How do you lead an organization stuck between an ending and a new beginning—when the old way of doing things no longer works but a way forward is not yet clear? Such in-between times are called liminal seasons—threshold times when the continuity of tradition disintegrates and uncertainty about the future fuels doubt and chaos. In a liminal season it simply is not helpful to pretend we understand what needs to happen next. But leaders can still lead.
Liminal seasons call for a different kind of leadership presence, one that connects the soul of leaders with the soul of the institution. Participants at this event will:
- Enter a three-way conversation engaging God, the soul of the leader, and the soul of the institution.
- Examine the leadership challenges and opportunities inherent in liminal seasons.
- Explore three fundamental shifts in orientation that invite a more soulful leadership presence. (From knowing to unknowing, from advocating to attending, from striving to surrender.)
- Understand four bodies of work that help to connect mission, vision and values with the soul of the organization: deepening group discernment, shaping institutional memory, clarifying purpose, and engaging emergence.
Renown consultant and author Susan Beaumont will provide a guide for leading in a liminal season followed by a time of Q&A facilitated by Sarah Drummond, Founding Dean of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School.