In early fall of 2012, Kerusso was introduced to Mission to the Blind headquartered in Chennai, India. The organization was facing many difficult challenges. In a span of one month, their beloved founder died, and then one of the members in their top management team was tragically killed in a train accident. When we walked into their headquarters in November 2012, it was a company still in mourning.
After assessing MTB’s organizational and individual participant’s situation, Kerusso recommended an 8-month development process. During this 8-month process, we would have three workshops, three individual coaching sessions, and a live project.
MTB selected 15 of their top managers to attend the leadership development process.
Workshop 1 opened with Crisis of Leadership in which we described the need for leaders in organizations, assessed individual leadership skills, and performed a GAP analysis of the type of leadership that MTB needs to succeed.
Workshop 2 focused on Servant Leadership and Teams. We described the tenants of servant leadership and how it relates to effective teamwork. We also introduced them to personality identity through the DISC assessment.
Workshop 3 tackled Organizational Ethics. How leaders need to avoid the shadows of leadership such as abuse of power and privileges in order for the organization to be the vision of success and not individual performance.
The live project was connecting MTB to a new potential funding source with an organization in Hong Kong.
During each visit, Jay also had individual coaching sessions with each participant. This was a vital part of the development as the next stage of the project was helping identify the future executive team.
After the eight-month process was finished, MTB asked Kerusso to help with the succession planning. After MTB’s experiences in 2012, they knew it was important to develop a team of future executive leaders. Through looking at Kerusso’s assessments of the individuals, MTB selected five participants to take part in the second phase of the leadership development process.
Starting in November 2013, these five participants:
A. Attended three one-day workshops on specific topics that they needed to grow in their leadership.
1. November 2013- Strategic Communication
2. March 2014- Enduring Organization- Strategic Planning
3. June 2014 (Upcoming)- Board Communication
B. Have access to Jay and Dr. Paul Swamidass to ask him questions via one-on-one and email.
C. Worked in an executive team format during the workshops to encourage a bond with the top management team.
As the second workshop ended last month, it was apparent God had done something awesome in our midst. The team had bonded and was full of confidence. The next executive director had been chosen and the future again looks exciting for MTB as they serve the blind throughout India and Nepal.
From Jeya, National Executive Director of MTB:
“Dear Jay,
We thoroughly enjoyed the sessions with you and Dr Swamidass yesterday. It was indeed a great blessing to meeting you again and to learn from you. Over the past one and half years (since November 2012), you have contributed very significantly in developing the upcoming leaders of MTB. You have helped us to exercise our minds over issues analytically, at the same time based on Bible truths. Yesterday’s enduring organisations presentation was very helpful to me personally. You made us to see the word `endure’ in a different light.”
Thank you for your continued support of Kerusso. Our prayer is that you see our work as not just a training, but a full development of leaders’ skills and their empowerment as a spiritual leader that leads to the success of an organization that brings God glory.
