Church leader receives the training needed to be an even more effective leader

The Client

Esther Prior, at the time of writing, is a church minister leading St John’s Church in Cove, Guildford Diocese.

Born in Malawi and raised in Zimbabwe, Esther relocated to the UK in 1999 where she undertook theological training at Trinity College, Bristol before her ordination in 2003.

Having worked in various religious settings since coming to the UK, Esther has dedicated her life to serving her God. As a minister she provides a comprehensive range of religious services for groups and individuals, leading Church members but also serving the wider church in a variety of ways.

From being involved with secondary school chaplaincy to working in a Young Offender’s Institute, Esther has provided religious leadership in wide variety of ways.

As part of her commitment to religious leadership, Esther has undertaken a number of leadership training courses since relocating to the UK.

In 2005, Esther experienced an 18-month training course that was designed specifically for Christian leaders and other influential individuals working within religious environments.

The programme provided her with more advanced leadership training that could help her direct and assist church-goers, while maintaining and promoting important Christian messages.

Esther has also enjoyed intensive personal discipleship and leadership courses, including a three-day Windsor Personal Development Programme that helped her learn important action learning sets and techniques crucial to her work.

These training courses combined with general skills development sessions has given Esther the knowledge and understanding needed to work within more senior level leadership roles.

The LMI Effective Personal Leadership Programme

Selected not just for the content, but for the way the concepts and information are delivered, the Effective Personal Leadership programme has taught Esther the invaluable skills needed to make her an even more efficient and effective leader.

Delivered by Jersey-based Leadership Management International-UK Director Tim Neill, the programme has helped Esther become a more creative problem-solver and shown her how to face and overcome issues by tackling them head on.

The goal-focussed leadership development programme has given Esther the motivation and focus needed to progress with her training and discover the effective techniques needed to become a senior level leader.

The flexibility of the programme made it the perfect solution for Esther’s extremely busy lifestyle, allowing her to listen to important information remotely and fit in the necessary revision around her schedule. Being able to listen to the audio files whilst cooking or driving proved a significant aid to the retention of information and make valuable use of commuting time.

The continued support and experience of Tim Neill meant that Esther received the quality support needed to write affirmations and establish goals that would encourage personal development and growth.

The Benefits

The programme has helped Esther re-focus her energy, giving her a positive outlook on running a team, which has been invaluable preparation for her next role as leader of a larger church.

With an increased focus on goal-setting and working towards pre-established targets, the EPL programme has improved her overall confidence and instilled a self-belief that can help her overcome future challenges.

Using spaced repetition, the information was delivered in manageable bite-sized session which has allowed Esther to retain important messages and practice the lessons at a pace she is most comfortable with.

The programme has now been tailored to a religious setting and delivered in a way that makes it even more relevant to her working environment and audience.

The Future
Esther is not just an advocate of the bespoke development programmes, but also the unique Leadership Management International-UK approach in general. The flexibility and accessibility of important learning material makes understanding the information a lot easier, especially for those with busy schedules. She would love to see others, like her, discover more of their leadership potential.

Transferrable in their nature, the programmes can help develop aspiring leaders across a range of industries and help shape the attitudes and behaviours needed to succeed within senior leadership roles.

Esther will use these new-found skills to become a more accomplished leader within her church and practice a new goal-setting approach to encourage further growth. And even though her programme is long ended she still takes it up from time to time and listens and reflects and keeps that slight edge that makes all the difference.