The third in our suite of Leadership Development trainings, Strategic Leadership is for board members, staff, program council members, ministry executive teams, finance committees, bylaws review committees, strategic planning committees, committees on ministry and any other leaders who need to think strategically.
You will:
- gain a deeper understanding of how to focus your congregation on mission, by building trust
- learn to develop a cohesive leadership team
- learn about stewardship
- learn about strategic planning
- explore annual goal setting and ministry assessment
- learn the basics of congregational governance.
Training materials are divided into modules, available “on demand” as pre-recorded presentations with additional reading materials, discussion questions and other resources. The materials in each module take 60-90 minutes to complete. Additional time for discussion questions and activities can be managed by your learning team.
Leadership Development Teams!
Each module has discussion questions (and sometimes activities) that you can use in person so your leaders can learn together and build deeper relationships and trust. The Facilitators monitor and respond to the discussion threads.
This training works best for people who have a grounding in systems thinking, including but not limited to
- Centered Leadership 100/101,
- Healthy Congregations®
- Regional Leadership School/Experience or equivalent
- Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times by Peter Steinke
- Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows
- The Whole Church by Ken Reeves
Module 1: Serving the Mission
• UU Leadership Institute Covenant
• Serving the Mission
• Accountability to the Mission
• Making Room at the Table for All
• Know Your Community, Define Your Mission (Alban)
• Clarity of Roles in a Congregation
• Governance and Ministry (Dan Hotchkiss)
• Using the RACI as a Leadership Team
Module 2: Strong Leadership Team Formation
• Strong Leadership Teams
• The Need for Vulnerability
• The Need for Trust
• The Anatomy of Trust – Brené Brown
• Qualities of an Effective Team
• What Makes A Team Cohesive? (Patrick Lencioni)
• The Psychology Behind How Google Builds the Perfect Team
Module 3: Serving with Depth, Part 1
• Inner Voice/Honest Questions (Stephen Lewis, Center for Courage & Renewal)
• “Circle of Trust” Touchsontes (Parker Palmer)
• Being Present
• Open and Honest Questions
Module 4: Leading Change, Transforming Conflict
• Change and Innovation
• Rollercoaster of Change (Gil Rendle)
• Everett Rogers Curve of Innovation
• Adaptive Approaches to Change
• The Shape of Adaptive Challenges (Sue Phillips)
• The Zone of Productive Disequilibrium (Sue Phillips)
• Creative Conflict
• Leading in Emotional Systems (Peter Steinke)
• The Need for Creative Conflict
Module 5: Providing for the Future
• The Importance of Shared Ministry
• Sharing the Ministry (Melissa Carvill-Ziemer)
• Shared Ministry Is Good for All Congregations (Ryn Nasser, Alban Inst.)
• Stewardship, Generosity and Gratitude
• Thinking Strategically (Gil Rendle)
• Goals and Assessment
• Celebrating the Wins
• Your Turn!
Module 6: Serving with Depth, Part 2
• No Fixing, Saving, Advising or Correcting
• Turning to Wonder (Ken Saxon, Center for Courage & Renewal)
• If Only We Would Listen (Parker Palmer)
Module 7: We’re Better Together
• The Cambridge Platform (Joan VanBecelaere)
• Congregational Polity & the Myth of Congregational Autonomy (Sue Phillips)
• Covenant and the Wider UUA
• The Annual Program Fund (Dori Davenport Thexton)
• Clusters: Congregations Working Together
• Cluster Development
• Building Diversity by Developing Cultural Agility
• Welcome and Inclusion (Janice Marie Johnson)
• Practicing Intercultural Agility
• Honoring Other Cultures in Worship (Gail Forsyth-Vail)
• Try This Out at Home!
Module 8: Good Governance
• How to be a Great Board Member
• Congregational Bylaws
• Fiduciary Duties of a Board (Larry Ladd)
• The Job of the Board (Dan Hotchkiss)
• Generative Conversations
• What’s Next: More Board Resources
This training is team-taught by various UUA Congregational Life Staff, and facilitated by members of the UUA Congregational Life Staff LeaderLab design team”
(Note: The Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kūpono Kwong also helped to create this training.)
