The Leadership Development Course aims to train new leaders in EMI. A member of our team shares her experience of the course so far.
Briefly describe the aim and format of the course.
One of the core values of EMI is discipleship. Each office has learnt how to train interns and staff in various skills, but as offices have been growing, there was a need to train people in leadership roles as well. EMI Global initiated a leadership development course, bringing together 16 select individuals from different offices to participate in a 12-month long training in a cohort style setup. The training focuses on the foundations of leadership (character, values, identity, attitudes), skills required for leadership, and deepening connections with peers in the cohort.
What topics of the course have been most interesting to you?
‘Developing the Inner World’ was the topic I found most interesting. It focused on character development. We learnt about the different postures we bring in different situations, we thought through which rhythms bring us life, we deepened our understanding of our core identity and we worked on developing a work-life balance. These things keep us healthy, to build others and ourselves up.
What are some of the highlights of the cohort meet in Spain?
The team of 16 people has been meeting online on zoom calls since May 2021. It was exciting to meet most of them in person, and get to know them personally. It was also special to get to know and spend time with the training facilitators. Meeting EMI people from other offices, making connections, and learning from each other is always a highlight for me.
In what ways has the course challenged you?
The EMI Leadership model focuses on four quadrant areas – Envision, Manage, Care and Develop. Each quadrant has a few sub-categories that help further explain the topic. I have now been learning and growing in these areas of leadership that I was previously unaware of. Being a designer comes naturally to me, but I am now learning ways to develop people skills. I'm learning what to focus on and what to let go of, how to zoom in and out in various situations. Another challenging aspect is time. This course is quite intensive, so taking time out of my busy schedule has been pushing me to be more efficient in managing it.
How will this course help you grow in your role at the organisation?
With this new position of Deputy Director of Design has come more responsibility. The timing of this training could not have been more perfect. Developing the skills of reflection, analyzing and evaluating, learning from my peers, and thinking more deeply will help me to grow into a better leader, to be able to understand others better, and to be able to serve in a deeper way.
Deputy Director, EMI India