Integrity Leadership is a program of the Alberta Network of Immigrant Women, now in its third year of operation. The program encourages participants to explore the meaning of progress, leadership, disciplined inquiry and ethics, and the relationships between them.
The main premise is that we rarely notice how our values are formed and acted upon. Though we may believe in diversity, inclusiveness, and connection to all humanity, our decisions and actions are often shaped by the priorities of the smaller groups (political, familial, cultural) that we belong to. We can (and must) move past these constraints in order to be the kind of leaders the world is hurting for.
Kamal Sehgal, executive director of the Alberta Network of Immigrant Woman, equips community leaders with tools to understand systemic challenges. She knows it is important to study how adaptive learning processes help us design better ways forward.
“In our current political and economic climate, we need more leaders who have a strong understanding of ethics and the challenges of upholding them”, Kamal says. “We need leaders who are committed to learning and challenging the status quo.”
The Integrity Leadership program is run by volunteers. Sarah Kinnie, Mark Hopkins, Minh Le, Kim Rowe, Kamal Sehgal and Anna-Marie Ashton are all alumni of Human Venture Leadership (formerly Leadership Calgary). The Integrity Leadership program is centered on foundational concepts of Human Learning Ecology. This is an opportunity for volunteers to continue their learning, providing opportunities for them to facilitate and guide.
Kim Rowe works as a Community Development officer with Alberta Culture and Tourism. She brings her expertise in facilitation and capacity development to the program team.
Kim says “With this project, I combine my work with the Human Venture development so important to developing leaders and communities. It is encouraging to see others dig into these concepts and strive to make the world a better place.”
The Integrity Leadership program kicks off on January 21 and runs bi-weekly until April.