Leah Levac believes it's time to take public engagement seriously, not only because it advances the principles of democracy but also because it teaches us about synergy and evolving leadership

We were sitting around a table at a community centre: a cabinet minister, a teacher, an IT entrepreneur, a grandmother, and a couple of locals. The discussion was polite until someone made a negative comment about First Nations people. One of the participants was from a reserve, and took offence. She chose to tell her story, making it clear that the assumptions—how her family ended up on social assistance, for example—simply weren't true. Her speaking up made a difference. At the end there was an apology, and everyone learned something. With a conversation, we staked a claim in a more democratic New Brunswick.

This is a time of opportunity for transformation in policy-making. In New Brunswick, a poverty-reduction initiative is engaging the public and giving us insight into just how government can work with the public and how innovations can be successful.

A 16-month public-engagement process led to the appointment of a provincial economic and social inclusion board, which will be launched later this year. It will be chaired by four people: one from the public sector; one from the private sector; one from the non-profit world; and one person who has lived or is living in poverty. This board will guide 15 community groups around the province toward reducing poverty by 25% and deep poverty by 50%. It also aims to make progress in achieving sustained economic and social inclusion.

The result of this public engagement was much more than its outcome. The key lesson was that synergy works. The effect of a group working together really is greater than the individual effort of each member.

Why is this so?

Unusual allies: It makes a powerful statement when a well-known entrepreneur stands before government ministers and single mothers on social assistance and urges that those living in poverty be included in leading the poverty-reduction movement. People from a range of backgrounds make complementary contributions. Anaïs Nin said, "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." By combining perspectives, opportunities and challenges are more likely to be anticipated.

Process people: Effective processes don't just happen; they are designed. Successful innovative companies pay attention not just to what they do but also how they operate. More attention to collaboration is usually required. Complex social and economic issues such as poverty show that power is inequitably distributed (other issues include the environment, corporate social responsibility, and education). Facilitators must work diligently to make sure everyone in society can be involved.

Leadership revisited: The study of leadership has evolved from fixed-position leadership to skill-based leadership to evolving relationships among diverse groups. Leadership happens in unusual places and ways. During the public-engagement process on poverty, leadership by times fell to the conveners, the designated leadership team, the document writers, and the compelling storytellers. Because a great deal of leadership is still institutionalized in elected officials and CEOs, leaders must learn to collaborate.

Beyond the bottom line: The triple bottom line—economic, social, environmental—is gaining traction in the private sector, yet it's insufficient for imagining the many ways we must measure progress. Monitoring and evaluating our efforts are essential for knowing what's working and why.

Leah Levac, a Trudeau and CIHR scholar, spends her time trying to light good fires and extinguish bad ones. She's working on her PhD in interdisciplinary studies at UNB and training for a triathlon.