Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP): Putting Our Shared Principles into Practice in CIS Organizations

Leadership is often defined by competencies, frameworks, and models—but in practice, leadership is revealed through behavior. It is not only what leaders know or say, but what they consistently do that matters most and ensures organizations thrive.

While our Shared Principles clearly spell out what young people need for success, these same principles hold true at the organizational level, too. They describe what is universally needed across all work environments, but they only become powerful once they are put into practice. Organizations that value and promote relationships, psychological safety, self-care, professional growth, and empowered staff will prosper and are better equipped to deliver for those they serve. It is the responsibility of leaders in the CIS network to bring these principles to life within their own organizations.

Knowing this truth, the CIS National Office strategically invests in developing executive leaders in the network through the Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP). This investment not only prepares them to lead but is a tangible demonstration of our own commitment to our shared principles.

The Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP)

ELDP is a year-long immersive experience designed to prepare a cohort of CIS leaders for the complexity, uncertainty, and challenges nonprofit organizations regularly face. Participants gather in person multiple times during the year and meet virtually for learning, practice, reflection, and discussion with peers from around the CIS network. The program has been intentionally developed to reflect our shared principles through delivering relevant information—adaptive leadership, managing change, mobilizing others to action—and creating a safe space for relationship-building and dialogue. This combination of content and connection is critical to the success of the program and models how our shared principles can be put into action as leaders take both the experience and the learning back to their own organizations.

From Principles to Practice

We believe that how CIS organizations operate internally should reflect the same values we uphold in our work with students. The ELDP, therefore, is grounded in our shared principles with the belief that executive leaders will put these same principles they experienced into practice in their own organizations. 

1. A Caring Adult

Every student, and every system that impacts that student, deserves a caring adult. Staff within organizations need leaders who see them, value them, and build conditions for growth and well-being.

In action:
Time and space for participants to build relationships with colleagues and facilitators is intentionally built into the ELDP. Through small group projects and discussions, icebreakers, shared meals, and after-hour activities, ELDP participants build strong connections with their peers which serve as a catalyst for their own reflection, learning and accountability.  

Impact:
Executive leaders return to their organizations committed to creating an environment where staff feel valued and heard. They know how to authentically build relationships with their staff, and they put processes into place to ensure connection.

2. A Safe Place

Every student—and every adult connected to them—deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported. Safety is not only physical, but also emotional, relational, and cultural. In the workplace, staff must feel safe to contribute ideas, be authentic, and grow without fear of harm or exclusion.

In action:
Because ELDP participants are asked to honestly assess their own leadership practices and discuss them with their peers, there is the potential for participants to feel vulnerable or unsafe. To combat this, the format for ELDP includes the development and enforcement of norms for interaction as well as numerous efforts to build trust and create a sense of safety among all group members. This group of trusted peers remains available for support outside of the in-person gatherings as participants are encouraged to reach out to each other for guidance and consultation.

Impact:
Executive leaders return to their organizations having experienced a safe and affirming work environment. They know how to replicate similar practices in their own organizations having seen firsthand how ELDP facilitators modeled the development and maintenance of a nurturing experience. 

3. A Healthy Start

Every child deserves the opportunity to begin each day ready to learn, grow, and thrive.  Staff also deserve a healthy start—through sustainable workloads, supports for their own well-being, and a culture that values their physical and emotional health.

In action:
The structure of ELDP accounts for the health of participants by facilitating a variety of engaging activities, accommodating different learning styles, ensuring movement and timely breaks, providing healthy meals, and encouraging self-care.

Impact:
Executive leaders return to their organization with new ideas for promoting the health and well-being of their staff. They ensure that their own work environments encourage the well-being of all.

4. A Marketable Skill

Everyone deserves the chance to develop the skills, confidence, and connections that open doors to future opportunities. Organizations that cultivate talent and invest in the professional development of their staff internally model the same values they want for students.

In action:
Through the delivery of engaging content, practice, reflection, and discussion with peers, ELDP participants develop skills that are critical to effectively lead a CIS organization. Leaders are encouraged to consider how these skills can be applied to their unique circumstances within their own organizations and communities.

Impact:
Executive leaders feel equipped and confident to put newly developed leadership skills into practice. They ensure their own staff receive ample and relevant training to develop their own skills and build confidence.

5. A Chance to Give Back

Every student, family, staff member, and community partner has gifts to contribute. Staff at all levels of an organization should be encouraged to lead, share insights, and shape organizational direction.

In action:
Despite the differing backgrounds and experiences of ELDP participants, facilitators reinforce the belief that everyone has important insight to share. All participants are expected to contribute ideas and offer feedback on problems of practice or to questions posed by others. Systems for accountability are built into the ELDP format as participants are encouraged to apply their learning when they return home.

Impact:
Executive leaders seek input from all sources within the organization and adopt internal practices that promote innovation and creativity without fear. Staff feel empowered to use their skills most effectively. 

Final Reflection

The Executive Leadership Development Program provides a rare opportunity to practice leadership in an environment grounded in our Shared Principles. In that environment, something powerful happens:

Principles stop being words.
They become actions.
And those actions ensure students, and organizations, succeed.