Institute for Collaborative Leadership

"I wrote the book on collaboration ... And we're not doing it well!"

As someone the American Library Association once said “wrote the book on this,” the evidence is hard to ignore: we haven’t been doing collaborative leadership well.

The polarization around us makes that clear.

For decades, I’ve taught and written about collaboration as a way to bring people together. The work reached wide audiences, was used in graduate programs, and informed leaders across public, nonprofit, community, and education sectors.

And still—something isn’t working.

But here’s what I’ve come to understand: too many of our collaborations have become “inside jobs”—comfortable partnerships with people who think like us, leaving out voices that could have made the work stronger.

We stayed in our comfort zones while the world kept pulling apart.

That's why I've written:

WE HAVE TO LEAD BETTER: A Toolkit for Mission-Driven Collaborative Leaders as the world pulls apart — not as another set of answers, but as a reflection for leaders who know we need to lead differently.

There are stakeholders who share your mission but haven’t been part of your work.

Over the next two weeks, I’m sharing a free prepublication edition with leaders willing to take an honest look at how they lead.

I'm not looking for praise. I'm looking for your thoughtful critique. Your questions, insights and suggestions;

What's missing that could make this publication stronger and more useful?

Would you be willing to take a look and share your thoughts?

start a free consultation now

the book, coaching, training & speech - we need right now!

THIS IS THE TOOLKIT

When the world pulls us apart, we lead by growing new & different relationships to bring us together.

Sometimes we'll find ourselves building these relationships on just a slim sliver of overlapping interests.

This is a practical, plainspoken toolkit for community, nonprofit, education & elected leaders! Grounded in real work, not theory!

Get it now!

Get early access to Leadership Re-Imagined and join the conversation on how we can lead differently—before it’s officially released.

download a free toolkit now

What We Explore Together

What You’ll Learn

Simple & memorable principles & mental models of Collaborative Leadership
Tools to build trust and sustainably impactful relationships across differences
Exercises to lead with values, not just position
Language to coordinate, communicate, and make change happen

Schedule a Free 30-Minute Exploration Conversation

Training & Speaking Options

Founded in 2005, Institute for Collaborative Leadership has been working tirelessly to help

Want to go deeper?

Hank offers workshops and talks for teams ready to reimagine how they lead and collaborate.

Popular Topics:

Reimagining Leadership in a Fragmented World
Lead For A Change: Building Your Collaborative Muscles
How To Be An Antiracist Leader

PS: If this resonates with you or leaders you know, I would welcome a conversation about how we might explore these ideas further through speaking engagements, workshops, or coaching. We have been serving communities for over 15 years and have supported more than 10,000 children to date, with the continued goal of making a meaningful and lasting impact in their lives.

WE HAVE TO LEAD BETTER

We have to Lead better ... As the world is pulling us apart!