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Most congregations or organizations have a time in their lives when they get into trouble or difficulty. These are times when it helps to have an outside person who will listen carefully and bring the necessary expertise to help that congregation sort out their issues and move forward. Often that expertise takes the form of creating a safe environment so that conversations can happen, options can be explored, and decisions can be taken. The outside consultant is a facilitator, helping the congregation do its best work.
Conflict or trauma can become systemic, infecting all parts of the organization over time. People feel that there is no clear and shared direction. They may be critical of external and internal leadership. There are complaints about lack of communication. The role of the consultant is to listen to the members, to bring relevant analysis to the situation, and to coach the leaders into changed behaviour patterns. The end result is confident leaders able to make good choices. |
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| Comments from our clients:
"Potentials gave us the gift of the consultant - very good group process." "There was a sense that we were charting brand new territory with some dangers along the way. It was radical and we needed help, but the process was our friend." "You were willing to hear different points of view; you had some advice for people who wanted to go on a different track. This shows experience in leadership and flexibility." "Potentials was able to sit outside the circle effectively. They gave permission for the group to be honest. We could then build a shared dynamic within the group for difficult issues. The consultants helped the group exorcise issues that were under the table. The consultants were always challenging us." "Without Potentials we could not have dealt with the issues, we had grave difficulty naming the issues. The assertiveness would never have happened. Potentials gave us the mandate, guts, permission to move forward more aggressively." | |