Suman Leans into Team Decision Making through Shared Leadership

Learning to Lead Together

As former Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and our longtime client and colleague, Suman Raghunathan learned firsthand how invaluable shared leadership was to SAALT’s organizational development and her leadership development.  

A nonprofit organization that seeks to amplify South Asian voices in the United States, Suman’s profound connection to immigrant communities through SAALT meant that shared leadership was an opportunity for her to develop an organization that could better serve its most important constituents. 

But first, it started with inviting creativity into the workplace and learning to lean on her team.

“Shared leadership reminded me that I couldn’t do everything, and there’s no possible way I could make every decision myself,” Suman says.

Leadership & Team Development

Suman knew that she wanted to change the organizational culture at SAALT and introduce concepts like co-creation and sharing responsibility. As the Executive Director, she knew her learning edge and growth practice was to trust her team. Trust meant not only inviting others to make decisions, but also learning to be confident in those decisions. 

“It’s almost impossible for one person to have all the answers,” says Suman. “It’s important to bring other people into conversations and decisions. Not only does it create buy-in for important organizational shifts, but it also makes people know their ideas and creativity are essential for innovation and growth.” 

However, the cultural shift toward shared leadership—a more innovative business model than what SAALT was accustomed to—wasn’t easy, and not everyone was sure about it right away.

“It was so new for some folks to have a leader who came and asked them what their ideas were, or to have a leader that expected them to develop new ideas and solutions,” she shares.

The most important thing, Suman says, is that the whole team needs to hold a deep belief in the potential of leadership development, coaching, and mentoring. 

New Visions Through Business Model Innovation

After leaving SAALT, Suman continued to appreciate the value of shared leadership through her participation in the Immigrant Movement Visioning Process. At IVMP, Suman worked with dozens of other immigrant rights leaders to co-create a process that envisions justice for immigrant communities in the long-term future. This two-year journey truly illustrated how sharing leadership and power can generate a more brilliant, cohesive, and innovative vision than a single individual toiling in a silo.  

The IMVP project outlined Five Freedoms and Five Values for immigrant justice, which many movement organizations—ranging from the ACLU to the National Immigration Law Center—have integrated into their long-term vision.

“Successful change requires each of us to fully believe in the power of our diverse humanity and collective genius. When we deeply believe in our intrinsic value, we can then reimagine structures that support that in others,” says Suman. 

We couldn’t agree more. The Shared Leadership Journey™ requires that first, we must believe a healthier way of relating, working, and being together is both necessary and possible. It starts with the right attitude and willingness to care. 

Learn More:

The Shared Leadership Framework™ and what it takes to get started on The Shared Leadership Journey™ with us.  

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) & Immigrant Movement Visioning Process (IMVP)