ABSTRACT
So far, we have looked at the role of leadership as a resource for liberation. At its core, leadership is forward looking and transformative. Working from a vision of how things could be, leaders try to influence their collaborators in ways that encourage and assist them to think clearly about the issues facing them, overcome the effects of oppression and internalized oppression and act with confidence and power to transform the world around them. In doing this, effective leadership is an influence rather than an authoritarian role. Leaders bring people with them rather than impose change or command obedience. In practice, however, this process is not straightforward. At times it gets complicated, it gets messy and it involves dealing with conflict. Often we have to handle all kinds of painful emotion as the prospect of change triggers people's fears or distrust. In this chapter, we want to examine different perspectives on this influence role and workable strategies for dealing with change.
