What is water leadership?
We use a contemporary definition of leadership, drawing from Ernst and Chrobot-Mason (2011) and Drath et al. (2008), which defines leadership as a process of influence that accomplishes three outcomes:
- direction: a shared understanding of common goals and strategy (e.g. a shared vision for a new water management project or team)
- alignment: the joint coordination of resources and activities (e.g. aligning people, projects, funding and research within a team to deliver a shared vision)
- commitment: a commitment to collective success (e.g. motivating and inspiring others to achieve mutual interests).
This is sometimes referred to as the DAC Framework.
We also need to consider the context that the leader operates in, as well as the interplay of organisational, social, economic, regulatory and environmental factors on the leader’s ability to effectively employ their leadership attributes. Water leadership can be defined as the ability to influence and manage change in the complex, cross-boundary and multi-stakeholder context of the water sector.
Broadly, we define a leader as someone who engages in leadership.
Why is ‘water’ leadership different?
The leadership skills required to lead effectively in the water sector are not unique. Nonetheless, research into the attributes of effective water leaders helps to identify the key competencies that could be enhanced to gain the greatest impact, given the unique context of the water sector.
The world is increasingly water-limited and water challenges are becoming increasingly complex. Population growth and the effects of climate change are globally forcing the need for a radically rethink in the way essential services – water, wastewater, food and energy – are managed and delivered. In this context, the ability to collaborate with professionals and community members with different philosophical beliefs and perspectives, and being able to translate the different interests, objective and concerns across stakeholder groups requires clear understanding of exactly which leadership competencies are most effective.
