Preparation Guide

Session 1: Leading Yourself & Sustainable Leadership

Training Objectives

In this session, Fellows will build a foundation of shared language and understanding of the Fellowship’s objectives, curriculum, and key concepts. Fellows will examine core elements of high-performing leadership, understand their individual strengths in the context of teams and leadership through the CliftonStrengths Top 5 assessment, and begin developing sustainable practices for leading themselves through the demands of the role.

Required Reading and Prompts

• “Leading with Purpose: Steering Legal Aid through Uncertain Times” (Martina Cucullu Lim) — attached separately — our core reading for the High-Performing Leaders and Sustainable Leadership segment. Questions to consider while reading:
  • How do you define high-performing leadership?
  • How do you think you are performing as a leader?
  • Where do you think you can improve as an executive leader?
  • Are there any specific aspects of leadership you want to learn from the Fellowship and work on this year?
• “Vicarious Trauma: A Primer for Legal Aid Leaders” — attached separately — during the session we will be discussing sustainable leadership, both from the perspective of the individual and the organization, and will hold the reality of vicarious trauma in the legal aid sector and the role it plays in sustainable leadership.

Optional Supplementary Reading

• Bridgespan, “A Framework for Great Nonprofit Leadership”
• Bridgespan, “How to Lead High-Performing Nonprofit Executive Teams”

CliftonStrengths Top 5 Assessment

You will receive a separate email with a link and unique access code to take the CliftonStrengths Top 5 assessment (about 45 minutes). Please complete it in advance of Session 1 — your results will be discussed during the session, and again in Session 2. We will not share your individual report with anyone else.