Strengths and Challenges of Public Allies Arizona

Public Allies Arizona is genuinely a different kind of organization. Its strengths are both pragmatic and abstract in nature and equally valid to the advancement of its mission. As mentioned in some of my former posts, Public Allies is a leadership development program dedicated to increasing leadership to strengthen communities around a set of value based principals within the nonprofit sector.  Pragmatically, Public Allies is fortunate enough to be housed under two industry leaders in the nonprofit sector which grants it invaluable support, direction, and access to cutting edge industry standards and additional support in implementation. Those industry leaders are the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation and the national Public Allies network. Abstractly, Public Allies answers Arizona’s lack of leadership by giving an answer to what leadership looks like and what it should be. Knowledge and sensitivity to how both of these interact to create Public Allies shines light on the two particular strengths of the organization. However there are a couple of things I would do differently for the sake of transparency and development.

Leadership within Public Allies Arizona, ironically to me, tends to lack focus and attention to its subordinates. By merit of its mission, Public Allies tends to believe its participants should be allowed the freedom to manage themselves, with the caveat that they follow through specified training that prepare them to become active and powerful leaders within their communities. Ironically, this mission is not the same for its subordinates and managers of Public Allies. Program managers and administrative staff are much like any other organization expected to stay in their positions and aren’t given the opportunity to advance their own leadership qualities. Traditionally this issue was averted because Public Allies staff have been encompassed by previous Public Allies on a rotational basis, but for the sake of fresh perspectives and new strategies, new hires unfamiliar with the program have been hired and don’t come prepared with that support and leadership tool belt. This has created an in congruency between staff and participants and facilitated the creation of us/they language unconducive to the mission of the program.