What does it mean to be a civic leader?
By: Rebecca Hutton, President & CEO, Leadership Indianapolis
The phrase “civic leadership” gets used to describe a lot of things and the phrase “civic leader” gets used to describe a lot of people, but what do we actually mean when we use those words?
Civic leadership isn’t hollow attendance. It isn’t passive participation. It is intentional action.
It isn’t just showing up at fancy events and cool photo ops, though that can be fun. It is about doing the work, especially the boring work. Showing up to windowless rooms for weeknight meetings. Arriving on time. Reading materials and being prepared. Giving your undivided attention to discussions. Asking hard and sometimes unpopular questions. Wrestling with challenges for as long as it takes to figure it out. Making a decision and pushing forward, even when all of the options are imperfect.
It isn’t complaining about problems. It is working towards solutions.
It isn’t about gatekeeping. It is about sharing opportunities.
It isn’t about personal wins. It is about community impact.
Civic leadership is hard. And the better you get at it, the harder it gets. If you don’t feel a big, sometimes overwhelming, sense of responsibility then chances are your work may be important, but it isn’t civic leadership.
Civic leadership is intertwined with responsibility. The weight of making decisions that impact generations to come should weigh on your shoulders. It should keep you awake at night. It should make you want to do the best you can. It should inspire you to tackle challenges head-on. Otherwise, you should step aside and make room for someone who will embrace that responsibility.
Civic leadership is about listening as much as it is about leading. Civic leaders must have proximity to the people most affected by their decisions and must make space for new leaders and for new voices. Young people often report feeling excluded from formal leadership spaces. Seasoned civic leaders must actively invite, mentor and empower the next generation. Legacy is not just what we do but who we prepare to carry the work forward.
When we think about our state’s greatest civic leaders, past and present, they are held in high regard not because of what they have done for their own enrichment but rather what they have done to make things better for others.
We need committed civic leaders now more than ever. Civic leaders are uniquely positioned to foster collaboration across political, racial and socioeconomic lines, especially when trust in traditional institutions is low. According to a 2024 report by the Pew Research Center, “Americans’ trust in some key national institutions, often driven by political polarization, is at historic lows”. Declining trust at a national level only highlights the critical need for visible, accountable civic leaders at the local level. Leadership rooted in community builds resiliency, not just recognition.
Indiana has a rich tradition of civic leadership. If we want to continue that legacy into the future, we must nurture civic education, provide meaningful opportunities for civic engagement, and create more pathways to those civic leadership opportunities.
The title of civic leader isn’t claimed, it is earned. And after you earn that title, well, that is when the real work truly begins.
Read more Perspectives from Leadership Indianapolis President & CEO Rebecca Hutton and other leaders at Inside INdiana Business.