Stories of Transformative Leadership in the Human Services: Why the Glass Is Always Full

"A fantastic book. . . .A major contribution! Stories of Transformative Leadership in the Human Services is an extraordinary book by two highly accomplished social work educators and consultants. Based on years of experience in the classroom and in the field,Steve Burghardt and Willie Tolliver blend their "best practices" into a pedagogically creative and lively text that students and human service professionals alike will find engaging and invaluable. Social service agencies and workers are under siege, especially now in our global economic crisis, but this book is guaranteed to help in the struggles ahead for a more humane and just social service practice." 
―Robert Fisher, University of Connecticut, author of The People Shall Rule: ACORN, Community Organizing, and the Struggle for Economic Justice (Vanderbilt University Press, 2009.)

"A must read for directors, executives, funders, and board members! Given today′s economic climate, there may not be funds for the hiring of consultants. Read Stories of Transformative Leadership in the Human Services and engage as an organizational team in their activities instead. You, your staff and the culture of the organization will be transformed. As Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see.′ The paradigm that Burghardt and Tolliver introduce will have you do just that."                                                                                                    
―Claudette C′Faison, Cofounder and President of NY Youth at Risk, Inc.

Certain to excite and inspire both students entering the human services field and seasoned non-profit professionals, Stories of Transformative Leadership in the Human Services: Why the Glass Is Always Full is the first full-length leadership book to focus on the unique challenges of the public and non-profit executive, manager, and educator. Written in a lively story-telling style, the book develops a leadership model for those who inspire without bonuses and seek a powerful legacy through people′s lives.

Authors Steve Burghardt and Willie Tolliver convey the stories of two social service agencies struggling to survive in a world of shrinking budgets, increasing needs, and lack of resources. While both agencies are run by hard-working managers, one is in constant crisis mode (racial tensions that simmer and boil over; professionals who end up exhausted and overeating after a crisis-filled day . . . every day), while the other, operating with no greater resources, lacks tension and turmoil as its managers respond to similar demands and client needs. Using real-life vignettes drawn from actual experiences, the stories distill important lessons and unfold in a powerful manner that will resonate with any professional asked to work harder . . . with a smaller budget. Questions woven through each story connect to the book′s more theoretical material on leadership, personal mastery, and community-building.

Steve Burghardt, MSW, PhD, and Willie Tolliver, MSW, DSW, are professor and associate professor of Social Work at the City University of New York (CUNY)―Hunter College School of Social Work and partners in the Leadership Transformation Group, LLC. Authors of numerous works on organizational change and strategic development, they are award-winning teachers of human behavior, policy, and community organization. They have worked with thousands of human service and educational staff on new models of leadership, personal well-being, spirituality, collaboration in times of crisis, and how to sustain conversations on race and oppression for lasting change at work and in one′s life.