For Minnesota to be its best, we need talented leaders from the many diverse communities that make up our state to ensure our institutions work well for all. But who leads in Minnesota? It’s difficult to determine because cross-sector data on who holds key leadership positions in institutions have not been readily available or easily accessible.
Minnesota Compass (a project of Wilder Research) with the support of the Bush Foundation just launched “Who Leads in MN?” to share a holistic picture of leadership in institutions across the state. Informed by a diverse group of community members, the project’s goals are to:
- Respond to community-identified needs for data about who leads in Minnesota’s business, government and nonprofit sectors.
- Share promising practices about how these sectors are developing the talent Minnesota needs.
- Spark conversation and inspire employers to foster more equitable and inclusive leadership.
- Measure progress by tracking leadership data on a regular basis.
Through collaboration with the League of Minnesota Cities, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, self-reported data across sectors was collected and analyzed with national census data. The data, inspiring examples of progress, and actionable ideas will be available free-of-charge on the Minnesota Compass website, as will materials to help organizations and individuals share and use the information.
A new tool to complement the existing Racial Equity Resource Directory is simultaneously being launched. The Leadership Programs Directory provides a list of programs for Minnesota residents and beyond that support the development of individual, organizational or community leadership abilities.
We heard you ask for this data to use in your own work to both inspire and measure change, and are excited to share these great resources. The Bush Foundation will use these data and tools to inform our work towards racial equity, and invite others to explore and leverage them as well.