Report summary: Social purpose leadership in 2030

This report is authored by Heather Russek, Co-President, Creative Futures–a strategist, researcher, designer and innovation expert with 20 years of experience in policy innovation, healthcare leadership, management consulting, programme and project management, and strategy; Jessica Thornton, Co-President, Creative Futures–a futurist, facilitator, strategist and creative problem solver with 15+ years of experience in the public and nonprofit sector; and Camara Chambers, Senior Manager of Partnerships and Leadership Development, Leadership Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University–she has built her career over the past 15 years in roles that work at the heart of improving people's lives, working in the fields of equality, education, and community services.

**Report name **

Embracing Our Future: Social Purpose Leadership in 2030

Who wrote this report?

Creative Futures Studio Inc. helps public, nonprofit, and socially-minded leaders plan and prepare for their future. Using applied futures research, they help organisations navigate complexity and embrace uncertainty, arming them with the tools to think beyond present-day issues and imagine, prepare for, and navigate multiple potential futures. Learn more here.

The Leadership Lab is an action-oriented think-tank at Toronto Metropolitan University that develops leaders and solutions to make progress on our most pressing civic challenges. Through leadership development and policy and research activation, they are building a new generation of skilled and adaptive leaders and change-makers, at all ages and stages, to build a more trustworthy, inclusive society. As the Leadership Lab plans to expand its leadership training to reach more emerging leaders across Canada, this project was an exciting opportunity to gain invaluable insights into the skills that leaders will need to be effective in the coming years. Find out more about the Lab’s work here.

In 2030, will co-leadership models be the new normal for public and nonprofit sector organisations? Or is it possible that we will have no leaders at all? Across Canada, leadership philosophies are evolving, responding to tremendous changes happening globally and locally. To better understand these emerging changes, and what they could mean for leadership approaches in 2030, Creative Futures and the Leadership Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University collaborated on a new research project, Embracing Our Future: Social Purpose Leadership in 2030.

Best quote

Organisations are acknowledging that the leadership skills of the past are not the leadership skills of the future.

**Key takeaways: **

• Public and nonprofit organisations are facing a landmark moment for leadership transformation, and have an opportunity to redesign the organisational systems and structures that are no longer serving us.
• There is tension between the past and future. Many public sector and not-for-profit leaders are making decisions based on the future, optimistic about how the changes underway create an opportunity for new leadership approaches. Other leaders are experiencing challenges adjusting to an increasingly complex and uncertain organisational environment, where their past leadership approaches are no longer serving them.
• What if virtual teams were thriving in 2030? What if communities were truly at the centre of decision-making? What if the comprehensive wellness needs of teams were prioritised? This research demonstrates the possibility of new ways of approaching decision-making, organisational structures, and leadership philosophies.

What’s in this report?

The purpose of this report is to demonstrate the possibility of new ways of approaching decision-making, organisational structures, and leadership philosophies in the nonprofit and public sectors. This report offers 13 emerging trends impacting leadership in 2030 based on conversations with 31 leaders from the public sector and not-for-profit organisations. To demonstrate how these changes could lead to better futures, Embracing Our Future offers three deeply optimistic future scenarios in 2030 to spark new thinking about the future of leadership. This research seeks to demonstrate how the challenges leaders and organisations face today could lead to positive change in the future.

Why should you read this report?

Current leadership models and structures are not working in many public sector and nonprofit contexts, and now is the time for transformation. Prior to COVID-19, many organisations were struggling to address everyday internal challenges, as well as external factors such as a growing sense of mistrust of public institutions, cybersecurity threats, the climate crisis, and polarised political opinions, all creating tension for traditional leadership philosophies. Many of these challenges have been intensified by COVID-19 stresses, a global awakening to the prevalence of systemic racism, financial constraints, and an increased focus on wellbeing and mental health. All of these challenges demonstrate the fraught nature of current leadership approaches, and the need to consider new approaches. Embracing Our Future describes three optimistic futures of leadership meant to inspire leaders to see how the challenges they face today could lead to positive changes down the road.

Who is this report for?

Embracing Our Future is focused on nonprofit and public sector leaders. However, this report invites all formal and informal leaders to reflect on their own organisational future, and what actions need to be initiated to embrace this landmark moment of leadership transformation.

🔗 Read the full report here. 🔗

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