Initiative
Executive Residency
How do we cultivate practices of imagination and personal/professional formation that allow us to work within and beyond the systems that define our work?
Openfields Executive Residency is designed to help social impact/social innovation leaders develop their vision and strengthen their voice to not only make better sense of the cultural moment we're in, but to become what MLK calls "transformed nonconformists," the kind of leaders who can see and act beyond the systems they work in.
What is the challenge?
Executives who are committed to social justice and who…
See the current cultural moment as an opportunity for leadership amid chaos and overwhelming change
Feel stuck in bureaucratic systems that limit creative and critical thinking
Have something important they want to say but are struggling to put into words
Need dedicated time, space, and guidance to cultivate a confident vision and voice for their leadership
What is the opportunity?
One year dedicated to…
Customized, structured reflection, learning, and writing
Focus on critical questions that help you critique existing systems and develop a creative vision for the broader system you operate within
One-on-one coaching
Small-group feedback
Building an intellectual and moral anchor (or platform/touchstone) to guide your leadership over the next 10–20 years
Coming together like we've come together here to make sense of where we are and where we're headed is critically important for impact leaders to lead well in their organizations and in their communities. Space where relationships is the point is super valuable.
Outcomes and overlapping phases outcomes
Phase 1
Defining & Designing
Define your critical moral, social, and intellectual questions
Design a personalized curriculum, including reading, watching, listening, and research travel
Commit your expert strategic advisors
Participate in a reflection retreat
Phase 2
Developing & Discerning
Engage in disciplined reading, journaling, and writing assignments
Meet regularly with strategic advisors
Begin your writing project
Undertake research travel
Phase 3
Testing & Telling
Continue developing your writing project
Attend a writing retreat
Work with a speaking coach
Complete a reflective writing piece
Deliver a final presentation and practice session during Cohort Two’s reflection retreat
Find us in Greenville, Asheville, and DC.
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