U Theory Experience
Dear Variant Strategies Community,
Last month, Variant Strategies’ Abby Goldberg was awarded a scholarship to attend a leadership and systems transformation workshop hosted by the Presencing Institute at MIT in Querétaro, Mexico. The convening brought together approximately 250 Latin American leaders across civil society, government, and social change sectors: offering valuable insights that continue to inform Variant Strategies' own research and program development. I knew it was the right place when I went online to apply and saw boxes for every country participants were coming from—except the United States!
The U Theory of Leadership, developed by Otto Scharmer at the Presencing Institute, offers a compelling framework for deep systemic change: one that resonates with Variant Strategies’ values and approach to community-based research, strategy, and narrative design. It’s called “U Theory” because the process is visualized as a "U"-shaped journey that leaders and organizations take to shift from reactive responses to co-creative, forward-thinking action.
The U Theory proposes that in order to lead transformational change, individuals and organizations must go through a process of:
Co-Initiating (Open Mind) – Observing reality without judgment, listening deeply to others and the system. This stage requires suspending old habits of thought and seeing with fresh eyes.
Co-Sensing (Open Heart) – Immersing oneself in the system to sense the whole. This means connecting with deeper sources of insight, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
Presencing (Open Will) – The bottom of the U. A space of stillness, reflection, and inner knowing. Here, leaders connect to their highest future potential, not just reacting to past patterns.
Co-Creating – Rapid prototyping of emerging ideas that align with that future potential. Leaders begin to act in alignment with what is emerging, not just what has been.
Co-Evolving – Embedding the new in the larger system through continuous learning, iteration, and collaboration.
As Variant Strategies continues to explore frameworks that center equity, inclusion, and interdependence, U Theory's invitation to move from ego to eco deeply echoes our mission of uplifting community wisdom and designing strategy that supports systemic transformation. It means transitioning from self-centered leadership to leadership that serves the well-being of all stakeholders. Despite the progressive framing of U Theory, one glaring omission persisted: women were not referenced at all during the 6–8 hours of lectures on leadership. Abby directly addressed this gap with Otto Scharmer, initiating a critical conversation around the theory’s blind spots and the importance of inclusive leadership narratives; a conversation we hope will continue to evolve.
In addition to the lectures and workshops, perhaps the most transformative part of the experience were the daily Quechua ceremonies led by the extraordinary Coral Herencia of Peru. She seamlessly translated the content of the leadership model into indigenous practice, honoring her elders, ancestors, mother earth (“Madre Tierra” or “Pachamama"), and rebirth, all while breastfeeding her own baby (with her partner by her side). This was a new vision of what a healthy, equal, and sustainable future could look like for me. It was extremely moving. To listen to Coral’s beautiful voice and words, check her out here.
Gracias Lorena Guille, President of the Fundacion FEMSA and former Advisor to Variant, for making this experience possible!
Program Update: Expanding “We Have Rights”
Variant Strategies is excited to share that we are exploring an expansion of the We Have Rights campaign—a multimedia initiative created to empower immigrants with critical knowledge of their rights in moments of crisis. Originally launched in 2018 in partnership with the ACLU, this animated video series used community-informed scripting to demystify encounters with ICE and law enforcement.
Since the beginning of this current Trump era, the existing videos—distributed with minimal promotion—have been viewed over 65 million times in the last 4 months! This organic reach underscores the ongoing demand for accessible, rights-based content.
In 2025, we are beginning exploratory work on three potential new videos focused on additional contexts where immigrant rights are often misunderstood or denied:
Workplaces
Schools
Border zones
As always, our process centers impacted communities, legal expertise, and cultural relevance. We look forward to sharing more as this work progresses and welcome your engagement once these new tools are ready for release.
Together, these experiences—whether in a global convening on transformative leadership or in the grassroots creation of rights-based media—remind us of the power of listening, storytelling, and collective vision. We remain committed to walking alongside the communities we serve, drawing inspiration from both ancestral wisdom and innovative frameworks to imagine and build a more just future. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.
