2011 Year of Momentum

2011 was a year of momentum – building on and increasing the results we have been producing. It was a time to pick up speed, be a bit more daring, and share our accomplishments more widely. In momentum, work produces results with less effort. It was not a time to relax, however, but to build on our strengths and keep delivering on our promises.

Below are some of our major accomplishments in 2011:

• Our proudest accomplishment is the graduation of the first cohort of the School for Leadership! All 18 participants successfully completed the demanding three-year curriculum – including annually the Foundations of Transformational Leadership, a five-day residential program; a three-day Leadership Clinic in their region; an ongoing practicum or field project supplemented by regular work with a designated coach; a quarterly three-hour dialogue call; and ongoing work in their Regional Learning Communities.


• Designed an ontological graduation exercise consistent with the principles and structure of the School. The completed exercise was summarized in a book which was presented to the graduates at the local graduation ceremonies they designed and conducted for their families and friends.


• During the year, each cohort apprenticed as Mastery Foundation program leaders as part of their further training and development. The seven members of the Irish group worked on enrollment and production and were part of the leader team for the Ireland Intensive in May. In Israel, the seven members of Aldiwan enrolled the participants in the first, developmental Intensive there and then produced and led with the senior leaders. And in the United States, the four participants were part of the leader team for two Making a Difference workshops.


• Continued to develop the Coaching Program as one of the core elements of the three-year curriculum. In addition to each participant having an assigned coach for the academic year, the coaches held regular calls to develop their skills and their fluency in the distinctions being taught and applied in the school.


• Designed and produced two, three-hour Leadership Dialogues for the participants, one on authenticity and one on completion. These international conference calls are part of the curriculum of the school and are held during those quarters of the academic year when there is no residential offering. Almost all our School Builders and Sponsors joined the dialogue call on completion which marked the official graduation of the first cohort.


• Two distinctions central to the offerings of the School were professionally recorded and offered to participants. These audio offerings are part of the library of more than 50 distinctions being developed by the faculty.


• Compiled and completed a production handbook and checklist for all Mastery Foundation programs, including the offerings of the school. These documents will continue to be used, tested, and refined as a way of insuring consistency and a professional level of production and support in all our programs.


• Reworked the design of the Foundations of Transformational Leadership, the five-day residential program for year one of the curriculum, based on what we learned when we first offered it in 2008.


• Fourteen new participants began the second three-year term of the School in November. In this Second Cohort, six participants are from Northern Ireland and Ireland, four participants are from Israel, and four participants are from the United States.