E15 S15: Building Power by Letting Go: Lessons in Leadership and Impact

What happens when you stop clutching power and start handing it over? In this episode, Michael Shipler—Vice President at Search for Common Ground and director of Common Ground Leadership   dives into what truly works (and what doesn’t) in conflict transformation, peacebuilding, and global leadership.

Why Take a Listen

• Honest Impact Career Insights: Michael  shares the tough realities and surprising opportunities facing anyone building a global career. From grassroots advocacy to high-stakes boardrooms, explores s changing and what can help get  you hired, promoted, or burned out.
• Leadership Rethought: If you’re tired of the “strong leader knows best” cliché, this episode lays out the case for collaborative leadership, facilitation, and a willingness to learn (and unlearn). Michael's own journey—field work with youth leaders in Cambodia, designing global initiatives from Asia to DC—illustrates how genuine partnership beats top-down control.
• Innovation in Messy Realities:  This conversation dives into the reality of experimentation, failure, and the often-missing humility needed to try again whether launching new programs or building cross-cultural teams.
• Peacebuilding’s Honest Ledger: Here are the victories, youth putting down weapons because of a radio drama, and the setbacks: how shrinking budgets and polarization threaten even the best efforts. Get an inside look at how Search for Common Ground measures real progress with their Peace Impact Framework, and why data (and storytelling) matter.
• Building Skills for the World Ahead: Tons of practical advice of  why facilitation, curiosity, and cross-sector navigation may matter more than any title, and why jobs in peacebuilding and development now demand both tech savvy and human connection.

Resources Discussed in the Episode

• Search for Common Ground: Deep-dive into the world’s most experienced peacebuilding organization, now in 50+ countries.
• Common Ground Leadership: Access courses and programs for leaders—from local activists to CEOs—focused on turning adversaries into partners.
• Soliya / AFS Intercultural Programs: Virtual exchange and advanced facilitation training open to the world.
• PCDN Career Campus: Where purpose-driven professionals find job leads, learning, and a community that tells it straight.
• Peace Impact Framework: Tools for measuring what really matters—trust, agency, legitimacy.
• Global Peace Index – Vision of Humanity: All the world’s data on peace and conflict, in one place.
• Book: No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani—proof that sometimes the most important stories are typed on a smuggled phone.
• Connect: Michael Shipler | Search for Common Ground LinkedIn | Common Ground Leadership LinkedIn

PCDN Resources

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