The movement toward greater communication, cooperation, and collaboration that is bringing the "global village" closer together has been in process for many years and has involved many men, women, and youngsters.

This same movement is now visable in the men’s communities. The first official meeting of the Men’s Leader Council in the Greater SF Bay Area came in April of 2010 at the end of the 4th annual multi-circle spring event called Circles of Men (COM IV).  

The COM spring events grew out of the Reachout Program that took root in the MDI men's organization in 2002, created by Randall Cunningham. Randy Listman managed this program in the greater SF bay area by reaching out to the men's groups outside of MDI and creating an inter-circle team of representatives to explore the possibilities of men's circles moving out of the old paradigm of doing their men's work separately and isolated from other men's circles.

In 2006 the Reachout Team invited the leaders of the willing circles to a dinner and a brainstorming meeting. Each man stated his circle's purpose. All were moved by the commonality of purpose expressed with different words. This raised the question, What's Next for the men's movement? The answer was "let's bring the men together and see what happens". COM I was a one evening event in the hills overlooking the Bay Area. 145 men from various circles got to play together, re-new old relationships, and form new ones. In small groups made up of men from different circles they discussed what was special about their circle and what could use some tweeking.

In the final circle up around the fire, there was an enthusiastic consensus that the men wanted more of this experience of communicating, cooperating, and collaborating with men whose organizations were founded on a similar purpose: "Embrace, support, improve men, families, and communities." This new paradigm gained momentum with each subsequent COM spring event.

After three summit meetings of the leaders and 2 years of work by the steering committee, we now have the Men’s Leader Council. The Leader Council meets monthly, at least once per quarter in person and otherwise by conference call.  The facilitation of the Council rotates every three or four months.  Each member circle has a representative and one vote.  Decisions are made by unanimous vote; no organization's objections are rolled over. Men's organizations that orient around the themes of growth and consciousness are welcome to apply for membership.