RWJF Ladder to Leadership Program: A Story of Individual and Community Impact

……………………………………………………….Ladder to Leadership:Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders

Leadership Learning CommunityPresentation

©2012 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

………………………………………………………..Agenda

• About RWJF and CCL• Why RWJF Made this Investment• An Overview of CCL’s Program Design • An Overview of the Evaluation Design• The Program’s Impact at the Individual,

Organizational, and Community Levels• What’s Next• Q&A


………………………………………………………..Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

www.rwjf.org

http://www.rwjf.org/

www.ccl.org

CCL is a nonprofit, educational institution that reaches more than 120 countries from locations on

4 continents. Nearly 21,000 leaders from 3,000 organizations engage with CCL each year, to think

and act beyond the boundaries that limit their effectiveness.

Colorado Springs, CO Greensboro, NC San Diego, CA Brussels, BelgiumRussia Singapore

http://www.ccl.org/


………………………………………………………..Why RWJF Made this Investment

• 40+ year history of investing in leadership development

• Strong support of community-based nonprofits & recognition of capacity building needs

• High % of non-profit leaders were expected to retire

• Focus on early to mid-career professionals• Confidence in CCL• CCL’s ability to customize a leadership

experience & draw from a national cohort of coaches


………………………………………………………..Program Background

• Awarded a 10-month planning grant to CCL for program research • Fielded an online survey = over 1,500

individual responses• Supported several focus

• Ladder to Leadership• $3.6M national program• Ran from 2007-2012 with 8 cohorts in 8

U.S. communities• High-level National Advisory Committee to

assist with program/evaluation design & community selection

Center for Creative Leadership

Communities Selected

Central New YorkN=26

Newark, NJN=30

Rural North CarolinaN=19

Birmingham, ALN=21

Kansas CityN=29

Albuquerque, NMN=30

Portland, ORN=30

Cleveland, OHN=30


………………………………………………………..Center for Creative Leadership


………………………………………………………..

Ladder to Leadership Program• Develop emerging leaders in

health and health-related nonprofit organizations

• Up to 30 emerging leaders from each of 8 communities

• In-depth leadership development process includes:

• Multiple face-to-face sessions • 1:1 coaching• Action learning team projects

with coaches• Goal development planning• Mentoring

www.laddertoleadership.org

Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders

(1-Month)

PHASE I: Orientation to Leadership Development

In Community

1.5-Days90

minutes

(2-Months)

Session I Leading Self

Session II Leading Self &

Others

Session IIIInfluencing Groups &

Systems

Commencement Sustaining the

Impact

CCL Campus4-Days

CCL Campus3-Days

CCL Campus3-Days

In Community2-Days

PHASE III: Sustaining the Impact

PROGRAM EVALUATION

2 AL Project Team

Meetings with Coach

(in community)

AL Project Team

Meeting with Coach

(in community)

AL Project Team

Meeting with Coach

(in community)

(4-Months) (4-Months) (4-Months)

Kickoff Meeting

Process Orientation

Webinar

MENTORING

AL Project Team

Meeting with Coach

(in community)

Follow on coaching calls

A national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership

PHASE II: Intensive Leadership Development

Community Collaboration—Site Visit & Relationship Building

Promotional Event – Launch Application Period in Community


………………………………………………………..

Evaluation Planning

• Evaluation plan developed by CCL team:o 2 CCL Evaluators o 1 General Consultant o 1 Social Network Analysis Consultant

• Vetted by:o CCL Full Teamo RWJF National Advisory Committee: Evaluation

Sub-team members (including Claire Reinelt & LLC)

o RWJF: Program Officer


………………………………………………………..

Evaluation Questions

What are the barriers and facilitators of program impact? What have we learned that can inform future leadership

development efforts in this field?

What impact is the program having on individual leadership development?

What impact is the program having on the Fellows’ organizations and communities?

To what extent is the program identifying and recruiting participants from the intended population?


• Social Network Survey

• Cohort & Community Profiles

• Brief Impact Surveys -1&2 • AL Coach Survey• Community Context Assessment

REFLECTIONS® • SNA-2 & Impact Survey

• Boss Survey• AL Coach & Team

Sponsor Surveys• SCM Interviews

(Formative) • End of Session Surveys• CCL & RWJF Staff Debriefs

PHASE II

• Sessions I-III• Action Learning Team Work• Goal Planning• 1:1 Coaching

• Commencement

PHASE I

• Kick Off• Action

Learning Teams & Project Selection

• SNA-3 & Long Term Impact Survey

• Boss Survey

Evaluation Design Timeline

PHASE III

• Mentoring Workshop• Mentoring (6-12 months)• Sustaining the Impact• Measuring the Impact

Short Term Impact

(7-11 months)

Long Term Impact

(28-30 months)

IntermediateImpact

(13-16 months)

Baseline

(0 months)


………………………………………………………..Evaluation Scope

2,776 SURVEYS & INTERVIEWScompleted!

1,725 PEOPLE provided data!


………………………………………………………..

Recruitment

• Age: 37.7 years• Race/Ethnicity:

o White: 65%o African-American: 20%o Hispanic/Latino: 8%o Multi-racial: 5%o Asian: 2%o Other: 1%o American Indian: <1%

• Years with Organization: 4.9 years• Average # of applicants: 41.3


………………………………………………………..

Format & time demands are feasible

LTL met my expectations

Content is relevant

Would recommend LTL

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Immediate Post (n=176) 1 Year Post (n=101)

Reactions to the Program% of participants who “agree” or “strongly

agree”


Individual Impact


………………………………………………………..

Findings from REFLECTIONS®

Coach others in the organization

Use systems thinking

Work across organizational boundaries

Understand different perspectives

Effective on collaborative projects

Use feedback to make changes

Readiness for leadership responsibilities

Awareness of impact of behavior on others

Leadership effectiveness

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Self (n=193) Others (n=1,648)

% reporting ability “improved” or “significantly improved”


“The first session really opened my eyes to what leadership means and gave me a glimpse into what I could become.”

~ LTL Fellow (North Carolina)

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Ladder to Leadership saved my career. I think if I hadn’t gone through the program, I would have abandoned the nonprofit world. I am excited to have this new opportunity to serve my community. For this, I give a huge “thank you” to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

~ Deborah Hoffman, Albuquerque Fellow


………………………………………………………..

• Increased ability as leader77%• Took on more

responsibilities64%• Effectively engaging in

collaborative relationships60%All Self ratings, n=100

Individual Impact: Long Term% reporting improvement to a “great” or “very great”

extent


Organizational Impact


………………………………………………………..

Coaching enviroment

Openness to diverse perspectives

Work-related social networks

Quality of decision-making processes

Work group collaboration

Ability to deal with complex challenges

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Self (n=193) Others (n=1,607)

Organizational Impact: Intermediate

% reporting ability “improved” or “significantly improved”


………………………………………………………..

• Working across organizational boundaries61%

• Increased team collaborations66%

• Leveraging resources to support work of the organization61%

All Self ratings, n=100

Organizational Impact: Long Term% reporting improvement to a “great” or “very great”

extent


“I believe it increased connections to outside future leaders that resulted in new collaborations and strengthened existing relationships. It also gave fresh perspectives on leadership style that influenced leadership within and external to our organization.”

~ LTL Fellow’s boss (Cleveland)

Since completing the program I spearheaded a merger of two non-profit organizations and quadrupled my budget and employees. I went from Executive Director to Chief Executive Officer. The new organization is one year old this year and we are doing great. Under my leadership we have completed and are implementing a strategic plan (with a comprehensive succession plan). I have the best relationship with my board of directors (they were my nemesis during the LTL days)! In March of this 2010 I was provided with an award of Non-Profit Executive of the Year. “

~ Cassandra Sheets, Central New York


Community Impact


………………………………………………………..

• Increased ability to identify health-related needs in the community (to a great or very great extent)

62%• Increased ability to identify

health-related resources in the community (to a great or very great extent)

66%


Community Impact: Intermediate


………………………………………………………..

Community Impact: Long Term

• Leading collaborative projects in community (to a great or very great extent)44%

• Leveraging networks to address community health challenges (to a great or very great extent)

51%



Collaboration with Other FellowsCentral NY - Time 1, Time 2, Time 3

Time 3 Density = .10

Time 2 Density = .15

Time 1Density = .03


“One of the specific areas that I identified for improvement through the LTL Program was collaboration skills. As a result of this, even though I have strong introvert tendencies, I made a conscious effort to spearhead a multi-agency grant application process that resulted in the award of a $568,000 grant for our county for pregnant and parenting young women.”

~ LTL Fellow (North Carolina)

“Our action learning team is working to improve food access through virtual grocery ordering and delivery…My heart soared when I heard residents talking about “our project” and “our nutrition”! I sat with a mom while she checked nutrition labels for fruit snacks, and chose one without high fructose corn syrup. She had been giving her two children candy from the local convenience store as their afternoon snack. What a transformation to be witness to!”

~Jennifer Smith, Kansas City Fellow


………………………………………………………..

Community Impact Through Action Learning

• Birmingham Team--Community Garden• Birmingham Team—Health-E-Teen

Website/Grant• Newark Team—formed a nonprofit to

help community members find ways to connect to volunteer opportunities

• Kansas City Team—On-Line Food Delivery Program

• Kansas City Team—Funded to create nonprofit focused on trauma stewardship


Learning Application: Barriers

• Time• Economy• Organizational Support• Race, power, privilege


………………………………………………………..

Conclusions

• Fellows improved leadership skillso Identifying strengths & developmental needso Engaging in collaborative relationshipso Effectiveness as a leader

• Fellows’ organizations were impactedo Collaborationo Decision-makingo Networking

• Fellows’ communities were impactedo Developed network of leaderso Collaborations resulting from network


………………………………………………………..

What We Learned & Where We are Going Now…

• The importance power of Boundary Spanning Leadership

• The need for team/coalition-based work in community settings; supported by leadership development and a coach

• The need to continually raise people’s consciousness about race, power, and privilege issues within communities


QUESTIONS

RWJF Ladder to Leadership Program: A Story of Individual and Community Impact

Education

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