Leah JM Dean, author and executive coach, will be the featured speaker at the Adventist Women Leaders luncheon on Jan. 11, 2023.
How do leaders maximize strengths and manage weaknesses?
“As leaders, especially Christian leaders, God has literally handed us the keys to be able to impact destinies,” says Leah JM Dean, executive coach, author, and speaker.
Dean will be the featured speaker at the next Adventist Women Leaders Luncheon, to be held on Jan. 11, 2023, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event will be held in conjunction with the North American Division Adventist Ministries Convention. This in-person event is part of the organization’s response to member requests for more mentoring, coaching, tools, and resources.
Dean, a Seventh-day Adventist who hails from Bermuda, spent 20 years working in human resources, including for global corporations, before opening her consulting firm, Conduit International Ltd.
“To be a great leader, we first have to believe in our value. That we are designed for a unique purpose and that our daily decisions, actions, and conversations we have can impact lives for years to come,” Dean says. "Leadership is not about knowing it all and doing it all, it's about allowing God to help us be conduits to unleash the greatness in others."
Her workshop during the luncheon will focus on leveraging strengths to maximize your leadership. The plan is to share personalized insights on how to use your natural talents and manage potential weaknesses.
“When God created us, He customized each person, giving individual strengths to each of us,” says Wendy Eberhardt, vice president for Ministries at NAD and chair of the AWL committee. “Take this opportunity to invest in learning how to use those strengths to grow the kingdom of God.”
The luncheon and leadership workshop are being offered to women who serve as presidents, administrators, department directors, associates and assistants, and ministry leaders of Adventist organizations.
"Leah Dean is amazing," says Brenda Dickerson, Communication director for the Mid-America Union and a member of the AWL committee, which is planning the luncheon. "I learned so much from her presentation during the Virtual Mentor Series, and I can't wait to learn more and be encouraged and inspired toward better leadership during the luncheon in January."
AWL held its first luncheon in conjunction with the 2019 Adventist Ministries Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The inaugural event was attended by more than 90 women.
One attendee had this to say: “Thank you so much for doing this. It opened my eyes about how to relate better to the people I work with and has given me tools that I can use to improve in my leadership. I’m so glad I came!”
AWL founder and director Celeste Ryan Blyden said women have been asking when the next luncheon would occur.
"We're so happy to be able to offer another opportunity for women to come together to network, fellowship, and talk about how to maximize our leadership potential for God's glory," says Blyden, executive secretary of the Columbia Union.
— Michele Joseph is managing editor of Adventist Women Leaders newsletter.
About the Luncheon
Do you know your top five leadership strengths? How can you leverage them for effective leadership in your life, work and ministry? And how can you manage the weaknesses that hamper your growth and success?
Join Adventist Women Leaders on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, for a “lunch and learn” experience at the Adventist Ministries Convention in Greensboro, North Carolina. At this special event, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Meet and fellowship with women leaders from across North America;
- Receive a personalized report about your top five strengths and engage in activities and discussions designed to enhance your understanding of your outcomes; and
- Take home books and tools to help you maximize your leadership potential.
The cost is $40 per person and includes a buffet lunch, a StrengthFinders assessment and report, presentations and activities, and books and resources for each participant.
About Adventist Women Leaders
Adventist Women Leaders (AWL) is a community that seeks to connect, affirm and support women who serve in leadership capacities for Seventh-day Adventist Church organizations. What started with a lunch for 15 women gathered in a conference room at the North American Division Year-end Meeting in October 2017, has blossomed into a global community of more than 300 women leaders. In October 2022, AWL joined the NAD Women’s Ministries department, providing a place for the initiative to grow, reach, and serve more women leaders with resources, events, and mentoring opportunities.To learn more about Adventist Women Leaders, visit www.adventistwomenleaders.com. Subscribe to the AWL newsletter at www.adventistwomenleaders.com/newsletter.