World Relief and the Hope program recognize that leadership is fluid and evolving. As such, there is no set of effective skills that can be marshaled to address every leadership challenge. However, leaders can develop a set of competencies that allow for flexibility and provide a solid foundation from which to meet the complex demands of their positions. The goal of this program is to address several of these foundational issues so that Hope leaders have the skills to tackle upcoming challenges.
Staff who have taken part in previous leadership development courses will receive ongoing coaching, as well as support to take on roles mentoring and assisting new leaders with their growth. Training sessions will focus on the following topics:
- Critical Thinking Skills
- Decision Making Skills
- Effective Communication
- Strategic Thinking
- Managing Oneself
- Creating High-performing Teams
Workshops are designed to create a unique learning environment where concepts are presented and participants are challenged to develop them into practical strategies on an individual and team level. The workshop format facilitates a self and team discovery process that elevates critical thinking and creates a community dialogue that can continue after the workshop concludes.
Additionally, a sizeable portion of the training will again be devoted to establishing a coaching and mentoring program. The coaching sessions provide an opportunity for the participants to share struggles, successes and solutions in a private and confidential manner. The coach’s responsibility is to guide the participants through a reflective process resulting in commitment to a concrete action plan. The coaching session plays a critical role in building on the transformational learning foundation, which is established through pre-work and workshop events. Coaching will take place between the workshop facilitator and both new and old trainees, as well as between Khmer staff in different management tiers.
World Relief believes that it is possible to see a measurable increase in staff capacity after individuals attend these trainings. This belief is supported by evidence from prior trainings; staff who participated in the first round of leadership development training have shown consistent increased aptitude for developing an organizational pilot program, addressing leadership challenges, and taking over additional responsibilities.
There are a variety of ways to capture the progress of each individual in this program. One particular method is to examine the success of mentoring relationships between senior and lower level staff members. During these training sessions, this will be an important indicator of success for each participant, as it is a key component of the learning process for senior staff.
Outputs for the leadership development program include the following. First, participants should be able to identify and manage personal behavioral strengths and talents. Second, through better decision-making the participants will develop more high performing teams that are directed by excellent plans created from creative thinking skills. Third, through enhanced critical thinking skills, the participants will have the ability to solve problems from the root cause instead of wasting time on solutions to that do not address the true problem. Fourth, participants will know how to be an effective communicator so their teams/departments will have improved performance through enhanced communication. Finally, the training aims to increase the effectiveness of decision-making , which dramatically improves operational efficiencies, employee morale, and partner/donor relationships.