Courage to Lead®: Nurturing the Heart of the Leader, A Circle of Trust® Retreat Series for Engaged Leaders

The question we most commonly ask is the ‘what’ question - what ideas form the essence of leadership? When the converation goes a bit deeper, we ask the ‘how’ question - what methods and techniques are required to lead well? Occasionally, when it goes deeper still we ask the ‘why’ question - for what purpose or to what ends do we pursue leadership? But seldom, if ever, do we ask the ‘who’ question - who is the self that leads? How does the quality of my selfhood form or deform the way I relate to my colleagues, my work, my world? How can institutions sustain and deepen the selfhood from which good leadership comes? 

~ Dr. Parker J. Paker, in The Courage to Teach

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Courage to Lead® is a year-long program of quarterly retreats designed for the personal and professional renewal of a cross-professional audience. Courage to Lead focuses on moving beyond the "what" and "how" questions of leadership to the "who" questions. It is rooted in the belief that effective and excellent leadership flow from the identity and integrity of the individual.
 

Courage to Lead focuses on

• Renewing heart, mind, and spirit as leaders explore the inner landscape of their lives.
• Discovering connections between the inner dimension of the leader’s life and identifying ways in which these connections empower the leader to lead with integrity at home, work, and in the world.
• Acknowledging and honoring a leader’s gifts, strengths, and limits which equips her/him to lead with greater authenticity and courage.
• Welcoming all people in the fullness of their lives to co-create a diverse, compassionate community dedicated to sharing and holding each leader’s story.
• Co-creating safe, confidential spaces for learning and growing together, in solitude and community.
• Inviting leaders to process personal and professional experiences. This offers the leader insight into who she/he is, thereby increasing capacity for self-awareness, self-managment, deep listening, living and leading from core values, and building trustworthy relationships.

Courage & Renewal® in Michigan Since 1995, thousands of educators and leaders in varied fields have participated in Courage to Teach®, Courage to Lead®, and Circle of Trust® introductory retreats and retreat series. This internationally recognized work was developed over 25 years ago in Southwest Michigan with the support of The Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo, MI.

Courage to Lead: Nurturing the Heart of the Leader, a seasonal retreat series, began in 2003. Retruring again and again to a Circle of Trust retreat has afforded these engaged individuals a time and place for respite, restoration, and opportunities to engage in inner work.

Welcome to Courage to Lead!
 

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Retreat leadership by Courage & Renewal® facilitators
Caren Dybek & Sarah Hescheles

Registration Information

Learn more about the Circle of Trust® approach and the Center for Courage & Renewal.