Eli J. & Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership Program

Core Competencies

The competencies described below are the core skills and attributes of Citizen Leaders and promotion of these competencies lies at the heart of all Segal Program endeavors:

Segal Citizen Leaders:

  • Understand the background and history of social policy, social movements and efforts to promote social justice, and then apply this knowledge when seeking solutions to contemporary social issues and problems.
  • Are “citizens of the world” who will lead social change for the common good. In so doing, they understand principles of effective leadership, and that varying contexts, resources, and desired outcomes will demand a variety of approaches to leadership.
  • Have visionary goals for social change, recognize that social capital is necessary for social change, and that creative collaboration, relationship-building, networking, team-building, coalition building, and community organizing are ways to build social capital.
  • Are able to communicate, collaborate, and learn with multiple diverse communities and know that successful change efforts must understand the role of privilege in society and honor diversity of thought, lessons and individuals.
  • Know that change requires a range of resources including financial, talent, and time.
  • Use evaluation as a necessary strategy to measure and manage progress toward goals. Citizen Leaders know that evaluation is a tool for social justice, one that can help to give marginalized groups a voice, and that can both prove and improve the effectiveness of change efforts.
  • Recognize and inspire leadership in others through serving as a mentor.
  • Never assume their learning is done, so continuously seek to improve the ways in which they act as Citizen Leaders.