Released Feb. 22, 2008

“The moral obligation of leadership is to think beyond your experience and plan beyond your tenure.”

This quote by futurist Edward Barlow describes the challenge facing community leaders today - what can we do now that will prepare our communities for the 21st century, an era that is clearly beyond our experience? According to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, the following principles have been very helpful to community leaders who seek to move their communities forward:

Principle #1: Leaders anticipate change - they see the big picture.

As more and more communities are being impacted by forces beyond their control, the importance of understanding what changes are taking place becomes increasingly important. The global economy, sweeping technological change, new economic-political alliances (such as NAFTA), and the growing diversity of our work force are just a few of the major forces and trends that have real impacts on our communities. Understanding these changes enable communities to take advantage of these changes rather than becoming victims of them.

Principle #2: Leaders understand the interrelatedness of things.

This realization that everything affects everything else in communities has led many communities to create strategic planning efforts that involve a broad base of citizens. Your community may have terrific schools and economic development opportunities, but if your health care or transportation systems are inadequate, your community will not reach its full potential. This realization leads us to deal with the most important issues facing our communities, regardless of the personalities involved.

Principle #3: Leaders understand the development process, and how to apply it to their own community.

Most communities either grow and develop, or begin to decline. The impact of the major forces and trends mentioned earlier is so powerful that communities need to be working to address important issues before those issues have negative effects on the community. A very useful approach is to create a strategic vision and action plan for your community. A strategic vision is a compelling mental image of your desired future, and an action plan is how you can realize that vision. For more information, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office for a copy of Harnessing the Power of Vision - Ten Steps to Creating a Strategic Vision and Action Plan for Your Community.

Principle #4: Leaders, create, support, and foster effective development organizations.

Organizations are vehicles for development. They are mechanisms for people to work together to achieve their goals. For community development efforts to be successful, they require effective development organizations. These organizations share a common vision, and are committed to bringing that vision to reality.

Principle #5: Leaders have personal characteristics worthy of emulation.

We have asked community groups all across the state of Arkansas what characteristics they value most in their leaders. Honesty and dependability almost always come up at the top of the list. People are much more likely to become involved in community development efforts if they trust the individuals in leadership positions.

These principles provide a blueprint for community leaders as they seek to be most effective.

The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

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http://www.uaex.edu/news/february2008/0222peterson.htm

Contacts: Dr. Mark Peterson, (501) 671-2253, mpeterson@uaex.edu

Lamar James, (501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207, ljames@uaex.edu