1. Ruthie Frierson, Founder and Chair Emeritus
Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships
Ruthie Frierson, Founder and Chair Emeritus

2. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Table of Contents
The Process of Building a Team to Launch Reform
Crisis is an Incubator of Leaders Qualities of Effective Leadership
Bringing About Effective Change
The Keys to Building Partnerships:
Grassroots Advocacy
Advocacy Dos and Don’ts
Additional Resources

3. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
The Process of Building a Team to Launch Reform
Unify around a clearly defined mission
Research, educate and advocate
Mobilize citizens to speak up and take action
Train volunteers as citizen lobbyists
Develop strong partnerships and collaborations with other organizations and groups
Testify before legislative committees and local governing body
Conduct “get out the vote” campaigns for local and statewide elections
Engage the media on national state, and local levels
Set up a website to educate and communicate
Work with reform minded local and state officials

4. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
“Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader. Don’t fall victim to what I call the “aim-aim-aim-aim syndrome.” You must be willing to fire. “ General George S. Patton
Crisis is an Incubator of Leaders Qualities of Effective Leadership:
Vision
Passion and sustained focus on the mission
Recognizes an important community need
Courage, the fuel of leadership
Motivates and propels others
Good communicator, active listener and able to compromise
Knows how to build trust
Optimistic and inspires others

5. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Possesses integrity and is ethical
Decisive
Is realistic and knows the practical steps for achieving the goal
Persistent and knows how to stay the course
Seeks information and advice from others
Becomes a loyal follower in support of other leaders, when identified
Recognizes the diverse talents, points of view, and expertise of others
Has the ability to engage and influence other community leaders
The keys are iron will, enormous discipline, cheerful persistence.
These traits can change history!!

6. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Bringing About Effective Change
Mission is clear
Motive is for the common good, not for personal agenda
Promotes constructive change
Communicates a clear message
Respects different viewpoints.
Builds consensus
Recognizes resistance to change and responds appropriately
Sustained commitment
Change does not happen overnight, it requires persistent and patient leadership.
In the aftermath of the storm, people really needed each other.
A priority for us was community outreach - meeting people in neighborhoods from across the city, networking and building bridges as never before. Building trust with different groups requires integrity of purpose and respect for each other.

7. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans has worked in coalition with many other organizations and leaders, each taking a leadership role in local issues.
Our partnerships are over 100 strong!
The Keys to Building Partnerships:
Community Outreach, Expanding horizons and possibilities
Shared Focus
Seeking and respecting diversity
Compassionate communication, effective in enhancing communication
Interest in the common good
No personal or political agendas
Seeking different opinions
Willingness to compromise
Practice civility but never compromise principles
We were determined to be advocates for change in a positive and assertive way, as opposed to a negative and aggressive way. To stay focused on the issue, never on the individual or the personal.

8. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Grassroots Advocacy
Clear and concise message
Willingness by citizens to stand up and speak up for issues that are important to them.
Supports change or reform in a positive, constructive way for the benefit of the common good.
Fact finding/research/know both/all sides of the issue=Educate self and others
Understand protocol and know the legislative process
Identify what has been already done or is being done about the issue or problem and with what results? What are the consequences for the community?
Engage and recruit key legislators to handle package
Establish support of key decision makers

9. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Prepare position statement with supporting facts and statistics
Prepare talking points
Build brand based on broad based coalition of civic, business and reform minded elected officials
Maintain and sustain relationships
Obtain the advice of government affairs professionals
Employ communication tools; including media, editorial boards, and website
Stay the course

10. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Advocacy Dos and Don’ts
Do:
Identify yourself and say whom you represent immediately on each contact. Legislators meet hundreds of people and they can’t remember everyone.
Know the issue and the status of the legislation. Refer to the legislation by bill number.
Be brief. Legislators are very busy.
Be specific and practical. Relate arguments to situations in the legislator’s home district.
Thank legislators.
Keep the door open for further discussion even if you don’t agree at this time. “Politics make strange bedfellows” is not without foundation.
Talk with legislators even if their positions are opposite yours.
Be honest. NEVER lie. Acknowledge opposing arguments and any political liabilities.

11. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Do:
Ask the legislator for support.
Leave behind a one-page fact sheet summarizing your position. Highlight important facts and arguments. Include your name, address and telephone number as you can be reached if there are questions.
Don’t:
Back legislators into a corner.
Overwhelm them with too much information or jargon.
Get into lengthy arguments.
Be afraid to say you don’t know. Offer to find out and send the information back.
Confront, threaten, pressure or beg.
Expect legislators to be specialists. Their schedules and the number of bills make them generalists.
Ask the impossible…often.

12. Transformational Leadership: Skills to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Your Community
Additional Resources
Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear  ― By Dr. Frank I. Luntz
One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams  ― By Chris Fussell
On Leadership: Essential Principles for Business, Political, and Personal Success   ― By Donald J. Palmisano