Stepping Forward book Club Fosters Leadership & Connection in Michigan
Heather Cole knows something about stepping forward with courage.
In January and February of 2020, Cole, the Director of Advocacy and Public Innovation at the United Way of Southwest Michigan, decided to lead a community read-along of Rich Harwood’s book, Stepping Forward: A Positive Practical Path to Transform Your Community and Your Life.
“It’s a book club, how risky is that?” Cole said. “As an introvert, that can be pretty scary.”
A group of 12 community members met weekly to discuss Stepping Forward. Participants included members of the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, the Boys and Girls Club, Head Start, and United Way staff members. It was an opportunity to use the book to help build a stronger network of leaders to move the community forward.
“We had such wonderful, robust conversations about developing ourselves as leaders in a way that helps us show up how the community needs and wants us to,” Cole described.
A Global Pandemic Hits Home
As a global pandemic took hold in early 2020, these book club meetings became a safe space for community members to come together in a difficult, uncertain time.
“People craved having those meaningful conversations with each other,” Cole said. “They prioritized making space for this. Leaders who are heads of organizations still made time for this.
They realized how deeply their community was hurting. As Cole described, “We were trying to make an impact before and now the challenges are so much deeper. Covid highlighted some significant disparities.”
The conversations sparked by Stepping Forward helped the leaders think about community challenges in a new way.
Shifting Mindsets and Building Allies
Cole described having in-depth discussions about prioritizing the community’s aspirations, which helped the leaders shift their mindsets. They tackled questions like, “How do I develop myself as a leader so I can show up differently?”
This book club is just one of many efforts by the United Way of Southwest Michigan to develop leaders in their community and create a network of Turned Outward organizations.
The United Way of Southwest Michigan has sponsored numerous staff and community partners to attend The Harwood Institute’s Virtual Public Innovators Lab, which Cole attended in 2018. They also brought Rich Harwood to speak to their community in 2019 as part of the Stepping Forward Campaign.
When asked to describe the United Way’s Turning Outward work, Cole said, “They’re efforts to build up a local Turning Outward team. The book club was a way to build those relationships and introduce more Turning Outward concepts.”
Unleashing New Possibilities
The book club, along with the United Way’s commitment to Turning Outward, didn’t end with the final chapter of Stepping Forward. Cole described how participants enjoyed the sessions so much that they chose a new book for their readalong in March. They also plan to read Rich Harwood’s newest book, Unleashed: A Proven Way Communities Can Spread Change and Make Hope Real for All, once it is released in May.
When describing her work moving forward, Cole said, “Let’s try different things and be innovative.” By taking action within her sphere of influence, Cole continues to embody The Harwood Institute’s Key Mantras: Turn Outward, Get in Motion, Start Small to Go Big, and Create a New Trajectory of Hope.
The United Way of Southwest Michigan’s book club is one example of how communities across the country have used Stepping Forward to build leaders and new networks. You can download the Stepping Forward Book Club Guide to spark conversations with your team and build your own network of Turned Outward leaders.