Our session on “Self-Leadership” began in the morning with a bus trip to the City Mission of Schenectady where participants of the Institute got to hear from staff members of the Mission team on their traumatic journey to the Mission and how they are using what they learned as residents to give back to the community.  We also heard from staff who serve as “navigators” to the services found at the Mission and in the community (e.g., food, mental health, and child protective services).  Participants gained insights from the Mission team on how best to deal with members of their communities who have suffered trauma.  After getting a tour of the Mission’s facilities and residences, we did a debrief on how to partner with the Mission in supporting people in trauma.  Again, thanks to Mike and his team for sharing their experience with the group.

After returning to the Century House, executive coach and trainer Nessa Kiely led us in discussion on the use of the DiSC personality assessment to inform our leadership styles.  We went through a series of exercises within our parish teams and throughout the whole group to gain additional insights into how we can partner with others to drive change and progress in a productive fashion.  Participants were given a personalized DiSC score to use in their work and keys to how they can best work with others in the community who may have a different leadership style.  For future sessions, we hope that the insights gained here will allow every member of the Institute to become more effective in managing teams and organizations to deliver services in their communities, particularly to those members who have experienced trauma.