The Web of Blessings - "The Art of Being Led":
"When we can't comfortably talk about power, we lose the ability to be responsible with our own power, and we can't accurately assess the power we are giving to our leaders. We also lose the ability to hold our leaders accountable. But the truth is, we who are led are the ones who give our leaders their power. We decide (or at least we *should* be deciding) to allow them to influence us and our communities. The relationship between a community and its leaders is a type of explicit or implicit contract – the community agrees to be led in exchange for giving that leader respect, power, and influence. The leader agrees to lead (and to work on behalf of that community, by performing the services and duties that their form of leadership requires) in exchange for the community giving them power, respect and influence."
"Sometimes, the heavy judgers are people who have had difficulty fitting in in other areas of the world. Upon finding themselves in a community that accepts them, they can be even more judgemental that the average Witch. It’s a fear-based thing. They fear being replaced or booted out of the community they have craved for so long that they try to vet the newcomers. It makes them feel safe."
"In the field of strategic design there's a saying: before you can design the thing right, you have to design the right thing. There's another axiom in strategic design: the solution is inherent once the problem is defined. In my experience as a design consultant and as a community leader, I've seen this play out fairly consistently. Often people solve the wrong problem, or never examine the problem at all. ... Yet, we can't solve our problems until we examine them. An engineer can't diagnose what's wrong with a broken machine without taking it apart."
The Wild Hunt - "Pagan Leadership Revisited: New Visions for a New Age":
"If the demands on leadership have changed within the Pagan community, what does that mean, and what does the modern Pagan leader look like? The idea that competent leadership changes with the demands of the community is one that might resonate as we are looking to our past and our future concerning this issue. There has been more momentum as of late behind the Pagan community's need for ways to guarantee that leaders are held to certain standards and expectations, and yet the collective Pagan community has a weak track record of actually formulating and implementing plans."
Power Before Wisdom - "The Harsh Realities of Leading a Pagan Group: Troubles with Followers":
"Unfortunately, as I noted before, there are VERY few pagan "followers." Most pagans consider themselves separate from needing to "follow" or serve a group in a non-leadership capacity... their attendance at events is compensation enough right?"
Dowsing for Divinity - "Pagan Leadership":
"My approach to leadership is to seek to empower others, and enable them to write and facilitate ritual and so on. However, not everyone who joins a coven wants to write and facilitate rituals, and that is alright. They may have other abilities which could be nurtured."
Pagan-Musings Podcast Channel podcasts about leadership:
Magical Experiments: What is Pagan Leadership, Part 1
Magical Experiments: What is Pagan Leadership, Part 2
Magical Experiments: Pagan Leadership Panel
PMP: Pagan Leadership Anthology Panel
Magical Experiments: Pagan Leadership Panel
"The Leader Within: Articles on Community Building, Leadership, and Personal Growth":
"How do we build healthy community? Pagan and alternative spirituality groups find themselves in crisis. Burnout, drama, power struggles, gossip, betrayal, abuse, conflict, toxic personalities... or groups just fade away, unable to rally enough volunteers to get the work done. Groups gather together for spiritual work and find themselves unable to get past the challenges of group dynamics."
"The words "Pagan Leadership" are often met with scorn and tales of failed groups and so-called Witch Wars. And yet, as our communities grow and mature, we find ourselves in dire need of healthy, ethical leaders. Most Pagans have seen what doesn't work. But what does? This anthology features over thirty authors, thirty essays, and decades of leadership experience sharing their failures and successes as leaders as well as showing you how you can become a better Pagan leader."
