essay about democratic leadership in community

Democratic Leadership Style Self-Analysis Essay

Introduction, self-analysis, my strength as a democratic leader, my weaknesses and self-improvement strategies.

Democratic leadership style is a participative and consensus-based approach to decision-making in which the leader encourages input from all members of the team and makes decisions that reflect the group’s best interests. The democratic leadership style is often seen as more effective than other styles because it allows for creativity, collaboration, and buy-in from team members. It can, however, be slower to make decisions and can require more time and effort on the part of the leader. Democratic leaders have a deep understanding of complex issues and can thoughtfully consider all viewpoints before making a decision that best represents the interests of their constituents. Concerning this paper, my analysis tool is a mind tool, a self-assessment tool; under my weaknesses, the paper will also tackle the self-improvement strategies. Based on my mind tool, self-analysis tool, I am a democratic leader who can handle human resources amicably to produce better results.

Mind tool self-assessment is a process of evaluating someone’s skills and knowledge in a specific area. It can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses and help somebody plan their career, leadership skills, or education (Taherimashhadi & Ribas, 2018). The mind tool self-assessment considers several skills: problem-solving, information processing, analysis, creativity, decision making, stress management, and leadership skills. The mind tool self-assessment is an online quiz consisting of multiple-choice questions; after completing the questions, the system summarizes and presents the results. On taking the mind tool test, the result summary indicated my scores to be 24, which was considered to be falling under democratic leadership.

The democratic leadership score range was between twenty-one to twenty-seven. Between this score range, the results indicated that I am gentle to the people around me and ready to support talents and ensure that all voices are heard without any biases. It also shows that I would not give the best results when working together with those who believe in working under pressure and autocracy kind of leadership (Dyczkowska & Dyczkowski, 2018). Similarly, the result outlined that my team’s chances of achieving its goals may be too slow, but I will be the most loved and preferred leader all the time. The results again held that the slow progress could be a fact that I consider and give a chance to every team member to be heard, thus slowing the decision-making progress (Crosby, 2020). Among the four leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, free-reign, and paternalistic, democratic was rated the best leadership style. It is the best since it encourages brainstorming and a wide variety of ideas. As a result, new ideas and approaches to issue resolution might emerge. Additionally, democratic leadership promotes team member autonomy.

Firstly, my strength is that I am a great and powerful communicator. Communication involves informing the team members about their expected roles, mission, vision, and values (Dwiri & Okatan, 2021). This form of communication ensures that no team member fails due to lack of information; similarly, the communication should outline the consequences of breaching the communicated information. The reason to provide all this information adequately is to maintain fairness, and no team messes due to inadequate information or complaints that they were never informed of the severe repercussions of their actions.

Secondly, I have empathy, respect, and desire growth for every team member, thus reducing rebel rates from my team members (Estrada‐Ruiz & Sánchez‐Gutiérrez, 2021). My respect and empathy are grounded because I am only a leader, but most of the work is done by other team members, and again without them, I cannot achieve any success. For this reason, I respect and always want to involve them in every decision to get their ideas and show that I value them even though I make the final decision. My other strength is that I am a great problem solver; the secret to this third strength is allowing others to express their ideas (Alam et al., 2021). Some of the team members are wise and intelligent, and their viewpoints always help me make informed decisions. Based on this strength, I also like when other members share their problems and try helping them so that they can improve or grow.

My weaknesses as a democratic leader include my lack of experience in elected office and my inclination towards idealism over pragmatism. I am new to elected office, and I know that I have a lot to learn about the inner workings of my team and the best ways to get things done. I believe in working with others to find common ground, but I also know that sometimes it is necessary to stand up for the right, even if it is risky (Estrada‐Ruiz & Sánchez‐Gutiérrez, 2021). Regarding my self-improvement strategies, I am planning to engage the retired team leader (Mr. Desire), who was also a democratic leader. Sharing with him will provide a better briefing concerning my new office, enabling me to make an informed decision and not move with any proposed idea.

I will also attend the weekly democratic leadership training and mentorship programs conducted by experienced individuals on team management. My other weakness is tolerating people for a long time hoping that they will improve or change, and to some level, this has led to poor performance in my team. My self-improvement under this is learning to address by communicating the consequences of failing to meet individual goals set within teams (Al Khajeh, 2018). I will also set minimum performance standards through employees’ performance appraisal checklist; whoever goes below the set minimum will not be tolerated, and therefore, there will only be specific failing standards to be tolerated.

In conclusion, from the mind tool, it is clear that I am a democratic leader. Democratic leadership style is also known as participative leadership style; it is ranked the best among autocratic, free-reign leadership, and paternalistic leadership styles. Problem-solving, information processing, analysis, creativity, decision-making, stress management, and leadership abilities are all included in the self-assessment of the mind tool. Democratic leadership comes with several limitations, such as slow decision-making, but again beneficial in that it enables me to receive and weigh the best decision that can lead to team success. As a democratic leader, I am a good communicator who informs other team members of the roles and responsibilities bestowed on them, following my fairness virtue. My other strength is my better interactional skills and loyalty from my team members, following the respect and empathy I always have for them, and this has made my leadership smooth.

Conversely, my first weakness is a lack of experience to make a proper decision, thus mostly relying on the popular opinion from members, which to some level has led to low performance in my team. My self-improvement strategy is to share with initial democratic leaders such as Mr. John to brief me about the organization and decision-making skills. I am also planning to read leadership books as well as attend leadership training programs. My second weakness is tolerating failures for a long time, thus lowering the team performance; the self-improvement strategy entails coming up with a rating scale so that extremely low performers will be laid off immediately. On the other hand, employees’ appraisal system will be put in place for low average performance to indicate their relevant training areas.

Al Khajeh, E. H. (2018). Impact of leadership styles on organizational performance. Journal of Human Resources Management Research , 20 (18), 1-10. Web.

Alam, A., Amilia, A., Hariyati, S., & Karyaningsih, P. (2021). The Influence of democratic leadership style and work discipline on employee performance. SSRN Electronic Journal . Web.

Crosby, G. (2020). Lewin’s democratic style of situational leadership. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science , 002188632097981. Web.

Dwiri, B., & Okatan, K. (2021). The Impact of gender on leadership styles and leadership effectiveness. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) , 10 (1), 1419-1434. Web.

Dyczkowska, J., & Dyczkowski, T. (2018). Democratic or autocratic leadership style? Participative management and its links to rewarding strategies and job satisfaction in SMEs. Athens Journal of Business & Economics , 4 (2), 193-218. Web.

Estrada‐Ruiz, E., & Sánchez‐Gutiérrez, A. (2021). Subnational democratic variation: A comparative overview of strengths and weaknesses of democracy in Mexican states. Latin American Policy , 12 (2), 367-368. Web.

Taherimashhadi, M., & Ribas, I. (2018). A Model to align the organizational culture to Lean. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management , 11 (2), 207-221. Web.

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Democratic Leadership Style: Characteristics, Pros and Cons

Last Updated March 8, 2024

If you know the definition of democracy, you’re well on your way to understanding what it means to be a democratic leader. Democratic leadership is also known as shared, or participatory, leadership. These alternative names give you a good idea of the basics of this leadership style. In contrast to autocratic leaders , democratic leaders spread the wealth, giving group members the opportunity to contribute ideas and make decisions as a team.

A tortoise and the hare analogy might apply here. Autocratic leaders are like the hare, quick and decisive, but sometimes handicapped by their own ego. Democratic leaders, on the other hand, are like the tortoise. They implement a creative, participative process that can at times be slow, but has winning results: higher productivity and job satisfaction.

What is Democratic Leadership?

Foundational psychologist Kurt Lewin defined three major leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. According to theorist John Gastil, Lewin and his colleagues created a rough sketch of democratic leadership, one that we still rely on today: Democratic leaders rely on group decision making, active member involvement, honest praise and criticism, and a degree of comradeship.

To bear out his theories of leadership, Lewin conducted a study in the Journal of Social Psychology in 1939, in which he assigned schoolchildren to three groups, each with either an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. He found that autocratic leadership drastically increased hostility and aggression among the students. On the other hand, democratic leadership resulted in less tension and better performance, which was sustained when the leader left for a period and students had to work alone.  

The idea of democratic leadership clearly comes from the early concept of democracy, which in short, means government by the people. In a democracy, some people fill the role of leaders and some the role of followers, but everybody has equal say in the decision-making process. 

Daniel Goleman expanded on Lewin’s ideas of leadership with his six leadership styles , adding two important elements to the definition of democratic leadership: empowerment and consensus-seeking. Team members are empowered to participate fully in group decision-making and the process is geared toward reaching a consensus.

Characteristics of the Democratic Leadership Style

Leaders who embrace the democratic style of leadership often possess the following characteristics. 

Promote creativity

In shared leadership, leaders trust their teams to generate ideas and come up with solutions. This trust encourages organizational creativity, spurring teams to work together in new ways, without micromanagement.

Democratic leaders want all team members to be involved. Everyone comes to the table when it’s time to make a decision. This approach reduces power struggles and makes team members feel valued.

Collaborative

In contrast with other styles of leadership, democratic leadership encourages team members to work together. Employees can’t just rely on the leader’s edicts to get things done. Instead, they have to come up with solutions themselves, knowing that their leader is there to take responsibility when there’s an issue. 

Trust-building

Above all, participatory leaders trust their teams to get things done. They follow Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y model, an optimistic approach that assumes workers are self-motivated, see work as fulfilling and can solve problems creatively on their own.

Democratic Leadership Examples

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was famously democratic in his leadership style, once said that “leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” 

This attitude doesn’t come automatically to everyone, but it can be learned. Continuing education coursework, such as Strategic Organizational Leadership , a course within Villanova’s Certificate in Organizational Leadership program, can help you acquire the four traits of democratic leaders. 

Known as the “Balancer in Chief,” Eisenhower demonstrated the qualities of democratic leadership by building strategic coalitions and bringing on board knowledgeable experts to help make important decisions. 

Mahatma Gandhi, one of the great leaders of our time, exemplified many of the traits of a democratic leader. He brought together broad coalitions of people, working among them instead of above them. He held the life-long belief that every class of people had something to contribute, and he encouraged diverse and often at-odds groups to find ways to work together. The people of India trusted him, and he trusted them to create a new future for India, together.

Pros and Cons of Democratic Leadership

While democratic leadership has many benefits, there are some drawbacks. 

Cons of democratic leadership

• Slower decision making: Because democratic leadership requires building coalitions and coming to a shared consensus as a team, it can take longer to make decisions than in situations where one leader is unilaterally deciding an organization’s direction.
• Can lead to communication failures: If a democratic leader is not adequately engaged or employees don’t have the experience to make important decisions, deadlines can be shuffled to the side and momentum can go haywire. 

Pros of democratic leadership

• Empowering: Employees are trusted as capable, creative team members, not simply mechanisms for carrying out a boss’s instructions. They are empowered to come up with solutions and get better at their jobs. 
• Increases employee satisfaction: A meta-analysis of democratic leadership studies shows that there is an increase in group member satisfaction among groups led by democratic leaders. 

When is the Democratic Leadership Style Most Effective?

The democratic style of leadership is the most effective in the following scenarios: 

• When you want to encourage creativity: Democratic leadership starts with the assumption that employees are creative and gives them the tools to express their ideas.
• When you’re working with millennial team members: Millennials want opportunities for growth, engagement and flexibility—all areas democratic leadership excels in.
• When you’re directing experts: Who better to make decisions than the experts themselves? 

Think about the leaders you’ve worked with. Have you worked with a democratic leader? What did their style look like in action? How did they use participation effectively? While not everybody is, or has to be, a democratic leader, the beneficial side of democratic leadership can help you understand how to build a team that works together creatively.

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How to Practice the Democratic Leadership Style

Characteristics of democratic leadership, the benefits of democratic leadership, potential problems with democratic leadership, faq about democratic leadership, add to your leadership skills with other leadership styles.

Democratic leadership is a type of leadership where all members of a team contribute to making important decisions. In much the same way a democracy functions, the democratic leadership style seeks input from everyone, no matter their responsibilities or duties. A democratic leader wants others to voice their opinions . By getting the group collectively involved, the idea is that the best choices will be made as all perspectives are taken into account.

In the democratic leadership style, leaders strive to “let the people rule.” Also known as participative leadership or shared leadership , group members are encouraged to collaborate and help with the decision-making process. Rejecting traditional “top-down” organizational structures, leaders opt for providing opportunities that allow everyone to guide the company in the right direction.

As teams practice democratic leadership, they’ll get a greater sense of contributing to the organization’s goals . Everyone takes ownership, meaning they all have a stake in the outcome. In this way, democratic leaders help everyone on the team grow.

In this article, learn about what the democratic leadership style is, the benefits it provides, and when it might not be the most effective.

A democratic leader is similar to a moderator in that they bring up concerns, issues, or potential decisions and facilitate a team discussion around these topics. They encourage open communication and create a safe environment where team members are free to express how they think and feel. Additionally, they foster a sense of team spirit by validating others’ points, building off of the group member’s ideas, and respectfully navigating conflict and disagreements when necessary. In doing so, they lead by example, while also establishing expectations for the team culture.

Other characteristics of the democratic leadership style include:

• Acts inquisitive: Democratic leadership means asking probing questions that gauge team members’ thoughts, feelings, and concerns.
• Welcomes new ideas: Democratic leaders encourage people to vocalize their opinions and creative solutions. They don’t care if the idea doesn’t come from them—they simply want the best ideas.
• Leads with fairness and impartiality: They allow for fair and equal opportunities for people to give insight and perspective.
• Is people-oriented : Democratic leadership is a type of leadership that seeks to connect with people. Leaders want to understand those around them, including what drives them to excel.
• Gives praise freely: Democratic leaders want to commend employees for their creativity, analytical thinking, and honesty. If there’s praise to give, they’re the first to do it.
• Facilitates conversations: Leaders don’t treat meetings like normal meetings, where one person presents while everyone else listens. Instead, they treat meetings like group discussions where everyone can participate.
• Works well with groups: Democratic leadership often involves breaking people up into small teams so they can work together on projects, problems, and other work. Leaders should work well with groups of all sizes.
• Accepts differences: Leaders who utilize the democratic leadership style never shame people for sharing a different perspective.
• Actively listens: Democratic leaders practice active listening by repeating back what the person is saying or asking clarifying questions. Their goal is to understand.
• Shuns authoritative rule: Leaders of this style stay away from autocratic leadership or leading with an iron fist. They reject that type of authority at every opportunity.
• Keeps the peace: When workplace conflict arises, a democratic leader works with all parties involved to come up with a solution that all sides agree with. They prioritize maintaining peace and harmony in their teams.

1. Gives Everyone a Voice and Fair Credit

People don’t like to be left out of the decision-making process. Under democratic leadership, everyone gets a say. This has the added benefit of ensuring that different viewpoints are considered. With different perspectives in play, people feel more accountable and ready to take on responsibilities.

It also gives people credit when they deserve it. As President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said , “Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” Eisenhower knew the value of including many people to help with problem-solving, and he was quick to give others credit knowing their contributions. While he may have had the final decision most of the time, he always acknowledged the roles that others played in reaching those decisions.

2. More Engagement From Employees

Employees like to be involved, but all too often, they feel overlooked. Engagement can be a serious problem in many businesses. According to Gallup, only 35 percent of workers feel that they’re engaged in the workplace. Democratic leadership can change that trend and get people more engaged.

Democratic leadership is the type of leadership that helps everyone feel like they’re part of something . They feel as though their contributions matter, even at the smallest level. If you’re constantly asking for input, advice, and opinions from your team members, their level of engagement will steadily increase.

3. Increased Job Satisfaction

A show of appreciation, even a small gesture, can do wonders for an employee’s job satisfaction. Showing that you care and want to see them involved in making decisions will help employees feel appreciated, increasing their overall satisfaction with their jobs. Democratic leadership facilitates this effort.

In an article for Harvard Business Review , professors from Babson College describe the importance of creating a culture of appreciation . “At the end of the day,” they write , “building a culture of appreciation comes down mostly to a lot of small common sense practices: Not taking your people for granted. Remembering to say thank-you in a personal and sincere way. Making it clear that you’re interested in your employees’ growth and in them as individuals .” This can read as a description of the democratic leadership style as well.

4. Solves Conflicts More Quickly

A democratic leader will ensure that everyone feels welcome on the team. Even so, conflicts will arise from time to time. Under democratic leadership, you cannot only solve conflicts more quickly but experience fewer of them. The very nature of democratic leadership makes this possible since you encourage others to voice their opinions and share their thoughts.

As the Center for Creative Leadership advises , some of the most important steps to solving workplace conflicts are gaining a proper perspective of the situation and seeking agreement from everyone involved . Through the democratic leadership style, you bring everyone to the table and arrive at a solution all team members can accept. Without seeking input from all parties, you run the risk of the conflict getting out of control and leaving others dissatisfied.

5. More Innovation

Another aspect of democratic leadership that proves beneficial for businesses is that it allows for more ideas to be shared. From this variety of viewpoints and backgrounds, new solutions arise that likely wouldn’t see the light of day otherwise. As Walter Lippmann once put it, “When all think alike, then no one is thinking.”

Once again, democratic leadership proves effective because democratic leaders create environments where people can express themselves. They can do so without fear of looking foolish. These environments also accept failure without ridicule or repercussion , effectively removing the fear of failure . And once that fear is gone, more innovation can happen. Brené Brown expressed this thought in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, stating , “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.”

• Democratic leadership gives others credit for successes.
• When only 35 percent of workers feel engaged, it increases their level of engagement.
• Getting everyone involved in decision-making increases job satisfaction.
• Democratic leadership takes in different viewpoints and helps resolve conflicts quickly.
• It removes the fear of failure, a necessary step to encourage innovation.

As with all leadership styles , you need to weigh the pros and cons of democratic leadership. While the points above demonstrate distinct advantages, there are potential problems it introduces as well. The following are some that you should be aware of.

• Produces the problem of “no one’s leading if everyone’s leading.”
• Wastes time when a quick and simple decision needs to be made.
• Leads to debate and conflict if employees don’t come to an agreement through reasoned discussion.
• Frustrates team members who feel the best decision isn’t being made, despite what the majority rules.
• Develops shame in people who continuously get shut down when presenting their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
• Positions the work environment as a place where employees decide whether or not they want to fulfill the leader’s vision.
• Causes bad decisions if those in the group aren’t well-informed, knowledgeable, or qualified to make a good choice.

Overall, the democratic leadership style is effective. However, consider the timeframe decisions need to be made , who is involved in the decision-making process, and whether or not these people can reach a consensus in a reasonable amount of time. Otherwise, using this type of leadership might do more harm than good. 

Why should leaders practice democratic leadership?

Democratic leadership ensures everyone has a say in important decision-making . This, in turn, leads to more innovation, increased job satisfaction, and more employee engagement. It also gives employees a greater feeling of ownership and teaches them to be more independent .

What is a democratic leader and how can you become a better one?

A democratic leader makes all team members feel welcome by valuing their opinions and letting them take part in the problem-solving process. To be a better democratic leader, develop plans that seek participation from others . Work with your team members to understand their goals and desires. Create spaces and times where people can express their opinions freely.

When is democratic leadership the most effective?

Democratic leadership is great in situations where you need multiple viewpoints to make good decisions. When you need multiple opinions that you can use to test new ideas, this leadership style excels. It’s also great for creative processes or feeling out new changes , especially when you’re looking to make people feel included and involved.

When should you not use the democratic leadership style?

There are times when you need to make a decision quickly. That’s one instance when democratic leadership might not be the best choice. This is also true for situations where having a lot of cooks in the kitchen can actually hurt the final outcome. Additionally, when the problem can be better solved by a small number of key stakeholders who have unique knowledge about the results you need, other styles may be better suited.

What are some examples of democratic leadership?

Here are three unique leaders who serve as great examples of democratic leadership:

Abraham Lincoln

President Lincoln took office understanding his decisions over the next four years would determine the fate of the United States. Not taking this responsibility lightly, he developed a cabinet of people who were equipped to help him make the best choices. He elevated many of his former political opponents into positions of power because he believed they could preserve the Union. During his presidency, he relied heavily on these people to help him make the best choices possible.

Geraldine Laybourne

The children’s television network, Nickelodeon, would’ve never grown into the success it is today without its former president, Geraldine Laybourne. Rather than ruling with an iron fist, Laybourne fostered her team’s creativity and trusted their decision-making skills. In an interview with her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, Laybourne explains there was “a lot of brainstorming with the entire company” and “talking about what’s working, what’s not.” One example of her democratic leadership skills was letting producer Vanessa Coffey decide which shows the network would develop. Coffey’s first picks were Rugrats , The Ren and Stimpy Show , and Doug , which became three of the most successful cartoons of all time.

Indra Nooyi

Former CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi practices many leadership styles. When using democratic leadership skills, she acts as an excellent listener, giving her team members the space to discuss their feedback, thoughts, ideas, and concerns . This helps inspire a team culture where people feel their leader considers them to be valuable assets. However, this does not mean employees dictate the future of the company. Nooyi knows the importance of being a strong visionary leader, and some things simply aren’t up for discussion. While she encourages participation, team members are aware she has the final decision .

The democratic leadership style is great for many situations, but that doesn’t mean it’s always useful. Every person has a dominant leadership style, but you can supplement yours with another. Doing so helps you to become a better, more effective leader. 

Don’t commit to one way of leading your team. Each person who serves a business has different needs, and you need to change up your approach depending on the situation. For example, the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership® Model shows leaders are most effective when they lead in a way that fulfills each person in the group’s individualistic needs.

To learn more about Situational Leadership, read the following article:

What Is Situational Leadership, and How Do You Practice It?

Leaders Media has established sourcing guidelines and relies on relevant, and credible sources for the data, facts, and expert insights and analysis we reference. You can learn more about our mission, ethics, and how we cite sources in our editorial policy .

• “Democratic Leadership Style: Characteristics, Pros and Cons.” Villanova University. https://www.villanovau.com/resources/leadership/democratic-leadership-style/.
• Gallup, Inc. “How to Improve Employee Engagement in the Workplace.”  Gallup , https://www.gallup.com/workplace/285674/improve-employee-engagement-workplace.aspx.
• Gibson, Kerry. “The Little Things That Make Employees Feel Appreciated.”  Harvard Business Review , 23 Jan. 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/01/the-little-things-that-make-employees-feel-appreciated.
• 05/15/2013, Published. “The Wholehearted Life: Oprah Talks to Brené Brown.”  Oprah.Com , 15 May 2013, https://www.oprah.com/spirit/brene-brown-interviewed-by-oprah-daring-greatly.
• Staff, L. E. (2022, August 9). 6 Tips for Leading Through Conflict . CCL. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/calm-conflict-in-the-workplace/.
• “A Cable Pioneer’s Journey.”  The Pennsylvania Gazette , 1 May 2004, https://thepenngazette.com/a-cable-pioneers-journey/.

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Local Civic Leaders: Facing Threats to Democracy in Communities

By Nick Vlahos and Matt Leighninger

This article reports on the “Local Civic Leaders” research, a partnership between the Kettering Foundation and the Center for Democracy Innovation at the National Civic League.

By examining the work of local civic leaders, we can get a better sense of what is actually happening to American democracy, including the threats we face and what we might do about them. Local civic leaders are up-close observers of political polarization, racism, and economic inequality, and they are on the front lines of many efforts to address these challenges.

We wanted to explore questions related to how local civic leaders are faring, so we interviewed a diverse array of local civic leaders, including faith leaders, librarians, nonprofit directors, community development workers, community activists, and business leaders, among others. Their different contextual experiences led to a set of overlapping themes that capture how civic leaders work to enhance democracy. The profiles of the local civic leaders we interviewed reminds us of the ecosystem of democratic practices that make up civic life – and which are in some cases left out of the discourse in democratic theory and analysis, which tends to prioritize single models and practices.

One of the main threads across these conversations was that they have a wealth of lived and professional experiences that help them engage with harder-to-reach populations and across political divides. One of the reasons for the success of local civic leaders is that they are very clear about serving all people regardless of their political attachments.

The democracy-saving and enhancing capacities of these leaders – as well as the weaknesses and limitations they face – can be instructive for all kinds of efforts to make democracy more inclusive, participatory, and equitable.

Creative Forms of Civic Leadership

Some of these leaders are mobilizing civic participation to make progress on a particular issue, such as intergenerational engagement between seniors and young people, equal accessibility of services to rural and urban communities, and encouraging voter participation. Others are addressing multiple issues at the same time or trying to set up ongoing opportunities for communities to address one issue after another, as they arise.

There are five notable ways in which these leaders carry out their work:

• Advancing Social justice and Systemic Change
• Building Bridging Networks
• Augmenting Civic Participation in Formal Institutions and Processes
• Plugging People into the Public Services
• Deepening Civic Conversations

Pivoting During the Pandemic

Every organization that conducts civic and community activities was forced to pivot during the pandemic. Much of this shift entailed introducing digital forms of communications. The forced and abrupt transition to digital activities was a double-edged sword: in some instances, it created barriers to bringing people together for work that is best done in person, and in other instances it opened opportunities to restructure core missions and create more accessibility and inclusion.

The pandemic thus hindered civic leadership in certain ways, but it enabled it in others. Local civic leaders learned to be resilient in the face of exigent circumstances. The work never stopped even at the height of Covid-19 because leaders, community members, and the broader public found new ways of building out teams across space, focusing on digital transitions, including but beyond the active use of Zoom, and the realignment of internal missions. If new ways to provide civic services were carried forward in a rapidly changing social and economic climate, then there was also a need to take a step back and apply a more measured and dialogical approach to prioritize how best to move forward.

At the Local Level, Process Beats Polarization

Local civic leaders work in settings where, despite political diversity, they do not allow deep ideological differences to enter how they work in their communities. Instead, they remind everyone that they are not partisan, and are expressly focused on uplifting the voices of new immigrant communities or other underserved populations. Where others are actively able to deal with political polarization, it’s because they focus their energy on thick civic engagement processes that emphasize listening and respectful dialogue across positions.

What these experiences tell us is that processes that help people listen authentically to one another can help them learn from different experiences and backgrounds. As a result of this approach, polarization is not always a daily challenge that civic leaders encounter; other aspects of their work tend to take on more importance, including addressing immediate needs as well as scaling their work to better serve their communities.

Equity in Processes, Outcomes, and Meeting People’s Needs

All of the local civic leaders we interviewed embrace racial and economic equity as core goals of their work. There are, however, variations in how they think about equity and act on these goals: some are focused on creating equitable processes for public decision-making and problem-solving; others go beyond that focus and want to ensure that the outcomes of processes are themselves equitable; and some believe that meeting the daily needs of marginalized groups is essential for allowing them to participate in the first place.

In these interviews, we heard about local civic leaders addressing equity in a number of ways. The strategies included: developing arts-based forms of engagement to inspire new visions of change; provide grants and training opportunities for community members to engage in civic activities with the necessary tools and resources; educating youth and members of the public on political ideas and campaign initiatives; and engaging the public in formal consultative processes in connection with equity policies.

Humility in Leadership

The local civic leaders we interviewed work in democratic ways: rather than using information or relationships to exert power over others, they are creating spaces for citizens and new leaders to step forward. This humble approach is effective – and it may mean that their contributions are overlooked and undervalued.

Local civic leaders are enablers of civic agency in a variety of ways. In one sense this revolves around building awareness of other organizations that exist, and that members of the public are more readily able to reach out to and get involved. In another sense, civic leaders build awareness of how different types of processes and systems operate at an institutional level. Learning new and efficient ways to navigate bureaucratic and funding processes for further building up the capacity of civic participation can go a long way in removing barriers to entry, and to getting to the next level of expanding the remit and scope of work.

Scaling and Evaluating Civic Leadership Activities

Civic leaders have a common desire to build better and more effective processes. This includes evaluating programs and measuring key indicators. It also includes devising operating procedures, removing inefficiencies and duplicate efforts across organizations, in order to connect people in ways that makes their work easier and more effective. In this way, doing engagement might be done in replicable but less expensive and resource-intensive ways. Local civic leaders think about long-term sustainability in terms of a) embedding their work, b) handling discrepancies within internal and external systems, and c) aiming for their and other organizations to be ‘organically’ better able to mobilize, lead, and do civic work.

Scaling and evaluating civic engagement activities is at the heart of broader aims that local civic leaders strive for. The ability to expand the remit and scope of civic activity along with measuring and evaluating their impact continues to be an ongoing process that comes up against a variety of difficulties.

Looking at democracy through the eyes of local civic leaders is a somewhat surprising exercise given the national media coverage of political polarization.

We found that in many cases, local civic leaders are:

• Wanting to collect more data and measure the impact of their work more effectively, but in most cases lacking the tools, access, staffing, and skills to do
• Increasingly focused on achieving equity in outcomes, not just processes, but struggle with connecting racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups to sustainable public
• Adept at understanding the daily needs and direct motivations of potential participants (rather than just appealing to residents’ sense of civic duty), but doing this intuitively and on the basis of immediate relationships, and lacking the capacity to take a more scientific or scalable approach.
• Wanting to engage larger, more diverse numbers of people, on a more regular basis, in order to spread the individual benefits and political power of their work, but in most cases lacking the tools, staffing, and skills to do this.

Recommendations that might help support and advance the work of local civic leaders:

• Greater collaboration: at the local level, cooperation between leaders trying to engage residents in different settings and issue areas, and at the state and national levels, connections between leaders working in different places.
• More support from local institutions , given that engagement requires time and skill, and there seldom seems to be enough people (paid or unpaid) to carry out the work;
• More concerted efforts to take stock of the civic infrastructure – networks, organizations, grassroots groups, past history of engagement, local online spaces – of their communities.
• Tools and processes that will help them measure processes, outcomes, and
• More effective, scalable tools and approaches for reaching out to community members, particularly among under-represented groups .
• More versatile engagement processes that can help them interact with people ‘where they are,’ especially in hyperlocal online spaces, homes, and workplaces.

We’d like to thank David Cline, Tukwila, Washington; Hollie Cost, Montevallo, Alabama; Hillary Do, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Jerome Fletcher II, North Port, Florida; Leslie Garvin Elon, North Carolina; Derrick Hammond, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Barbara Laimins, West Chicago, Illinois; Tabora Marcus, Albany, New York; David L. Nevins, State College, Pennsylvania; Marie Pyko, Topeka, Kansas; Karen Reyes, Erie, Pennsylvania; Leilani Salvador, Oakland, California; Emanuelle Sippy, Kentucky; Rachel Belin, Kentucky; Nancy Kranich, New Jersey.

Nick Vlahos is Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy Innovation at the National Civic League.  

Matt Leighninger is Director of the Center for Democracy Innovation at the National Civic League.

More from the issue

Integrating participatory budgeting and institutionalized citizens’ assemblies: a community-driven perspective, governing with compassion (and data): an interview with former louisville mayor greg fischer, systemic solutions for dismantling the american gerontocracy, the mission of the national civic league is to advance civic engagement to create equitable, thriving communities., thank you to our key partners.

• The All-America City Award
• National Conference on Local Governance
• Community Assistance
• The League’s Health Equity Award
• Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation
• All-America Conversations
• Promising Practices
• Mission and Vision
• Account Information

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