Troy Johnson admitted he was initially apprehensive before participating in the Mastering Leadership Dynamics program.
The five-day leadership development program takes a psychology-based approach to helping business owners, CEOs and senior executives understand their beliefs and how these beliefs shape their behavior. Participants explore ways to increase their effectiveness and learn how to manage through conflict. And they connect with other leaders in the program inside and outside of the facilitator-led sessions.
“I’d never done anything like this in my career,” said Johnson, the CFO and COO of the Atlanta-based Southern Education Foundation, which helps communities of color and low-income students to advance equity in K-12 and postsecondary education in the South. “The idea of spending a week of concentrated focus on what type of leader I am, what type of person I am and what my strengths and weaknesses are – I was a little nervous about what that exploration would look like.”
His apprehension, however, was short-lived.
“After the first half of the first day of the program, those things became much less of a concern,” he said.
Johnson attributes his sense of comfort to Mastering Leadership Dynamics’ being a group activity. The seven other participants in Johnson’s program were all accomplished business leaders who were striving for the same goal: professional self-improvement. “Also, the program is well thought out, well researched and anchored in provable facts,” said Johnson. “It did feel a little weird at times, but in the end, all of the dots connected.
“I appreciated the thoughtfulness of the Leadership Institute in putting the program together,” he said. “The facilitators did a fantastic job of making everyone feel comfortable and creating a physical space for everyone to learn about themselves and become more self-aware. I was most surprised at how much change can happen
in such a short time. I think the program will make a lasting impact.”
