Building Stronger Coalitions through Listening, Inclusion, and Leadership
On May 13, IAALS and the Berkeley Judicial Institute (BJI) hosted Collaborative Leadership: Building Coalitions for Innovation, a webinar designed to provide best practices for building strong relationships, navigating complexities, and achieving shared goals for a more innovative justice system. Moderated by Justice Susan Blanco, Colorado Supreme Court, the conversation between Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell, United States District Court of the District of Colorado; Judge Samuel Thumma, Arizona Court of Appeals; and Judge Bernice Donald, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Ret.), focused on how to build lasting and meaningful partnerships to drive judicial innovation.
The session began with a discussion around listening. Judges are used to issuing orders, but they must take the time to listen to users of the courts, stakeholders, and the people who will be affected by the innovation to create the most effective, lasting solutions for everyone.
“If we can listen more carefully, not only as a receiver but as an active asker, to try and get information and build on it, that’s essential,” said Judge Thumma. “Sometimes we overlook that.”
Tied closely with listening was the importance of the people you listen to. None of us can see the whole picture alone. Judges need a wide array of diverse perspectives to inform innovation. It is essential to bring in people who disagree with you, including people who you suspect will be resistant to change, to see what is or isn’t going to work.
“If you fill up the room with people who all have the same views, ideas, and approaches, you aren’t going to get very far when it comes to innovation,” said Judge Dominguez Braswell.
All three speakers noted how important it is for judges to create a safe space for ideas to blossom from while also maintaining momentum. Judges need agendas, deadlines, and deliverables to carry the idea to reality, but they also must facilitate the conversations in a way that includes everyone’s thoughts and opinions.
“People respond to a leader who is interested and who demonstrates principles of inclusion,” said Judge Donald.
This webinar is the fifth of six in this series focused on judicial leadership.
- Click here to register for the next upcoming free webinar.
- To learn more about the steps judicial leaders can take now to bring innovation to their courts, read our Blueprint for Judicial Innovation.
