Obstacle 8: Dysfunctional Leadership
Meet Olivia
For years, Olivia had participated in an annual vigil against the death penalty. As a girl, she had been awed by the solemnity, the candles, and the reading of the names of those executed by the state. But in recent years, the ceremony had grown stale. Fewer and fewer people were showing up.
Olivia connected with like-minded activists eager to inject fresh energy into the event. They envisioned a more dynamic event, with a multimedia campaign, engaging speakers, and workshops to educate attendees about the complexities of the death penalty system.
But when Olivia and her peers approached the older leaders with their ideas, they were met with resistance. The leaders argued that the traditional vigil had worked for decades and didn’t need any changes. They were reluctant to embrace new technologies, fearing that they would dilute the solemnity of the event. They talked down to Olivia and her friends, suggesting that they were too young and inexperienced to pull off such a daring agenda. Leaving the meeting, Olivia was furious. Later that year, for the first time in her memory, she skipped the ceremony.
Solution
Be Smart and Don’t Despair!
Olivia’s story is more common than you might think. Like all collectives, social justice groups tend to become dominated by a small group of elites.
These elites often develop priorities and habits that clash with the broader membership. But that doesn’t mean change is impossible.
Change Requires Strategy
Many leaders have worked hard, are deeply attached to their methods, and may react defensively when those methods are questioned.
If you want to modernize an organization or challenge stagnant leadership, it’s often best to proceed cautiously and strategically.
Smart Ways to Push for Change
Propose Incremental Change
Smaller reforms are often easier for leadership to accept and can become stepping stones toward larger transformations.
Suggest Pilot Programs
Testing new ideas on a smaller scale reduces fear and creates evidence for broader adoption later.
Form Sub-Committees
Smaller autonomous groups can experiment with fresh approaches without immediately threatening leadership.
Play the Long Game
Leadership changes over time. Build alliances with emerging leaders and influential members.
Other Strategies That Work Here Too
Act as One
A unified group is much harder to dismiss than a lone dissenter.
Research and Reach Out
Data, case studies, and visible public enthusiasm can help neutralize objections.
Plan for Scenarios
Prepare emotionally and strategically for rejection, compromise, or conflict before they happen.
Have an Exit Strategy
Define your boundaries ahead of time so frustration does not lead to impulsive decisions.
Olivia and her friends were not wrong for wanting change.
Their mistake was assuming leadership would naturally embrace their ideas. The experience would have been far less painful if they had already considered the possibility of resistance and planned accordingly.
Challenging dysfunctional leadership is itself a form of activism.
Social movements are not exempt from power struggles, gatekeeping, or stagnation. Sometimes the fight for justice must begin within the movement itself.