Dear Fellow Social Service Leaders,
Letter to Social Service Leaders # 1
As we come to the close of the year, we can say that we have strengthened the foundation for the nurturing of leaders for our sector. Our sector is growing fast. And as leaders, we need to be able to know what is changing and how to be adaptive in such situations. We have arrived at where we are today with some assets. This is due partly to the capacity we have built a decade ago through the Social Service sabbatical leave scheme and a few other programs which are aimed at the ongoing and sustained development of leaders. Through it, we now have more than two hundred leaders who have benefited from the approach.
Expanded horizons for learning
The sabbatical scheme provides flexible resources that permit each individual person to identify how best to advance his / her learning goals and to take charge of advancing his / her knowledge and skills. While we often associate sabbaticals with taking a break, many of the leaders in the scheme use the gift of time away from the day-to-day demands of work to broaden their horizons, break out of familiar patterns, and expose themselves to new ideas and approaches. We cannot overstate the value of these experiences. These leaders return reinvigorated, refreshed, and energized. They bring back new ways of thinking and doing to their organizations, and hopefully amplifying the benefits of the sabbatical. In a sense, there is no better empowering support than to offer trusted participants the resources, freedom, and support to address their leadership aspirations in ways that work best for them.
Coaching and mentoring for customizing
At its core and at its best, coaching is a highly customized activity that considers a leader’ s particular skills, context, and opportunities. With the guidance and support of a good mentor, leaders can realize their full potential. Such relationships if well developed can have significant payoffs even though they are time-intensive and can be more expensive than group training. In the
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