IFRC Solferino Academy Framework on Leadership (for the future)

 

“One thing I can think of as our Achilles heel as an organization is that if we do not have the right leadership capability, everything else will fall over.”

The IFRC Solferino Academy is tasked with supporting transformation within the IFRC network of National Societies as outlined within the IFRC Strategy 2030. Leadership is one of the most important factors enabling and driving these strategic transformations. The IFRC Solferino Academy has developed this framework to help guide our work with leaders in their National Societies and support their transformation journeys. 

Our approach

The complex humanitarian challenges we face today require a shift toward more collective, adaptive forms of leadership that work within and across systems. We constantly encounter leadership models that emphasize charismatic individuals driving change. Our approach reframes leadership as establishing systems and conditions where change can happen collaboratively and continuously across different parts of the National Society. This approach means that leadership is not about a single individual “fixing” things but about creating the conditions where impactful leadership naturally emerges across all levels.

The complexity of the world, and thus the complexity within our National Societies, demands that leadership is no longer only concentrated at the top. We must foster conditions where leadership emerges at multiple levels and create adaptive systems that are resilient to future challenges. Our approach moves beyond developing transformational individuals, toward creating structures and environments where everyone, regardless of their position, can contribute to driving systemic change. Over time, this shift will result in stronger, future-ready National Societies that are continuously learning and evolving to meet both current and unforeseen future humanitarian needs.

Context

It is tempting to think that there is a direct, linear causality between developing individual leaders and achieving organizational success. In our work we constantly witness that  leaders operate within specific organizational cultures, shaped by long-standing structures, habits, and narratives. Today’s humanitarian challenges are not solved by individuals but by systems and conditions.

Therefore, the primary focus of this strategy is not solely on individual leadership development, but on creating conditions that allow effective leadership to emerge and thrive across the organization. The complex environments in which our National Societies operate demand a shift in focus—from merely developing leaders to building the adaptive and supportive environments that enable leaders to continuously learn, adapt, and have an impact.

With increasing uncertainty and interconnectedness, both in the challenges we face and the opportunities within and beyond our global network of 191 National Societies, it is also essential to examine our governance and systems of decision-making. This includes how strategic decisions are made, who is engaged in these processes and how power is made more inclusive.

Key conditions

This approach builds on our previous research and engagement* with diverse stakeholders, both within and beyond the IFRC Network. Across a substantial number of exercises, research, think tanks, strategic conversations over many years, we have been able to distill several key conditions that could be fostered across National Societies:

Anticipatory, and reflective organizational cultures that call for an organizational mindset that embraces strategic foresight thinking and innovation.

Continuous learning mechanisms and feedback loops that facilitate ongoing learning and adaptation at all levels of the organization.

Impactful governance and systems of decision-making that enable leadership choices which drive change, are anticipatory and adaptive and reflect the knowledge and insights accumulated within the National Society and the Network while remaining responsive to the external environment.

Distributed structures that intentionally share power and knowledge and promote leadership that is shared and collective, allowing for influence and decision-making to happen across hierarchies and functions.

Inclusivity and mental well-being, prioritizing the inclusion of marginalized voices in decision-making processes and recognizing the importance of mental health and well-being for both leaders and their teams.

Embracing uncertainty and fostering new ways of working that challenge the status quo, take risks, innovate and collaborate across sectors and borders to tackle emerging challenges.

By focusing on these conditions, we aim to create environments where leadership is shared, adaptive, and responsive to the dilemmas and complexities of our times.

The role of senior leadership as a key leverage point

While this strategy emphasizes the importance of leadership emerging at all levels, senior leaders have a unique role as enablers of this shift toward adaptive, distributed leadership. Rather than directing all change, they foster an environment where leadership is shared and collective. By modeling trust, innovation and adaptability, senior leaders create enabling structures and cultures that allow leadership to thrive across the organization. 

Their role is not to centralize leadership but to provide space, resources, and support systems that enable others to contribute meaningfully at every level. Their role as mentors is essential in building a sustainable leadership pipeline. Senior leaders have the power to embed these principles into organizational policies and everyday practices.

Principles we believe in

While technical and operational leadership training remains essential, our strategic priority at the IFRC Solferino Academy is to build the conditions necessary for new leadership qualities to emerge and be continuously strengthened. 

Depending on needs, IFRC Solferino Academy proposes leadership development initiatives that can vary in format—from virtual to in-person, from short-term engagements to long-term programs and between. Each initiative is tailored to specific requirements, priorities, and available resources and is designed with adaptability in mind, aligning with the unique goals and time commitments of participating National Societies. This approach ensures that our leadership development offerings remain responsive and unique, meeting National Societies within their own contexts. Our experience has demonstrated that the following leadership learning modalities are among the most impactful and worth strengthening:

Contextual learning

Contextual learning allows leaders to observe, engage, and reflect being in specific environments and contexts. By interacting with diverse settings and transformational journeys, leaders gain insights into the unique factors—cultural, structural, relational—that shape the National Society and its impacts. Leadership and transformation are not exercised in isolation but in dynamic interactions with people, values, and systems. This approach encourages leaders to learn by exploring conditions that enable diverse National Societies to navigate challenges, adapt practices, and foster change in their own ways. Contextual learning fosters reflection and the ability to draw nuanced insights, equipping leaders to be more innovative and sensitive in their environments and roles. (Example: IFRC Solferino Academy Study Tours)

Collaborative and Participatory Learning

Collaborative learning fosters a shared, participatory approach to leadership development, where leaders learn through direct engagement with peers by exploring both theoretical and practical elements of strategic challenges. This modality encourages the co-creation of new knowledge, where leaders collectively explore solutions, share experiences, and build strategies that they can apply in their contexts. Through facilitated group conversations, participants gain deeper insights into each other’s approaches to adaptation and change. Collaborative learning builds trust, strengthens networks, and creates a foundation for ongoing support, enabling leaders to apply and adapt lessons within their own leadership roles. (Example: IFRC Solferino Academy Leadership Bootcamp)

Spaces for sincere dialogue

These trust based spaces prioritize openness, honesty, and support, allowing leaders to connect through unfiltered exchanges of experience. By fostering an environment of peer support, these spaces lay the groundwork for new leadership mindsets where challenging, meaningful conversations can happen. Leaders are encouraged to confront complex issues, bring forward issues where they feel ‘stuck’,  question assumptions, and explore solutions together. In these real and honest spaces, leaders grow not just individually but as a collective.

Adaptive Learning

Adaptive learning ensures that leaders can immediately apply new insights and skills to their specific contexts, enhancing relevance and effectiveness. This modality allows leaders to take what they learn (strategies, frameworks, or new perspectives) and adjust it to meet the unique demands and conditions of their environments. In parallel, adaptive learning means that any approach of the IFRC Solferino Academy will also be responsive. As the world and its challenges evolve, so too do the content, methodologies and insights we bring forward. This commitment to adaptability keeps learning experiences practical and future forward, ensuring leaders are equipped to stay agile amid continuous change. This also means that every learning initiative is uniquely crafted—never to be repeated in the same form—ensuring that our approach remains as dynamic and evolving as the world itself.

Purposeful Provocation

Purposeful provocation brings forward fresh thinkers, innovators, and provocateurs whose ideas challenge conventional thinking and inspire new approaches. By inviting voices from outside and within the IFRC network, we expose leaders to perspectives that disrupt traditional views and offer alternatives. At the same time, we ensure these provocations resonate with the unique realities, values, and mission of our network, making fresh ideas not only inspiring but also applicable and relevant.

Youth and Volunteer-Driven Interventions

These interventions empower emerging leaders to develop and implement innovative approaches, contributing to a future-ready organizational structure. By nurturing youth and volunteer leadership, the IFRC network strengthens its capacity for recharge, resilience and adaptability, ensuring that new ideas and approaches continuously feed into the organization and new leaders are nurtured.

At the core of this strategy is a shift in mindset—from focusing on individual “heroes” to cultivating the collective leadership capacity of our global network. Our goal is to build systems that enable leadership to emerge and thrive at every level, where people work together to anticipate and adapt to future challenges.

How will the success of these approaches be measured?

Success for this work will be evaluated through specific indicators tailored to each initiative, developed in collaboration with the participating National Societies. We want to ensure we measure what truly matters to them. Having said that, there are core elements of success that the IFRC Solferino Academy will track across all initiatives:

Strengthening leadership support networks – a key measure of success will be the extent to which the initiative has fostered lasting peer to peer support networks. This includes assessing whether participants continue to communicate, collaborate, and support each other beyond the initiative. The ongoing exchange of insights, resources, and peer advice will indicate the sustainability of these networks.

Collecting evidence of change – success will also be reflected in the concrete outcomes within National Societies, such as newly developed action plans, strategic frameworks, or other tangible products that demonstrate the initiative’s impact. These outputs will serve as collective evidence of the influence on organizational change and adaptability within the network.

Continuous engagement with the IFRC Solferino Academy – sustained engagement with our offerings is another indicator of success. This could include participation in follow-up initiatives, sharing of stories, or active involvement in ongoing leadership development programs. Continuous engagement will signal that National Societies find value in our work and are committed to practicing new ways of leadership. 

Happy humans – we know we are on the right track if our leaders are genuinely pleased to see us, waving us over for a chat when we meet, sharing stories of how their participation set off a domino effect of positive changes in their National Societies. When happy leaders tell us how the initiative helped them move things forward in tangible ways, inspiring further momentum in their National Societies, it is a sign of a success. 

* Read our Humanitarian Leadership for the Future Report, and our Winds of Change Survey analysis