Leading and Following

At its heart, a green living program (GLP) is a structured collaboration, fundamentally reliant upon the good will, commitment and capacities of a wide range of participants. A GLP is not a traditional line-management organization, but rather a team-based organization whose structure fosters good decision-making, due accountability and open-ended creativity. As a result, everyone involved in a well-functioning GLP must both lead and follow at different times.

On the one hand, a GLP leads the campus by promoting new ways of thinking and acting. On the other hand, it follows the campus by analyzing student trends and culture and using what is already popular to promote sustainability.

Individuals involved with a GLP will find that their roles oscillate between leading and following almost on a daily basis. GLP partners and students must be encouraged to know when to step up to lead and when to listen and follow so that a strategic and effective balance is created. Here we provide some thoughts on leading and following that are relevant to each of the following GLP roles:

In order to lead well, we must look to the past to see what worked and what did not. By recording our own efforts and the results thereof, we can provide a valuable resource to future leaders. An important section at the bottom of this page has more on the critical role of institutional memory in effective leading and following.

Reps

Reps lead by:

  • being the main voice for sustainability in their dorms;
  • acting as change agents across the college or university;
  • providing insight into new ways to address climate change and other environmental issues at the campus level;
  • contributing their vision to the GLP’s goals and agenda;
  • lending their unique style to how they approach their GLP tasks.

Reps follow by:

  • participating in the campaigns that the captains and coordinator have designed;
  • responding to steering group members’ requests and events;
  • following biweekly checklists;
  • attending to the needs and requests of their dormitory and campus communities.

The more room you give reps to help design the campaigns and set the yearly calendar, the more leadership they will feel they have undertaken. Similarly, the more room they are given for designing the way they approach their individual tasks, the more they will feel as though they are able to use their talents and skills.

Consider asking reps to become an “expert” on a topic, such as water efficiency or climate change, and to give a five-minute presentation on their new area of expertise to the rest of the group. You could allow them to choose their own topic, linking it to their academic or personal interests. This will empower them to educate themselves and feel like a leader for the other reps.

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Captains

The captains are viewed as the leaders of the program because they are the students in charge of creating the vision for the GLP for the year. It is vital that the captains be given the opportunity to express their vision and show their leadership skills, thereby contributing a true student vision to the program.

Captains lead by:

  • working with the steering group and coordinator to design the program's vision and goals for the year;
  • designing checklists for specific campaigns;
  • facilitating meetings with the reps;
  • coordinating updates between the meetings;
  • acting as the liaison between the reps and the steering group as well as the coordinator;
  • offering their ideas on how to run and improve the GLP.

Captains follow by:

  • listening to steering group feedback and requests for GLP activities;
  • listening to reps’ feedback and requests for campaigns and tasks;
  • working directly with coordinator on necessary programmatic needs.

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Coordinator

The coordinator’s leadership is not shown by creating a vision for the program for others to follow. Rather, his or her leadership is shown by finding a way to ensure that everyone’s vision and needs—including those of his or her direct manager in the host department, the GLP steering group members and all the student employees—are being met. In effect, the coordinator is there to facilitate the efforts of the many people who form the GLP.

The coordinator leads by:

  • advising his or her manager on the administrative, financial, programmatic and staffing needs of the GLP;
  • acting as the main liaison among the captains, steering group and reps;
  • directing the GLP agenda in a way that meets the needs and goals of all the stakeholders;
  • working with the captains to plan the GLP meetings;
  • working with the captains and steering group to plan the yearly agenda;
  • coordinating biweekly checklists and campaigns with captains;
  • facilitating steering group meetings and involvement.

The coordinator follows by:

  • addressing the concerns of his or her direct manager and generally supporting the broader organizational needs of the host department;
  • incorporating the captains, reps and steering group members' ideas into the yearly agenda and campaigns;
  • attending to the needs, requests and goals of the captains, steering group members and reps.

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Steering Group

The GLP steering group members are leaders in that they have chosen to go above and beyond their daily job requirements. Not only have they committed resources to the program, but they have also committed their time and energy. Their leadership and advice should be taken very seriously because they are experts in their fields and committed individuals who have much to offer the GLP.

The steering group leads by:

  • offering a vision for the GLP’s agenda and goals;
  • noting opportunities for improved campus sustainability, which the GLP can address;
  • giving advice and information to the coordinator, captains and reps for their campaigns;
  • offering to help with GLP events and activities that relate to members' departments.

The steering group follows by:

  • listening to the feedback of captains, coordinator and reps;
  • making changes in home departments as a result of the suggestions made by the reps;
  • addressing areas where reps have identified barriers to students conservation on campus;
  • customizing approaches to daily work and departmental agenda based on the feedback of GLP staff.

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Host Organization

Every GLP must have a host organization and every GLP coordinator must have a manager from that host organization. It is essential to the entire endeavor that the host organization and coordinator find the right balance in leading and following. For the host manager, the challenge is to give the GLP participants ample flexibility, creativity and opportunity for shared leadership while also taking the reins enough to ensure that the program:

  • stays funded;
  • maintains good political and organizational support;
  • has an office;
  • meets all accountability requirements;
  • keeps out of trouble;
  • meets the college or university’s operating requirements, as in payroll, time-reporting, recruitment and environmental health and safety.

Ideally, the host organization and manager would also provide supplemental resources to the GLP, such as Internet, communications and administrative support, when needed.

The host organization and manager lead by:

  • ensuring that human resource, accountability and administrative systems are in place and well-maintained;
  • managing the GLP budget;
  • ensuring that year-to-year financial needs are met by working to get the approval and transfers of funds;
  • having regular management and mentorship meetings with the GLP coordinator.

The host organization and manager follow by:

  • being advised by the GLP coordinator and steering group;
  • meeting communication needs by providing tools such as Web development and newsletters;
  • responding to GLP requests for fundraising support and event participation.

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Institutional Memory

One of the main purposes of a GLP is to create a vehicle through which to institutionalize and mainstream campus environmentalism and create an institutional memory about past environmental activities.

Looking at the Past to Lead Now

Knowledge about past campus events, advice from former students and historical knowledge about campus history from administrators are all invaluable. Having a sense of what has happened on campus, what worked well and what areas have not yet been addressed will give you a good foundation for where your GLP should start.

Take the time to find out the campus’ environmental history, if sources exist, because it will allow you to situate your GLP within the landscape of past efforts and it will show you how program staff can be leaders on campus.

Recording Now to Lead in the Future

It is crucial to record a GLP’s efforts so that future reps, captains and coordinators will know what was attempted, what worked and what could be improved. For example, feedback from a past rep in a particular dormitory will help the new rep pick up from where the former one left off. Recognizing that there may have been a barrier in the past within a specific office will help a future coordinator think twice about how to approach that office.

To ensure that future reps can lead as well as possible, take the time to set up a recording system that will maximize leadership efforts in the future. Ask your host organization to provide the foundation for this system to provide continuity when it comes time for your GLP coordinator to move on.

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