While navigating loss is part of work of systems change, it doesn't make it easy! In this post, I navigate loss at a personal, organisational and system level.
Last week a chapter closed for Collaboration for Impact. After much preparation and planning, Liz Skelton stepped down from CFI's Board. Liz co-founded the organisation 10 years ago and steered its governance as our inaugural Chair.
At a system level, Australia's social change sector is stronger and more able to do the hard work of shifting systems because of Liz's leadership and immense ability to build the capacity of others. She pioneered adaptive leadership practice in Australia and its critical role in systems change - training and mentoring 1000s of change leaders to see the system and their role in maintaining it, and then find ways to use their role and power to change systems towards equity and inclusion. Liz co-created the practice of Deep Collaboration with Mark Yettica-Paulson and 100s of people now think differently about how First Nations leaders and others can lead together.
At an organisational level, CFI is one of Australia's leading intermediaries for changing systems because of Liz's vision and leadership. CFI relentlessly centres those most impacted by inequity, and has deep understanding of how collaboration, diversity, power, and leadership become the pathway to equitable systems because of Liz's values and practice.
At a personal level, one does not set up an organisation that has a purpose to disrupt the status quo with just anyone. One does that only with a partner who has unshakeable integrity, an immense amount of courage and grit, always has your back, and an uncanny ability to see humour in pretty much everything. Liz was all of that and more. While I feel the loss of this chapter closing, I am honoured to have been Liz's co-founder and immensely grateful for the learning, laughs, legacy and lifelong friendship that the last 10 years has brought.
Thank you Liz Skelton. x
It’s with heartfelt thanks and celebration of an incredible legacy that we farewell Liz Skelton, co-founder and inaugural Chairperson of Collaboration for Impact, who has stepped down from our Board, after an extraordinary decade.
We’re immensely grateful for Liz’s contribution to our strategic leadership as a co-founder and through her ten years on our Board. Liz enriched us with her incisive strategic inquiry, ability to hold complexity, and unflagging Scottish humour. We honour that CFI is better equipped to contribute to equity and justice in Australia because of her leadership.
Today is about celebrating Liz’s contribution and wishing her well in her next exciting chapter. We’re delighted to announce our new Board appointments next week, as stewards of the next horizon of our role and work for systems change.
CFO at United Radio and Professional Coach
3wIt has been an honor and a privilege to work in our community along side these incredible leaders and the dedicated Central New York Community Foundation leadership and staff. Excelsior!