Friday 31 October 2008

Next Level Leadership

I've just come back from a trip to Toronto, Canada.

I went to participate in a 'Leadership Intensive' run by Next Level Leadership, a leadership programme devised for Christian women leaders in Canada.

It was my first visit to North America, so first impressions included the amount of space everywhere, driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, and that I sounded different from everyone else!

But I was really impressed with the thinking and skilled facilitation of NLL. I was doing the first module of 4, 'Foundations of Leadership', which in two packed days covered a whole variety of issues and topics, all in a great atmosphere, a wonderful mix of the spiritual and the skilful.

Next Level Leadership's Mission is: 'We build leadership confidence in women by... integrating leadership development and Christ-centred spirituality.' Their research has shown that women need help with developing in the areas of competence, character, and most of all, confidence, so the module focused on these three areas.

Plenty for me to ponder, both for my individual journey and as a possible tool for use this side of the pond. And what do you think? Do you like the idea of a leadership programme specifically for women? It's not, as sometimes happens, a tool for women who are going to lead only women, but a safe place for women to come together and learn in a way which suits women. It was very 'intensive'! But in two days it gave a unique opportunity for learning new skills, finding new ideas, and provided a climate for potentially life-changing learning.

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