I recently caught up with Dean Banks (FIML, CPBP, MISCP, MBPsyS) the Leadership Strategy Leader and Leadership & PD Manager for the Seventh-day Adventist Church South Pacific Division (SPD), and asked him what is happening in the leadership space in the Adventist Church. Following is a summary of recent and planned activities that Dean shared with me.
At the end of last year, the SPD ratified an SPD wide-leadership strategy. The strategy involves a three-step model:
- Create a Leadership Success Blueprint
- Assess leaders against this blueprint
- Tailor a range of growth activities to bridge the gaps.
We like John Maxwell’s quote says Dean – ‘leadership is knowing the way, going the way and showing the way’. In other words, we’re very clear about our mission and vision, we model the way through our behaviour and actions, and we enable people with the skills and knowledge to get there: Most importantly we’re God-centred and continuously growing ourselves and those we lead.
Numerous planned initiatives and pilot programs are underway to test the model steps, stretch leader’s mindsets and teach them how to build a performance culture by holding people accountable. If successful, it’s planned to duplicate these programs each year. These include a:
- SPD Leadership Development pilot program for two groups of 12 leaders (March 2021 – December 2021), involving 360-degree assessment, individual development plans, mentoring, monthly professional coaching, quarterly workshops & an external leadership course
- Monthly Leadership Roundtable Pilot program (Sept 2021 – Dec 2021) for two groups of 12 leaders bringing together a meeting of minds to solve collective professional issues they’re facing. Each session involves formulating Action plans with a business coaching session in between meetings
- SDA Global Leadership Institute – selecting 120 SPD leaders to be part of an intensive highly experiential 4-day pilot Leadership program focusing on key leadership challenges across the SPD.
If you’d like to hear about and be involved with ongoing opportunities, subscribe to the SPD Leadership monthly communique by contacting Grace Millar at [email protected].