The principle of  volunteer leadership were based on the research that came out for the MDM projects, as well as intense feedbacks and discussion with the community. Reps decided that they need to lead by example and follow the leadership agreements in order to fulfill their community coordinator role.  Current reps guidelines are therefore based on the leadership agreements. 

Go ahead and read the agreement, we will wait for you:

Leadership By Design: Shared Agreements

For the purpose of this document instead of using the term “leader” we will be referring to “coordinating roles” meaning anytime someone is in a role where they are responsible for coordinating the activities or actions of others.

1. Where people hold coordinating roles, they should be reviewed regularly

• This creates opportunities for new, diverse leaders to emerge
• Ensures continuous support from the communities they serve
• Prevents toxic individuals from maintaining power indefinitely
• Creates space for individuals to receive feedback and support to better thrive in their role

2. Responsibilities should be clearly communicated and distributed

• Creates more opportunities for more people
• Avoids gatekeeping and power accumulation
• Reduces burnout and over reliance on an individual by sharing accountability
• Creates leadership pathways for new people
• Potentially increases diversity
• An emphasis on responsibility over title avoids unnecessary “authority labels”

3. When people are in a coordinating role, they should abide by standards, and be accountable for fulfilling their responsibilities

• This builds confidence and support for individuals and these roles from community members and staff
• Ensures that everyone has shared clarity on expectations and success
• Creates an environment where the CPG is applied consistently
• Increases the consistency in roles across the org

4. People in coordinating roles should follow and model Mozilla’s diversity & inclusion values

• Creates a culture of inclusion that invites participation from new voices
• Encourages the inclusion of diverse voices and groups
• Creates an environment where the CPG is applied consistently
• Enables leadership pathways that explicitly consider inclusion dimensions

5. People with coordinating roles should be supported and recognized in a set of standard ways across Mozilla

• Enables people to have equal access to training and growth opportunities regardless of what part of the org they contribute to
• Allows people to follow their passions/skills instead of just reward
• Roles have clear definitions and avoid labels that create authority feeling.
• We get shared understandings of the kinds of responsibilities that exist.