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Shaheen’s Insights on Leadership to Build a Movement
In our ever changing world, in order to address the rapidly evolving challenges, visionary leadership is crucial. During InvokED 3.0, we delved into the leadership’s role in movement-building for social change.
We had the privilege of hearing from Shaheen Mistri, the founder and CEO of Teach for India, in conversation with Kruthika, a Grade 12 student from The Samhita Academy. It called attention to the evolving nature of leadership, laying bare its essence, and its manifestation in today’s day and age, especially for an education movement like Shikshāgraha, which aims to transform the 1 million public schools in India.
Here are four key insights from the conversation:
Insight 1
Insight 2
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 1
The Power of Inclusive Leadership
Leadership has evolved from a top-down approach to a more inclusive style, where everyone can lead and follow. Inclusive leadership values diverse perspectives and skills within a team. It emphasises collaboration, collective decision making in order to unite different stakeholders toward a common goal. Inclusive Leaders focus on effective listening and actively seeking feedback from all involved, building trust and encouraging participation.
Insight 2
Leading with Love
Leading with love and care has a profound impact on building movements. It fosters empathy and compassion. Love’s transformative power helps bridge divides and build strong, cohesive groups. Leaders prioritise the well-being and nurture the relationships within their team and stakeholders they are working with, to inspire greater commitment, collaboration, and resilience. This ultimately drives the movement toward the envisioned change more effectively.
Insight 3
Laddership, a fresh approach to leadership
Laddership redefines leadership by focusing on individual growth and support. It involves enabling others through mentorship and coaching, and providing guidance and resources. By ensuring personal development, they help their teams thrive, and promote continuous learning – in turn promoting leadership for others. Open communication is encouraged and constructive feedback shared continuously, fostering an environment for ideas to flourish and innovation to thrive.
Insight 4
The Role of Humility
Humility is essential through the challenging process of collaboration, especially when we are solving the education crisis. It inspires individuals to set aside personal agendas for a common goal, uniting diverse stakeholders in a shared vision for a better future. Humility ensures that others’ expertise and perspectives are recognised and respected. Everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully. Individual limitations are acknowledged, empathy gets amplified. In societal missions, this is a powerful force for positive change, uniting individuals behind a shared vision.
As we strive to transform the education landscape in India, these insights offer a guiding light. By embracing these evolved leadership approaches, social movements can inspire collective effort towards creating more equitable and just societies.
Listen to the complete conversation from InvokED 3.0 between Shaheen and Krutika here
Meet the Author
Vibha Rawat
Vibha, a student at Ashoka University majoring in Psychology and Media Studies, is deeply passionate about storytelling in all its forms. Her fascination lies in exploring the intricate relationship between films and social change. Whether she's immersed in watching a movie or actively seeking out creative projects, she is consistently driven by her love for meaningful stories. Her aspiration is to contribute to and be a part of impactful stories that resonate with audiences on a profound level.
Vibha Rawat
Vibha, a student at Ashoka University majoring in Psychology and Media Studies, is deeply passionate about storytelling in all its forms. Her fascination lies in exploring the intricate relationship between films and social change. Whether she's immersed in watching a movie or actively seeking out creative projects, she is consistently driven by her love for meaningful stories. Her aspiration is to contribute to and be a part of impactful stories that resonate with audiences on a profound level.