CEO Corner: Week of November 10

I know that I am not alone in feeling unsettled in this this moment. Many of you are feeling the same daily frustrations and concerns as I do when navigating this quickly changing environment. The stakes only get higher as more people rely on you—people experiencing homelessness, staff, community members, other partners.

As an organization, the Alliance strives to be a leader that you can rely on no matter what.  But it’s the leaders in the field—both out in front and working behind the scenes—who are doing the most important work in this moment and with the greatest at stake. We see you.  

What Leadership Means in This Moment

The past several months have been a time for quick pivots and thoughtful action – as well as thoughtful pivots and quick action. I know for a fact that leadership – especially in this field – is not defined by our titles. At the Alliance, we are in awe of the demonstrations of strong leadership that we see every week. But we also know that as a field, we are struggling: the threats seem to be coming from every angle.  

Right now, our collective leadership is being tested. And to meet this moment and the difficult ones that lie ahead, we must equip all leaders with the armor and skill to thrive and persist.  

It is for this reason that we have decided to change the theme and format of our upcoming West Coast convening in March to a leadership summit. There, we can support leaders of all kinds to have discussions, share ideas, and problem solve together.

Meeting the Moment

I want to explain why this change happened, because it didn’t happen lightly. The idea to pivot to a leadership summit was born out of listening to so many of you talk to us about what you need to do your work well. We also see how pivotal this moment is—yes, it is hard and challenging, but there will undoubtedly be opportunity that comes and we must be ready.

We hear you, and we see the incredibly hard work you’re doing. By shifting the focus of this summit to leadership, we’re hoping to provide you the skills, tools, and learnings to meet this moment and show up for your communities in the strongest, most prepared ways you can.

This summit will be structured differently – you’ll choose your sessions by your leadership category, which includes system leaders, government/policy leaders, emerging peer leaders, and more. I know it is a tough time to justify taking time away from your communities, but I encourage you to check out the agenda if you are interested in learning more about how this summit will be very different than the Alliance’s past events.

In this moment, many of us will need to step up and lead – no matter where we sit in this system. I have seen and heard about many, many moments of leadership in just the past several months alone. I hope you know that the Alliance is rooting for you along the way.