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Mason Invited To Leadership Design Studio

Twice a year, a small group of 10-12 thoughtful, dedicated leaders from across the country are invited to West River, Maryland to participate in the Leadership Design Studio. Hosted as part of the Reflective Leadership Project, the program is led by Dr. Judy Sorum Brown. Janine Mason, founder and architect of the Fieldstone Leadership Network, was selected to participate in the Fall cohort, which wrapped up its initial work last week.

The purpose of the Leadership Design Studio is:

• to provide leaders with tools and skills to design and facilitate vibrant, engaging leadership development experiences for others,
• to augment and strengthen their existing knowledge base and skills,
• to open a practice field for creating, testing and applying what they are learning and
• to connect them with a cross-sector network of colleagues for support and counsel in their ongoing leadership development work.

“The opportunity to learn from an icon in the leadership field was such a gift, as was the chance to meet others working in leadership program design. Every day was full of rich material, learning and relationship building.  And each day went by so quickly, which was further proof of the richness of the experience.  I am excited to bring back all that I have learned to our Network in San Diego”, reflects Mason.

The program included the examination of the principles that undergird quality leadership development work: among them high engagement, engaging diversity of perspective, creating reflective space, including a variety of learning processes, and strategies for modeling and embedding these in one’s program design.   The cohort explored a rich collection of timeless print and other media resources for use in leadership development programs and received a tool kit of take-away resources with an emphasis on classic, timeless, cross-cultural materials.

Judy Brown is an educator, speaker, facilitator, poet and writer whose work in organizations revolves around themes of leadership, change, learning, dialogue and creativity. She holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, and has served as a White House Fellow, Special Assistant to the US Secretary of Labor, Chief Financial Officer, Assistant Dean and Director of Executive Programs of the College of Business and Management at the University of Maryland, and Vice President for Seminars and Cooperative Programs of the Aspen Institute.  Joining Judy as a co-facilitator was Kathleen Glaser.

Kathleen has served public schools as a teacher, principal, college professor, supervisor of student teachers, and co-founder of the Chesapeake Public Charter School in southern Maryland. She received the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award and has a life-long passion for creating trustworthy learning spaces and communities. A wise mentor, she is skilled at fostering the leadership development of others.

Much like Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego, the Leadership Design Studio fostered a time of deep learning and relationship building enabling cohort members to return home with a trusted collection of colleagues to support and encourage them going forward.  Watch for new offerings as Janine infuses what she has learned into our Network.

Facilitation for Racial Justice Work

In our work as leaders, knowing about structural racism and understanding the difference between “inclusion” and “equity” is one thing; being effective at helping other people talk about them is another. As Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego prepares to facilitate conversations and hold space for our Network Members to explore issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in the nonprofit sector and beyond, FLNSD Director Janine Mason and FLNSD consultants Lee Ann Kim and Barry Schultz participated in a two-day intensive facilitator training presented by the InterAction Institute for Social Change. 

The training, which took place in Oakland, California and included participants from across the country, focused on teaching facilitators to develop practical skills and tools for guiding others through productive conversations about race, racism, and racial justice that build understanding and agreement. The workshop focused on five essential practices of racial justice leadership:

• Understand Racial Identity Development
• Understand the System of Racialization
• See Systems & Weave Networks
• Facilitate Understanding and Agreement
• Discover Shared Meaning

The team from Fieldstone attended the training as part of their preparation for the Fall 2020 leadership retreat which is being offered in response to various calls from Network members for opportunities to learn and reflect on social justice.  Recognized for offering safe spaces for leaders to be brave, FLNSD is using the Courage to Lead retreat framework for leaders to consider issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.  This uniquely designed leadership experience, entitled “Searching for the Heart of Democracy in Historic and Hallowed Places”,  will allow leaders to consider their place in the ongoing efforts to respectfully engage with and lead others in addressing these challenges. Offered as a contribution to our community’s efforts to advance these critical issues throughout the nonprofit sector and in the broader world, this retreat will provide leaders with time and space to learn experientially, to reflect personally and to engage in communal conversations about the social justice challenges we have faced historically and are encountering currently in our country.

“Searching for the Heart of Democracy in Historic and Hallowed Places” will convene in Montgomery, Alabama and include visits to the Capitol Steps where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed 25,000 people who gathered at the end of the Selma to Montgomery March, the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, the newly opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum. Within the backdrop of our nation’s most hallowed places, San Diego leaders will gather to consider and reflect on the questions they may be holding about their role in carrying on the courageous legacies of yesterday and answering the pressing calls to action of today. 

If you are interested in joining us for these discussions, please visit our website for more information about our upcoming retreat, “Seaching for the Heart of Democracy in Historic and Hallowed Places” and email us at [email protected] to be put on the interest list.

4th Leadership Reading Group Begins

This month, our fourth Leadership Reading Group in San Diego started with an updated curriculum, additional program components and a new book list!!

Research has shown that reading has always been an essential component of leadership development (HBR, Feb. 2016). However, even with the best of intentions, it is often difficult to get to or finish all of the books competing for our attention. With a goal of creating well-read nonprofit leaders while imparting facilitation skills and building trusted relationships among nonprofit leaders, the Leadership Reading Group offers a unique opportunity to study and develop leadership in a communal setting.

Learning about leadership through literature is not new.  Stanford, Harvard and Northwestern, to name a few, host courses using fiction and nonfiction to look at and learn about leadership.  As Harvard professor Joseph Badaracco, Jr. states, “Literature lets us watch leaders as they think, worry, hope, hesitate, commit, exult, regret and reflect. As we are able to see their characters tested, reshaped, strengthened or weakened, our view of leadership is broadened and our self-knowledge is deepened enabling us to be more effective as leaders and managers.”   This is the hope of our leadership reading group program.

Our program is led by professional literary facilitator, Stefanie Schiff. The group will study leadership using a three month rotation of fiction, non-fiction and business/trade books.  The program features a carefully cultivated book list from which members can choose for their monthly reading and peer facilitation opportunity.

Currently, Fieldstone Leadership Network hosts four separate leadership reading groups.  Every group has continued to meet regularly after the “completion” of the 10-month program.

  Welcome to the 12 nonprofit leaders who have committed themselves to study leadership through literature: Sara Boquin, Barrio Logan College Institute; Kristen Fogle, San Diego Writers, Ink.; Diane Hazard, Solana Center; Monte Jones, Logan Heights CDC; Lesslie Keller, Episcopal Community Services, Tomoko Kuta, The New Children’s Museum; Kent Lee, Pacific Arts Movement; Jennifer Litwak, Housing on Merit; Michelle Schneider, Center for Creative Leadership; Mary Jo Schumann; Lorena Slomanson, Legal Aid Society of SD; Agnes Zsigovics, SAY San Diego.

Professor Badaracco writes that if leaders “want to understand and lead men and women around them they need to observe closely, noticing telling details, reading between the lines, setting work in the context of life, looking for lessons learned from hard challenges, and reflecting on how other’s answers compare with our own.”  Self-reflection and the understanding that comes from it has always been a part of Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego’s programming, and our Leadership Reading Group is no exception.  Over the next 10-months, these leaders will do this together.  It promises to be a meaningful journey.

And we can’t wait to see the books they choose for their studies!!

Author’s Insights with Jocelyn Davis

Author’s Insights is an opportunity for members of our Leadership Reading Group (LRG) Program to delve more deeply into leadership concepts with an author whose book was read in the program. Following the tradition set by American Booksellers Association in 1938 to provide a forum for authors to speak about their work, Author’s Insights is uniquely focused at furthering our understanding of leadership by furnishing members with a unique and intimate environment to explore the leadership concepts featured by the author in his or her book. Members are invited to examine the leadership theories posited by the author in a trade book or probe the leadership which was or was not exercised by an author’s characters in a work of fiction or non-fiction.

Today’s event featured Jocelyn Davis, author of The Art of Quiet Influence. Davis traveled from Sante Fe, New Mexico to spend time with members of Fieldstone’s Leadership Reading Group program. Members from each of the four groups currently hosted by FLNSD were in attendance, as well as a leader from our sister program in Orange County.  The program was hosted at Villa Musica.  Villa Musica’s Executive Director, Fiona Chatwin, is a member of      LRG 3.

Drawing on the wisdom of Eastern traditions, Davis focuses on 12 “quiet influence practices”, including encouraging other to express objections and doubts, developing a shared outlook, converting adversaries into allies and doing the daily work necessary for success. Today’s discussion, facilitated by LRG 2 member Linnea Searle, highlighted the areas of interest to the members including the difference between “culture” and “climate”, the true meaning of reciprocity and the importance of demonstrating care for others. Reciprocity and Cultivation of Care are two of FLNSD’s organizational values and a rich discussion was had about how this influences and impacts our work individually and collectively.

After enjoying lunch and vibrant conversation together, Jocelyn graciously signed books for each member of the Network who was in attendance. 

FLNSD’s Leadership Reading Groups started in 2016. The 10-month program is designed purposely to develop disciplined readers, cultivate facilitation skills and build cross-sectoral relationships. Members work jointly on the facilitation of a reading group session and develop trusted relationships with each other through discussions and shared insight. To date, all groups have continued to meet regularly after the completion of the “official” program.

The next Author’s Insight will be on December 11, 2019 and feature Elizabeth Cobbs, author of The Tubman Command.

Seeking the Heart of Social Justice in Historic and Hallowed Places – A Leadership Retreat

  Recognized for creating safe space for brave conversations and learning, the Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego is designing a unique experience for nonprofit leaders to consider issues of divesity, equity, and inclusion and their place in the ongoing efforts to respectfully engage with others. Offered as a contribution to our community’s efforts to advance these critical issues throughout the nonprofit sector and in the broader world, this retreat will provide leaders with time and space to learn experientially, to reflect personally and to engage in communal conversations about the social justice challenges we have faced historically and are encountering currently in our country.

The retreat will be offered in Fall 2020.

Please check our website in early 2020 for additional information, including dates, registration forms and fees. If you would like to be added to our Retreat Interest List, please email [email protected] to let her know. 

Authors Insights – A New Edition to our Leadership Reading Group

We are pleased to announce that we have incorporated lunch with an author as a formal part of our Leadership Reading Group.  The seeds for this program were planted by our first reading group with an invitation to local author, Brandon Black.  Black’s visit to the group was so powerful, the group invited another local author, Scott A. Huesing, to join them the following year.  This year, two authors will join members of three reading groups to discuss their work.

Author’s Insights is an opportunity for members of our Reading Group Program to delve more deeply into leadership concepts with an author whose book was read in the program. Following the tradition set by American Booksellers Association in 1938 to provide a forum for authors to speak about their work, Author’s Insights is uniquely focused at furthering our understanding of leadership by furnishing members with a unique and intimate environment to explore the leadership concepts featured by the author in his or her book. Members are invited to examine the leadership theories posited by the author in a trade book or probe the leadership which was or was not exercised by an author’s characters in a work of fiction or non-fiction.

After enjoying lunch and vibrant conversation together, authors are available to sign and personalize their books for each member.

Author’s Insights has featured:

      Brandon Black, Ego Free Leadership – September 2017

  Scott A. Huesing, Echo in Ramadi: The Firsthand Story of U.S     Marines In Iraq’s Deadliest City – September 2018

2019 Author’s Insights will feature:

Jocelyn Davis, The Quiet Art of Influence – September 9, 2019

Elizabeth Cobbs, The Tubman Command – December 11, 2019

Leadership Reading Groups start each fall.  The 10 – month program reads a rotation of trade books, fiction and non-fiction books through a leadership lens, includes the opportunity to learn from a professional facilitator and to personally facilitate a session with a fellow Group member.  The program helps to develop disciplined readers and facilitation skills so members are able to use literature as a training tool with their organization or team.  To apply, or for more information, please visit our Leadership Reading Group under the program tab.

Values to Lead By

As part of our recent organizational transformation, Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego has completed a process of evaluating and updating its organizational values.  This effort lead to six values which reflect the manner in which we do our work, the type of community we are cultivating and incorporates the spirit of the original corporate values which had guided our way since they were established in 1981 by The Fieldstone Company.

Our mission to provide reciprocal learning opportunities which build, deepen and sustain personal and professional capabilities and relationships among nonprofit professionals so they are better able to lead, collaborate, and problem solve are now driven by the following values:

• Continuous Learning – We listen to our nonprofit members, evaluate our programs and apply what we learn.
• Hospitality and Belonging – We cultivate environments for brave conversations, personal development and relationship building to occur.
• Trust and Confidentiality – We honor confidentiality as a cornerstone of our work. We trust staff, members, facilitators and partners to join us in upholding the legacy of confidentiality in all we do.
• Reciprocity – We value the give and take of wisdom, expertise, and resources between each other.
• Diversity – We commit ourselves to be inclusive, inviting nonprofit leaders of a variety of backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and agency-focus to join our work.
• Cultivation of Care – We encourage leaders to take care of themselves, so they may sustain their passion, continue the serious work they do in our community and lead others by example.

To further communicate our values, we crafted a manifesto to reflect who we are and how we lead:

We are the Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego.  A community of leaders united in the spirit of reciprocity and committed to continuous learning. We create spaces for brave conversations and cultivate environments of hospitality and belonging for people of diverse backgrounds, experiences and cultures to nourish each other and grow together. Trust and confidentiality are the cornerstones of our work. We lead by example and cultivate care for ourselves and each other in order to sustain our passion for our work.
We believe in the transformational power of leadership.

2019 Clare Rose Sabbaticals Announced!!

We are pleased to announce the four recipients of the 2019 Clare Rose Sabbatical Award

Dawn Price, Executive Director, Friendship Shelter, Orange County

Sahra Abdi, Executive Director, United Women of East Africa Support Team, San Diego
Renato Paiva, Executive Director, Access Youth Academy, San Diego
Barbara Reuer, Chief Executive Officer, Resounding Joy Inc., San Diego

With the aim of increasing the capacity of nonprofit organizations by offering time for the leader to replenish his or her energy while providing opportunities for others in the organization to take the helm in leading, the Clare Rose Sabbatical program is in its sixth year. The grant is valued at $50,000 and covers the salary and benefits for the leader to take time away to reflect and renew, an organizational consultant to assist in the planning, implementation period and the return of the leader, a fund for staff development and stipends for those leading during the three-month sabbatical. Once again, one of the four sabbaticals was awarded to a new member of our leadership community!

The four newest members of the Clare Rose Sabbatical Community join 19 other organizations in receiving a sabbatical grant, including 211 San Diego, American Diabetes Foundation OC, Families Forward, Grandma’s House of Hope, HomeAid Orange County, I Love A Clean San Diego, Ivey Ranch Park, Mainly Mozart, Make A Wish San Diego, Malashock Dance, Mama’s Kitchen, Mercy House, New Village Arts, North County Lifeline, OneOC, Pacific Arts Movement, Susan G. Komen Orange County, The Ecology Center, and transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project.

As in past years, former recipients participated in the selection process of this cohort. Our thanks to Dan McQuaid, Alberto Cortés of Mama’s Kitchen, Tonya Danielly of Ivey Ranch and John Ohanian of 211 San Diego for sharing their time and wisdom with us.

The Fieldstone Leadership Network is the only local operating foundation in the Orange and San Diego Counties to offer sabbaticals to nonprofit leaders and their organizations. The next application deadline is January 31, 2020. If you would like to participate in the next program or have any questions, please contact Janine Mason to request additional information. Applications and more information are available on our website.

Builders of the Field – Nordson Corporation Foundation

Builders of the Field highlights philanthropic leaders who financially partner with the Network to support our work in the nonprofit community.  This month we are delighted to feature our friends at Nordson Corporation Foundation.

Nordson Corporation delivers precision technology solutions to help customers succeed worldwide. They engineer, manufacture and market differentiated products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials and other materials; for fluid management; for test and inspection; and for UV curing and plasma surface treatment. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, USA, they have operations and support
offices in more than 30 countries.

Sara Vaz is the Community Relations Manager for the Nordson Corporation Foundation. In her role, she manages all of the Corporate Social Responsibility activities for Nordson in the California and Colorado regions. Sara recently shared her thoughts on partnering with Fieldstone Leadership Network.

Why do you give back to non-profits?

At Nordson, we have a long and proud history of giving back to the communities where we live and work. We strongly believe it is our responsibility as a corporate citizen to share our success with our communities, which is why we donate 5 percent of our U.S. pre-tax profits to support charitable endeavors every year. We pursue and support results-oriented opportunities that prepare individuals for full and equal participation in the economic and social mainstream. We believe these kinds of programs help improve the quality of life over the long term and produce stronger, more enlightened communities in which we live and work. We strive to fulfill these respo

As part of the Time ‘n Talent program, employees taught children at the Boys and Girls Club in Oceanside about recycling and caring for the planet, while helping them plant saplings that they could take home.

nsibilities in our communities through contributions to charitable activities with a focus on education. Other major giving categories that are supported are human welfare, civic affairs, and arts & culture.

What motivated you to make a gift to the Fieldstone Leadership Network?

We understand that strong nonprofits make stronger communities. We also understand that investment in the professional development of leaders in our nonprofit sector is lacking. We were thrilled to support the Fieldstone Leadership Network in the work they do for our nonprofit leaders and sector. We have heard from many of our nonprofit partners how impactful participation in the Network was for them and we were happy to make this investment.

What impact do you think the Fieldstone Leadership Network makes on our community?

We know that the nonprofit sector fills significant gaps left by the public and private sectors and we rely on the work of these nonprofits to lift-up and strengthen our communities. When nonprofit leaders are empowered and encouraged through rigorous training and support networks like the Fieldstone Leadership Network, our entire community benefits. We are grateful to the Fieldstone Leadership Network for working to motivate and increase the effectiveness of our hardworking nonprofit leaders.

Builders of the Field – PIMCO

Builders of the Field highlights philanthropic leaders who financially partner with the Network to support our work in the nonprofit community.

PIMCO’s Legal and Compliance team took part in games and mentorship activities with students from the Boys and Girls Club of Central Orange Coast, in Santa Ana.

PIMCO is one of the world’s premier fixed income investment managers. Launching in 1971 in Newport Beach, California, PIMCO introduced investors to a total return approach to fixed income investing. Today they have offices across the globe. They believe in operating globally but also in supporting local organizations in the communities in which they live and work. Since establishing the PIMCO Foundation in 2000, they have worked to support hundreds of local nonprofits. They have foundations in the U.S., U.K., and Germany, and support local communities via local grant programs. Their focus is on hunger, gender equality, homelessness and college and career readiness.

We recently asked Amber Skalsky, Vice President of the PIMCO Foundation, the following questions:

Why do you give back to non-profits?

At PIMCO, we’ve always believed in giving back; it’s a value woven into the fabric of our culture. Our colleagues and executives have a long history of giving time and talent as it’s just something we’ve always believed was the right thing to do. Through our community engagement platform, Purpose at PIMCO, we seek to not only deliver on our commitment to strengthening communities, but to driving impact alongside our nonprofit partners.

What motivated you to make a gift to the Fieldstone Leadership Network?

We understand that if we are to achieve real outcomes and positive social change, we must support the leadership and development of those who are at the helm of our partner organizations. We must arm our nonprofit leaders with the tools they need to build strong teams, impactful programs, and sustainable change in the community. Fieldstone allowed us to play a small part in helping local leaders build networks, strengthen capacity, increase confidence, and more…

What impact do you think the Fieldstone Leadership Network makes on our community?

Too often we hear that organizations have to choose between investing funds in either their programs or staff. Fieldstone helps solve that problem by offering leaders access to knowledge and peer networks on a monthly basis. Participants are able to take advantage of self-learning opportunities and curriculum which helps them become stronger problem solvers, strategically agile, and helps members bring back those learnings to their organizations and teams. Fieldstone Leadership Network has a vast impact on the Orange County community, and across Southern California.

Do you have any personal stories you would like to share as the result of working with or benefiting from the Fieldstone Leadership Network?

As a funder, I have not had any personal interaction with the programs, however, we have many partners who have taken part in Fieldstone programs, and we’ve heard firsthand the positive and lasting impact programming has had on them both personally and professionally. This feedback was one of the key reasons we felt compelled to invest.