Kendal Leadership Fellows 2023

Leadership Fellows

The Kendal Leadership Fellows Program

‘Learn, renew, grow’

The Kendal Leadership Fellows program is modeled after the LeadingAge Leadership Academy and develops Kendal staff members into leaders who are grounded in Kendal values, mission, and ideals.

Fellows participants are provided safe space for introspective thought; taught the values-based leadership tools of self-awareness, feedback, innovation, continuous learning, etc.; and are introduced to an enduring network of talented colleagues.

The Design Team members for the 2023-2024 program year are Lynne Giacobbe (Kendal at Home) and Judy Sorum Brown. The vast majority of lessons and content were developed by Judy Sorum Brown, who has been the lead designer of the Kendal Fellows program since its inception in 2012, and who has also served as lead facilitator for the LeadingAge Leadership Academy since its inception, as well as countless leadership initiatives for organizations ranging from the federal government to Ford to the Urban Library Council.

What Fellows Say About the Program

“The Leadership Fellows provided me with an opportunity for great self-reflection and growth. It truly demonstrated our community’s commitment to developing the whole person and giving me the ability to take time for such a meaningful experience. The lessons I have learned and connections I have made throughout the Kendal Affiliation will only go to greater service of myself and Kendal on Hudson for years to come. It was such a wonderful experience I can only hope that many others are able to experience and learn from the Fellows.”

“Do it! I am thankful for this opportunity. My self-confidence just soared. Everyone from my organization will benefit from me being here. This [program] can be life changing; this helped me to find a place. It’s the one time each month that you can be self-reflective and experience self-discovery. This has been a journey of finding your strengths, giving yourself grace, and finding ways to continue these lessons in becoming a stronger leader and person.”

“I have greatly appreciated the fellowship I received from this experience. Each and every one of you has such a brilliant light to share with the world and I thank you for sharing a bit of it with me.”

Outcomes

  • Heightened self-awareness that improves interactions with staff, colleagues, residents, and others and enhances decision-making.
  • Improved capacity to offer useful feedback and to make good use of feedback from others.
  • Ability to consider any situation from multiple perspectives and engage others in decision-making with better long-term results.
  • Skills for handling difficult conversations using Quaker-based techniques and organizational learning processes.
  • Ability to sustain a learning organization, fostering the Quaker process of “continuous revelation”—realizing that if we want to improve, we must always be learning.
  • Strategies for building reflection into action-packed workdays.
  • A network of relationships across departments and among Kendal Affiliates that increases trust, strengthens teamwork and allows for System-wide innovation.
  • Greater alignment of Kendal values with our day-to-day business practices and ways of working together, increasing System capacity and enhancing Kendal’s competitive advantage.

A Significant Commitment

Commitment to Show Up: 
Fellows must attend all nine four-hour sessions beginning in September.

Desired Skill Sets:
Those who will flourish in this program are the people who others regularly seek out; those to whom others naturally turn during times of conflict, pressure or celebration.  These are people who are curious, who like to learn, are growth-oriented and are collaborative.  Unlike many leadership programs, this program encourages candidates who are not in current leadership roles.  Fellows can be front-line staff or managers; administrative staff or grounds persons.

Cost per Kendal Leadership Fellow:

  • $2,000 per person