Leadership Development
The need for transformative leadership development has never been more urgent. According to Mihnea Moldoveanu and Das Narayandas in Harvard Business Review (March-April 2019), companies and organizations of various types and purposes realize that to survive in today's complex, volatile, ambiguous and politically turbulent environment, they need to develop leaders with innovative skillsets and capabilities different from those that worked best in the past.
"There is also a growing recognition that leadership development should not be restricted to the few who are in or close to the C-suite. With the proliferation of collaborative problem-solving platforms and digital "adhocracies" that emphasize individual initiative, employees across the board are increasingly expected to make consequential decisions that align with organizational strategy and culture. It's important, therefore, that today's students be equipped with relevant technical, relational, and communication skills to succeed in the real world."
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Educational Projects
At the Tienda Foundation, we seek to support interdisciplinary educational projects and apprenticeship programs by providing need-based stipends to aid in the training and development of effective student leaders. It's time to welcome leaders of the next generation to our roundtables to help address critical community challenges and skilled labor shortages that are a threat to public health, safety, and long-term economic and financial stability.
The creation of a Tienda Economic Sustainability Clinical (TESC) program, co-funded by our foundation, is an opportunity for colleges and universities in Colorado to partner with us. The TESC will provide students apprenticeship opportunities, working collaboratively with mentors and local businesses/leaders, to acquire hands-on interdisciplinary experience. Students will work under the supervision of teachers/professors and employers to apply classroom instruction and training to gain valuable work experience. Apprenticeships create a talent pipeline and they create options: students can convert their training and work experience into a high-demand position in their industry, or continue their higher education...or both!
It is our view that an "interdisciplinary economic sustainability clinical" apprenticeship program should be created in every college/university and it should be designed to support grassroots organizations and promote sustainable community-based neighborhood transformations such as revitalization, economic development and small business growth.
Community Projects
The solution to today's growing list of problems cannot be resolved by a few people or a few organizations but requires all of us. The development and deployment of highly trained student leaders in colleges and universities working collaboratively with community leaders, law enforcement, nonprofits, churches, businesses and local government is needed to formulate and implement a comprehensive short-term and long-term plan. The stakes are high - communities today need to be proactive.
The research of social innovation designers like Jerry Sternin and Sarah Tranun have revealed that the solutions needed to the long-term stability and vitality of a community are not unknown or out of reach. Research points to the need for a coordinated, systems-based strategy for mitigating the overwhelming health, safety and economic threats (i.e. crime, drug dependency, poor health and unaffordable housing) to a community. Five important measures demand our immediate attention: job growth, education, public health, community support programs and affordable housing.
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