The WiLD Academy is unlike any leadership development experience you have ever had. We are relentless in our efforts to grow the courageous, sacrificial leaders our world needs, and we have cast aside the traditional approaches to learning that have failed so many of us. Our leaders don’t develop from being spoken at for eight hours a day; from pre-packaged, generic content designed for the lowest common denominator; or from pie-in-the-sky platitudes about managing, decision-making, or self-discovery. Our leaders develop through intentional content and conversations that support the raw, personal challenges they are facing right now and the specific, individual ways they want to grow going forward.

A different kind of leader needs a different kind of development, and this is what this WiLD Academy offers — an intentional and personal growth experience that is rigorous, relevant, and relational all at the same time.

RIGOROUS: The WiLD Academy is smart and selective. The curriculum is built on decades of research on how leaders learn and grow while leading. The Academy participants are chosen based on their character, competence, and calling–not because of their resume.

RELEVANT: The experience and content is personal and practical. A leader’s development gets interesting and effective when they can make direct connections between learning content and personal experience. The WiLD Academy curriculum is specific to each attendee and their experience, and it provides frameworks and customized actions to help attendees become the leaders others need them to be.

RELATIONAL: The WiLD Academy is structured for conversations and coaching. While we know that leaders develop through their experience, it is the relationships around them that enable them to become more self-aware and to take the calculated risks to become better leaders. Every leader engages in dialogues, coaching partnerships, and activities to connect with, learn from, and help grow every other attendee.

Based on our Whole Leader Development Model, the WiLD Academy includes three separate two-day Learning Sessions that span three quarters, allowing leaders to finish the program in about 9 months. These Learning Sessions run from 8am to 1pm both days, providing plenty of space for reflection, to catch up on work, and for sharing a meal with other leaders in the Academy. In addition to the three Learning Sessions, leaders also receive 8 coaching sessions with a certified Master Level WiLD Coach. The coaching occurs after each Learning Session and provide leaders with the continued conversations to incorporate their Learning Session experiences back into their their day-to-day leadership responsibilities.

Upon completion of the 6 day WiLD Academy core and coaching process, participants are awarded the status of Whole Leader Development Fellow – Mastery Level I. Additional Mastery Levels are achieved based on the following:

Mastery Level I – Completion of the 6 day WiLD Academy core and coaching process

Mastery Level II – Completion of an additional Academy program in a different area, or completion of an approved affiliate program in a specific functional or philosophical context.

Mastery Level III – Completion of second or third Academy Program in a different area.

The Whole Leader Development Model enables development of a whole leader and person. We believe that leaders are more than a list of strengths, a color, a personality type, or a box with a title on it. Their character has been shaped by many things: their past and current experiences, their purpose in life and work, the people they have been called to serve, and the people who have surrounded them. All of these elements are vital to developing whole leaders for the whole world.

As an introduction to the practice of leading, this session combines foundational leadership and organizational theory along with personal character development as it relates to our identity as leaders. Other topics covered include the foundations of human motivation, group dynamics, organizational structure, diversity & globalization, and organizational culture. Coaches are also introduced at this first session.

Objectives:

1. Establish a foundation for a rigorous understanding of what it means to lead and how leadership has been operationalized.
2. Build an understanding of the contextual factors associated with leading others in a variety of organizational contexts.
3. Provide a foundational perspective on world view and faith as they impact leadership, organizational structures, and decision making.
4. Provide in-depth personal reflection on each leader’s character, purpose, calling, and motivation.

This session is designed to provide leaders with specific feedback on their competence. Specific emphasis will be placed on leadership competencies, leading individuals, leading change, groups and organizations, and basic leadership skills and abilities. The course is offered as the third of three courses designed to cover the theoretical principles, research, and practice in the area of leadership.

Objectives:

1. Present research-based tools, processes, and skills associated with leading well.
2. Gain an understanding of how leaders actually lead on a daily basis in a variety of contexts including businesses, ministries, not-for-profits, health care, education, government and beyond.

This final session is designed for leaders to not only think about their leadership in a more integrated way, but to have them explicitly thinking about those they serve and the leaders in whom they are invested. The assumption is that we exist as leaders to respond to a calling on our life and work to serve others through our leadership.

Objectives:

1. Reflect on work, life, calling and purpose as necessarily intertwined components of our lives as leaders.
2. Gain a deeper philosophical, theological and practical model of calling and purpose as a leader.
3. Learn to build development plans and to have rich development conversations with other emerging and existing leaders.
4. Personally reflect on the state of each leader’s strategic network and identify actions for increasing satisfaction with that network of support.

Enrollment Fees

2017 Tuition: $5,000

2017 Not-for-Profit Tuition: $3,000

To register for the WiLD Academy, complete the WiLD Academy Application. Upon notification of acceptance into the Academy, make tuition payment by clicking on the links below.

The fees for the WiLD Academy sessions include continental breakfasts as well as snacks and refreshments. Other meals and lodging, transportation and other expenses are not included. However, we do provide a list of recommended hotels and restaurants nearby.

Cancellation and Change Policy

In some cases, participants request to change the date they would like to start the Academy. Changes made 8 to 12 weeks prior to the start of their program will incur a change fee of 5% of tuition. Changes made 4 to 8 weeks will incur an additional fee of 20% of tuition. Changes made within 4 weeks of the program start will incur an additional fee 30% of tuition.  All Cancellations are subject to a $100 administrative fee. Cancellations made 8 to 12 weeks prior to the start of their program will incur a change fee of 10% of tuition. Changes made 4 to 8 weeks will incur an additional fee of 30% of tuition. Changes made within 4 weeks of the program start will incur an additional fee 60% of tuition.  

Planning and Preparation

• Cohorts of leaders will begin the academy each quarter starting in Fall of 2017.
• Each Academy Session is two days long, running from 8:30am to 3pm each day.
• Pre-work is provided one month prior to the start of the program.
• Existing teams are encouraged to apply. Each team member will need to apply individually.