Marshall Ganz: Distributed Leadership (behind Obama Campaign) and Public Narrative

As part of our Indicorps workshop reader (with which we shall have 'text based dialogue' sessions), I came across this article that particularly interested me.  It is called "What is a Public Narrative? (2008) by Marshall Ganz" (click to read PDF).

Practicing leadership, argues Ganz, is enabling others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty - requires engaging the heart, the head, and the hands: motivation, strategy, and action. (exactly what Jayesh bhai at Manav Sadhna says!)  Through narrative, or story, we can articulate the experience of choice in the face of urgent challenge and we can learn how to draw on our values to manage the anxiety of agency (things of the past and future), as well as its exhilaration. The two factors required are 'pain' and 'hope'.

With particular reference to the 2004 Obama speech, Audacity of Hope, at the Democratic National Convention, he explains his concept of Public Narrative in three parts:

1. Story of Self - who I am, what are my values, my experiences, why I do what I do.  Why I have been called.
2. Story of Us - communicating who we are, our shared values, shared experiences, why we do what we do.  Why we have been called.
3. Story of Now - transforms the present into a moment of challenge, hope and choice.  Urgent challenge to act.

When you hear Obama's speech, you can clearly identify these three aspects - which is what made that speech and his proceeding campaign a successful one. Ganz designed this approach as a way to learn how to translate our values into action.

As a British Indian and an Indicorps Fellow, I can see the power of story very clearly in the people around me and emanating from inspirational mentors we meet along the way.  It can be a powerful tool to relate to and motivate those around us by sharing our own narrative with clearly identified common values (alive in our communities, such as love, respect, justice, compassion).

Below is a video recorded at MIT, where Marshall Ganz gives a talk about the above principles and highlights the concept of 'distributed leadership' as the successful model of shared, empowering leadership, that can motivate people, particularly in the voluntary sector.

(click here for this MIT Video page - where you can also download into iTunes)