Janna Bennett, Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County
As a part of the AASLH 2024 History Leadership Institute, my cohort explored leadership and empathy in the summer of 2024. As a white cis-gendered female, my observations on humane leadership and work cultures are rooted in twenty-five years of experiences at both large institutions and small history museums. My experience draws from places where I was one of many individual contributors, as well as my current position where I manage and curate a small museum with three additional staff.
For me, empathetic leadership is a leadership style that actively seeks to identify, understand, and address the needs of individuals so that each person can use their talents and skills to best contribute to the project, the institution, the community, and the world. It’s about self-actualization for everyone.
Individuals practicing empathetic leadership is not enough; an organization must create a culture of empathy for the entire workplace. Building and supporting this culture must be in every part of the organization – not just senior leaders or all managers. The entire institution needs to value and to embody empathy internally among staff members as well as in external interactions with its stakeholders, visitors, and community.
What does a culture of empathy look like at a museum? In my institution, it looks like flexibility in work hours, creating reasonable deadlines for projects and exhibits, working collaboratively toward a common goal, and helping each other when the need arises. It means listening closely when my co-workers talk, acknowledging their experiences, empowering them to take steps they have identified towards a solution, and remaining available for future conversations. It also means setting realistic expectations with outside groups, fostering honest dialogue with community members, and having the focus to live up to the museum’s mission.
Empathetic leadership includes not only leading the organization from the top, but listening and learning from others in the institution and the community. From my staff, I learn every day. Supporting their learning and leadership is not only deeply rewarding but also essential for the success of our small museum. Building a collaborative team environment has been a big part of our success. For our team to work well together, we defined a common purpose and goal. It was crucial that we trust each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt. We err on the side of over-communication. The most difficult part has been to appreciate our different backgrounds and perspectives. We have worked diligently to understand each other’s points of view and have approached disagreements as learning opportunities. Our team is not perfect, but we all work towards a common goal of creating a community-centered institution that serves as a gathering space for community dialogue.
The museum has partnered with Wabash College students and professors to create exhibits and to host educational programming. In these instances, I’ve coached and challenged students to refine their understanding of what being a historian means as well as how museums can present difficult history. When working one-on-one with interns, empowering them to make connections between their coursework and their museum work is not only valuable for the student, but also for the museum. The process is a mutual exchange of experiences and projects. It is not an exploitative relationship where the museum demands research products or completed tasks without investing in the student’s development and relationship.
I have also worked with community members as equal partners in exhibit development of Unequal and Undaunted: Education and Community at Lincoln School for Colored Children. Giving space and amplifying the voices of those with different experiences in our community is essential, particularly as diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion initiatives are facing extreme opposition. Despite the current political climate, institutions must continue to include more diverse voices in programming and exhibits.