Restorative leadership embraces the interconnectedness of all life and acts for the highest benefit to all. Like in the Hippocratic oath, restorative leadership strives to do no harm and to heal the Earth, the communities and ourselves, moving toward a balanced expression of universal values and natural laws. Restorative leadership is visionary, resolved, and creative in generating yet unfulfilled possibilities.
Contents
Restorative Leadership is a framework for empowering leadership that elevates the quality of life on Earth. It goes beyond dominant leadership ethics of the 20th Century and emphasizes the value and efficacy of community-based networks, place-based knowledge, as well as systemic and co-creative problem-solving to establish the conditions for global sustainability and collective well-being.
History and Framework
Principles and Practices
Valuing and empowering community – Restorative leadership utilizes a community-centered approach, engaging social networks to forward hopeful possibilities and leveraging communal assets to achieve goals. Traditional, indigenous and local knowledge is sought and valued.
Holism and making connections – Restorative leadership demonstrates an understanding of the interdependence and interconnectedness of life that can be articulated with great clarity, whether grounded in an intuitive sense or based in scientific knowledge. There is stewardship of personal, societal and global well-being.
Rights, responsibilities and practicing participatory engagement – Restorative leadership is distinct from command and control leadership by emphasizing mutuality and co-creation. It promotes self-organizing capacity, collective well-being, and resilience by facilitating, guiding and empowering.
Social capital through engaging networks - With restorative leadership, connecting relationally and seeing connections holistically builds trust and familiarity across social networks. Engaging vertical and horizontal networks lays a foundation of social capital that translates to adaptive capacity in times of disaster or stress.
Listening deeply and self-authorizing – Being and living into the work involves listening deeply to oneself and others for innate intelligence and collective wisdom. Restorative leadership authorizes one’s own and community leadership to fulfill new possibilities.
Holding the long view – The relationship between daily life experience and broader environmental and social concerns becomes evident through restorative leadership practices. Sustainability and future generations are taken into account.
Application and Lessons
The following are some examples of high-impact leaders who demonstrate the principles and practices of restorative leadership transforming 21st century issues:
- Janine Benyus
- Bob Berkebile
- Gro Harlem Brundtland
- Wangari Maathai
- Molly Melching
- Elinor Ostrom
- Meg Wheatley
Other Restoratives
- Restoration Ecology
- Restorative Economy
- Restorative Justice
- Restorative Yoga
- Restorative Practices
- Restorative Justice