Inside The Shift: Our Team, Our Values, Our Movement (Vol. 2, No. 1)

By Andrew Vidales

The Shift | Vol. 2, No. 1 – The Unfinished Work: Pushing Forward to a Collective Future

Resilience by Design

January is the month that calls for reflection, and more importantly, resolve.

In celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded that progress is not inevitable and justice is never certain. The work remains unfinished. At LeadersUp, we don’t shy away from that truth – we build ourselves to last within it.

For us, resilience isn’t a function of individual stamina. It’s about systems, practices, and values that enable us to persist together. In this time of resistance and backlash, our anchor has been the commitment we made to Normalizing Safety, Equitable Opportunity, and Shared Power. These are not aspirational terms; they are our operational guideposts. They inform how we lead, how we partner, and importantly, how we maintain momentum without sacrificing our humanity.

Our internal practice that keeps us grounded is our shared leadership culture. Through intentional learning arcs, reflection spaces, and collective decision-making, we’ve built a team that sees resilience as a shared responsibility. This has enabled us to transcend compliance in the direction of care; conditions that enable our people to show up fully, think critically, and lead courageously. At a time when burnout is tragically prevalent across movements, this discipline matters.

We are already embodying the future we look to build. Our work this past year, in youth-centered policy design and cross-sector collaboration, demonstrates what happens when rigor meets a sense of belonging. The Policy Roundtable Series and the launch of the LAEEA Policy Agenda demonstrated that when we design systems with BIPOC young adults at the center, the results are sharper, equitable, and more durable. This is not symbolic inclusion; it’s structural leadership.

We are reminded by history that movements that can sustain change – civil rights, labor organizing, global climate change, among all – share one characteristic: they manage urgency with discipline. They construct infrastructure, grow leaders, and invest in relationships that can withstand setbacks. And that blueprint remains a recipe for our success. LeadersUp isn’t in pursuit of short-term wins; we are building a resilient intermediary designed to align efforts into a collective force.

Our charge is clear as we enter a new year. The demographic engine of America’s future is already here, and the systems designed to support it must evolve. That takes leaders, partners, and supporters who are willing to stand firm over time.

Our call to action is this: join us in the unfinished business. Commit your partnership, your resources, and your voice in building a fair, adaptable, and strong economy – one built to last. Together, we keep moving forward: not because the work is easy, but because it is necessary.

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Andrew Vidales is the Head of People & Culture at LeadersUp, driving organizational development and building inclusive, future-fit leaders.