Chapter 18: Building Inclusive Leaders: A Critical Framework for Leadership Education

Locally, nationally, internationally; formally and informally; leaders everywhere are working to navigate a changing world. Today’s leaders have had varying success in creating sustainable, effective, and inclusive change. Tensions exist about who should lead, how they should lead, and to what end. More than ever, countries and communities across the globe need leaders who are well equipped to facilitate change, while navigating and addressing historical, political, and interpersonal tensions. Leadership education spaces, especially in higher education, are well suited to meet these needs.

Leadership education curriculum has gained ascendance globally, with many education spaces being dedicated to delivering leadership education and training for social change (Brown, 2004). The field of leadership education shoulders a responsibility to develop leaders to “…take action against the oppressive political elements of reality” (Freire, 1994, p. 17). A challenge, however, is the lack of guiding leadership frameworks that consider the complexity, history, and indemnity of societal issues (Haber & Komives, 2009; Patterson, 2013). A critical leadership framework stands to inform leadership education by empowering emerging leaders with the capacities and skills necessary to engender change.