The other day I spoke to Joel Satterly, the head of Seven Rivers Christian Academy in Lecanto, Florida. Joel and his wife Carol attended the 2007 Wisdom Trek, and he's been busy putting into practice some of the things he's learned:

What was the best part about Wisdom Trek for you?

There are other places you can go and talk about leadership, but the distinctive about Wisdom Trek, the thing you just can't get anyplace else, is the coaching.

How have the coaching skills you learned at Wisdom Trek helped you be a better leader?

My leadership style has now changed toward being very other-centric. Just learning to listen and ask powerful questions has given our organization a shot in the arm where now people are empowered to exercise their gifts. It's like a car that's running fine but can't realize its full horsepower because there is a governor on the engine. This has allowed me to throw the governor away.

It sounds like you've learned to move from being a leader to being a leader developer.

Exactly. The coaching training captures a gospel dynamic in a way that is really unique. It helps me see that God has given gifts to lots of people. As a leadership coach I can focus on helping people all across the organization become the leaders they were meant to be. It has been cool to watch people do their thing and get out of the way. If I had done it it would not have turned out nearly as well.

Can you give an example of how coaching has transformed your leadership style?

The most recent one happened just yesterday with my administrative team. We had felt a desire to spend some time praying together for student revival and God's hand in our school. But I had allowed it to turn into a business meeting. Yesterday one of of my direct reports said, "Can I remind you that the original purpose of this meeting was prayer? I'd like to get back to that." The fact that he felt comfortable reminding me, the vision-keeper, of what the vision is, shows how other people are now taking responsibility for the success of the school.

How has this affected you personally?

Coaching has lessened my anxiety level a lot! It takes the pressure off of me as a leader because I'm inviting lots of people to the table, which gives us the opportunity to function as the body of Christ in our team. It's a lot more fun this way.

What would you say to folks about Wisdom Trek?

This opportunity is powerful.I have been training by CACC and attended Wisdom Trek. Conversational leadership has the potential to completely transform the way we lead, build teams, and empower people to realize and use their God-given gifts.