The Next Generation of Leadership: Reflections from the Emerging Leaders Network’s Inaugural Leadership Dialogues 

Leadership is often associated with authority, experience and having the confidence to make difficult decisions. But what if leadership isn’t a destination to reach or a title to earn? What if it is something we practice every day through the way we build relationships, navigate uncertainty and create space for others? 

Those questions sat at the heart of the Emerging Leaders Network’s inaugural Leadership Dialogues, a six-week leadership development program that brought together nearly 20 early-career professionals from across Canada’s international cooperation and humanitarian assistance sector this spring. 

Supported by Global Affairs Canada and delivered in partnership with Ephemeris Nonprofit Strategy and Thomas Jepson-Lay Leadership and Coaching, the program created space for participants to step away from day-to-day work and reflect on leadership in the context of a sector undergoing profound change.  

Through facilitated discussions, peer learning and practical exercises, emerging leaders explored topics such as leadership identity, reciprocal leadership, systems thinking, humble inquiry, conflict fluency, leading through complexity and more. Most importantly, they explored what leadership needs to look like in a rapidly changing world. 

Why leadership needs to evolve 

The Leadership Dialogues grew from a recognition that the international cooperation sector is changing in fundamental ways. For Rachel Logel Carmichael, who co-created the program with Thomas Jepson-Lay, those changes prompted a deeper question about leadership itself. 

“When Thomas and I created Leadership Dialogues, we set out to create a space where nonprofit leaders could make sense of and lead through the significant changes unfolding around them. The international cooperation sector has faced major reductions in bilateral aid, workplaces are still being reshaped by the experience of the pandemic, and longstanding calls to shift power toward actors closer to affected communities have challenged established roles across the international aid architecture. ” 

Rather than offering participants another leadership framework, the program invited them to reflect on practices and habits to lead in complexity and to learn from one another in the process. 

Thomas saw that openness from the very beginning; “What was refreshing with the engagements Rachel and I had[,] was the appetite, the desire, the hunger to learn and explore… The atmosphere they created within the dialogue was one of mutuality and learning.” 

Leadership happens with people, not over them 

One of the ideas that resonated most strongly across the cohort was reciprocal leadership. Unlike traditional leadership models that often emphasize authority, hierarchy and individual decision-making, reciprocal leadership recognizes that leadership is shared. It emphasizes trust, mutual accountability and relationships, creating the conditions for others to contribute, influence decisions and lead alongside you. For many participants, the concept gave language to instincts they had already been developing. 

Growing up in a collective culture, Bethel Seyoum often questioned whether she fit conventional ideas of leadership. The Leadership Dialogues helped reframe that uncertainty. 

“I connected strongly with the idea of reciprocal leadership: leading with people rather than over them. Leadership doesn’t have to depend on a position or formal authority. It can be found in creating space for others, listening well, building relationships, and helping a team move forward together. That feels like the kind of leader I want to become.” 

For Sarina Bhaiwala, reciprocal leadership gave confidence to an approach she had already been practicing. 

“I view my role as a facilitator and guide rather than an authoritative decision-maker. Recognizing reciprocal leadership as a valid and effective management style has bolstered my confidence. I now understand that this collaborative approach is a deliberate strategic choice rather than a sign of inexperience.” 

Barbra Chimhandamba connected reciprocal leadership directly to their work in advocacy.  

“I learnt that leadership is not only about having authority, but it is about creating conditions where people can contribute, connect, and move forward together. Trust cannot be created only when it is urgently needed; it must be built over time through consistent engagement, respect, and genuine curiosity.” 

For Barbra, advocacy is fundamentally relational: meaningful policy change depends on working alongside partners, communities and decision-makers to build a shared vision for change. 

Other participants connected reciprocal leadership to the broader systems they work within. Goundo Diarra reflected that “In viewing the sector as a web rather than a hierarchy, I see that a senior title is not a prerequisite for impact.” This helped her recognize she was already leading by connecting colleagues, sharing knowledge and creating space for others. 

For Zuhra Aman, one of the program’s most powerful shifts came from reframing a simple question. Instead of asking “Who is the leader?”, participants were encouraged to ask “How does leadership happen here?” That change in perspective prompted her to reconsider assumptions she had internalized about leadership and gave her “permission to start putting that armor down.” 

For Kianna Dewart, reciprocal leadership reinforced something community-led movements have long understood: “Leadership is not about one person swimming above the current. It is about all of us swimming with it—and with each other.” 

Leading through complexity 

If reciprocal leadership challenged participants to rethink who leads, another set of ideas encouraged them to rethink how they lead in an increasingly complex world. 

One practice that resonated across the cohort was humble inquiry—leading through genuine curiosity rather than assuming leaders should always have the answers. By asking thoughtful questions, listening deeply and remaining open to different perspectives, participants discovered that curiosity can be a leadership strength rather than a sign of uncertainty. 

For Dana Hamilton, this idea completely reframed her relationship with asking questions. After years of experiencing inquiry as criticism rather than understanding, she left with a different perspective. 

“I no longer believe that leadership belongs only to those with authority or a title. I believe it belongs to people who work to create trust, who ask thoughtful questions before making assumptions, who help inspire others to contribute, and who create the conditions for shared action. ” 

Participants also explored conflict fluency—the idea that conflict, when approached with care and curiosity, can strengthen relationships rather than damage them. Instead of avoiding difficult conversations, participants reflected on how engaging with disagreement constructively can build trust and lead to better outcomes. 

As Ashley Rerrie reflected: “Learning about conflict fluency and the role that conflict can play in reinforcing care and sincerity, I’m thinking more about how I can approach conflict from a constructive perspective and be braver where necessary to engage in conflict.” 

For Candace Amarante, another lasting lesson was learning to resist the urge to immediately solve uncertainty. 

“I have to stay in the discomfort long enough to learn the new rhythm, rather than rushing to either fix it or retreat from it.” 

She reflected that the environments many organizations are leading in today are fundamentally different from those of the past, where “the old maps do not fully apply.” Rather than searching for certainty, leaders are called to stay present in ambiguity, adapt and continue learning as circumstances evolve. 

Finding community in uncertainty 

The Leadership Dialogues created space not only to reflect individually, but also to challenge assumptions, learn from one another and realize that many of the uncertainties participants carried were shared across the sector. 

As Ashley Rerrie reflected: “The discussions with peers about how we envision successful leadership and the wealth of accumulated experience we already have about how leadership can tackle some of the issues we’re facing really affirmed for me that working to effectively build trust, accountability, and relationships of interdependency are the skills that will allow emerging leaders to tackle the world’s big problems.” 

They added that the cohort itself became an important source of connection. 

“The candid conversations with peers was affirming and helped to break the isolation that working remotely and being spread across different organizations and different locations exacerbated – reminding me that we are all facing similar challenges and striving to make sense of uncharted territory.” 

Rachel Logel Carmichael saw a similar transformation unfold over the six weeks. 

“While the early sessions surfaced uncertainty from individuals within the group, and even fear about the unknown, what gradually emerged was a strong sense of hope, camaraderie and genuine excitement about how these individuals will continue to grow, adapt and ’emerge’ as leaders.” 

Thomas observed a similar shift. Early in the program, participants spoke openly about the pressure they felt to conform to leadership models inherited from previous generations. As the conversations evolved, he watched many begin questioning which aspects of those models still served them and which they were ready to leave behind. 

“Once ‘released’ from the obligation to simply repeat what their predecessors had done they entered a journey of discovery that required a really honest, but exciting exploration of what their leadership identity was….We position Leadership Dialogues to be the beginning of a journey. We do not promise answers, but we endeavour to help people learn and reflect to find the answers themselves. I felt motivated and humbled by the experiences this cohort described and am excited to see where their individual journeys take them from this point onwards.” 

Looking ahead 

Together, the cohort’s reflections reveal a shared understanding of leadership that challenges traditional ideas of authority and embraces collaboration, curiosity and continual learning. 

The conversations sparked through the Leadership Dialogues suggest that the future of leadership will depend on leaders who are willing to share power, build trust, remain curious and create environments where others can contribute and thrive. 

The inaugural ELN Leadership Dialogues may have lasted only six weeks, but the conversations they sparked continue through Cooperation Canada’s Emerging Leaders Network (ELN). As a member-led working group of Cooperation Canada, the ELN brings together staff from member organizations to build relationships, exchange knowledge, strengthen leadership capacity, and contribute to conversations shaping Canada’s international cooperation and humanitarian assistance sector. 

For participants, the network offers regular opportunities to connect through bi-monthly meetings, peer learning, mentorship initiatives, and collaborative activities. It provides a space where emerging leaders can share experiences, explore sector challenges, and develop the skills and relationships needed to navigate a rapidly changing environment. 

The ELN also regularly hosts events that are open to the broader sector. This fall, emerging leaders and early-career professionals are invited to participate in: 

• Intergenerational Dialogue (September 28, 2026), an interactive roundtable bringing together emerging and experienced leaders to explore solidarity movements and collective leadership across generations. While registration is nearly at capacity, similar opportunities are planned in the future. 

• Emerging Leaders Meetups 2026, a series of in-person networking gatherings planned for Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, and Halifax. 

As the sector continues to evolve, spaces like the ELN help ensure that emerging leaders are not only prepared for the future but are actively shaping it today.