UWC Maastricht

Collaborative Leadership

The Tightrope WalkerOnce there was a tightrope walkerwho performed unbelievable aerialfeats. All over Paris, he had donetightrope acts at great heights. Hefollowed his initial acts withsucceeding ones, while pushing awheelbarrow. A promoter inAmerica (sic) heard about this and

wroteto him, inviting the daredevil toperform his act over the waters anddangers of Niagara Falls. Headded, “I don’t believe you can doit….

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The tightrope walker accepted thechallenge. After much promotion

andplanning, the man appeared before

a hugecrowd gathered to see the event.

He was tostart on the Canadian side and walk

to theAmerican side. Drums rolled and

everyonegasped as they watched the

performer walkacross the wire blindfolded with awheelbarrow. When he stepped off

on theAmerican side, the crowd went

wild. Thenthe tightrope walker turned to the

promoterand said, “Well, now do you believe

I cando it?”

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“Sure I do,” the promoteranswered.“I just saw you do

it.”

“No, no, no,” said the tightropewalker. “Do you really believe ICan do it?”

“I just said I did.”

“I mean do you really believe?”

“Yes, I believe!”

“Good,” said the tightrope

walker, “then get in thewheelbarrow and we’ll go

backto the other side.”

Tim Hansel

Alphabet Team Activity

Our definition of Collaboration

Collaborative Leadership

Theme/Big Idea:What is

Collaboration?

Self Assessment and action ideas

Principles of Collaborative LeadershipGiven definition (Jack Christ, Ph.D)

Concept:Collaborative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concert, joint action, co-acting, commonality, concurrence,

joining of hands, common effort, common enterprise or endeavor

Concur,

harmonize,

go into partnership with, get together and team up and buddy up,

pull together,

hold together,

hang together,

keep together,

stand shoulder-to-shoulder

Collaboration

Collaborative leadership is a reciprocal process of encouraging and supporting relationships within which people can pursue a variety of shared goals over extended periods of time.

Jack Christ, Chair Leadership Studies

Ripon College, Ripon WIExecutive Director, Wisconsin Leadership

Institute

Leadership is a reciprocal process of encouraging and supporting…

Collaborative leadership is a reciprocal process of encouraging and supporting…

…people in the pursuit of goals shared by members of a group, organization, or community.

… relationships within which people can pursue a variety of shared goals over extended periods of time.

Utopia lies at the horizon.

When I draw nearer by two steps, It retreats two steps.

If I proceed ten steps forward, it swiftly slips ten steps ahead.

No matter how far I go, I can never reach it.

What, then, is the purpose of utopia?

It is to cause us to advance.

~ Eduardo Hughes Galeano