Creating a Leadership Incubator
Since the early 2000s I have been part of a village that undertakes the annual project of building and running an ongoing concern in the stark and remote Black Rock desert for the Burning Man festival. For those that have never been to the event, seated villages and camps provide contributions to passers by as their imagination and wherewithal are able to provide. Since Burning Man operates in a gifting culture, contribution means providing a service, experience, or trinket without expectation of compensation. The village, ranging from 70 to 300 members, and all that it does, is our gift to the Black Rock City citizens. Annually we like minded folks get together and plan, build, run our creative project for a bit over a week, then pack it all up, and leave the desert playa in the pristine condition that it was in when we arrived.
At some point early on, I offered to lead our group of volunteers in our project using my project and operations management skills. That year extended to multiple years after which I took a needed hiatus. We rotated leads year to year. Some were ambitious at the cost to the villagers in time and effort. Others were not very organized. The fortunes and standing of the village rose and fell with the adeptness of the lead. Complicating matters was the level of fluidity we experienced as a village. While a handful of folks returned most years, many of the members floated in and out of the village, occasionally camping with us. Some just took time off between forays into the desert. Others tried out village life for a year then moved on to other things. Year to year the new and inexperienced villagers ranged from a quarter to half the village. Additionally, the camps within the village would vary. We always hosted three to four camps, each providing different experiences. However, camps would often shift their focus year to year or move in or out depending on their own interests. Finally, the event organization changed requirements from year to year as well. So the village was literally an annual experiment and newly defined project for whoever was leading.
One of my work-life commitments is to leave a durable improvement that transcends my time in a role. For years, during my first couple of rounds leading the village I did not meaningfully extend that commitment to village leadership. However, on my third stint as the lead I went into it realizing that my time in the role would be limited. I wanted to provide a durable stability to the village. In my mind, that meant creating a structure that stabilized the leadership approach year to year regardless of who was leading.