighted in the Purpose Playbook, non-profits thrive when they embrace inclusivity and allow diverse voices to influence decisions from the outset​.
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Decentralize Decision-Making: Whenever possible, delegate decision-making to those closest to the issue. For example, if your organization is planning a voter registration drive, empower the community organizers who understand the unique challenges on the ground to make key decisions, especially if they will also implement them later, that facilitate not only effectiveness but also ownership of the decisions made.
Example: Non-Profit Operations Meeting
Imagine a non-profit called EmpowerVote focused on voter registration in underrepresented communities. The executive director, Jordan, traditionally held tight control over meetings, dictating strategies and action plans. The meetings are more about consulting and ratifying the decisions made ahead than about brainstorming and creating solutions. Despite good intentions, this approach led to errors in decision-making and a disengaged team.
After attending a workshop on systemic leadership, Jordan decided to overhaul how meetings were run. During the next operations meeting, they started by creating a safe space for open dialogue, asking, “What barriers are we facing in our voter registration efforts?” Rather than immediately providing solutions, Jordan encouraged the team to brainstorm and invited community organizers to lead the discussion.
One organizer, Sofia, who had been working directly with local communities, pointed out that the registration drives were scheduled during working hours, making it difficult for many to attend. She proposed organizing evening events and partnering with local businesses to offer incentives. In the old model, this suggestion would have required weeks of approvals. But with systemic leadership principles in place, Jordan empowered Maria to lead the initiative.
The result? Attendance at the next registration drive doubled, and the team felt more engaged, seeing the direct impact of their contributions.
Who Might Struggle with Systemic Leadership?
Systemic leadership challenges many of the ingrained beliefs that traditional leaders hold about power and control. Executive directors with a mindset steeped in hierarchy or a desire for predictability might struggle to implement these principles. Leaders who are used to having the final say may find it uncomfortable to share decision-making power.
Additionally, leaders who view meetings as bureaucratic procedures may resist the less structured, more exploratory nature of systemic leadership. They might worry that this approach will slow down decision-making or lead to chaos. However, as seen in the Purpose Playbook, systemic leadership offers a way to navigate complexity and foster more adaptive, resilient organizations​ in a way that, while structured for outcomes, is also liberating.
Conclusion
Systemic leadership transforms how meetings—and organizations—function by recognizing the complexity and interconnectedness of human systems. By shifting from a top-down, control-oriented approach to one that embraces adaptability, shared leadership, and emergent solutions, non-profit leaders can create organizations that are not only more inclusive but also more effective in achieving their mission.
Non-profit leaders who embrace this approach will find that their organizations become more agile, their teams more engaged, and their communities better served. As we continue our journey through the Purpose Playbook, I encourage you to reflect on how systemic leadership principles can transform how you facilitate meetings and make decisions. Remember, leadership is not about control and having all the answers —it’s about asking powerful questions and empowering those around you to thrive.
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