Talent Management - January 2009 - (Page 46)

application by Brian Stout Helping the Helpers Leaders in certain professions may spend more time taking care of others than themselves, which increase stress levels and the risk for burnout. People in the helping professions, such as social work, education, medicine and psychology, often feel a calling to these professions. However, many people who work in these ﬁelds become so busy taking care of others, they forget to take care of themselves, leaving them open to stress and burnout. In addition, these challenges can affect the organization by promoting high turnover, low retention and lack of personnel development. In the pastoral profession, these issues can be even more pronounced. “Ministry on any given day is like being an EMT,” said the Rev. Eric Sandberg. “ Anytime a pastor walks out his door, he’s going to ﬁnd people who are looking for help. These people are spiritually dying, emotionally wounded, bleeding internally, in a sense. A pastor is expected to be able to drop what he’s doing and perform spiritual CPR. Pastors tend to put their own spiritual well-being on the back burner because people look to them for leadership.” As is the case with other helping professions, the importance of maintaining work-life balance, job satisfaction and personal satisfaction often is neglected during pastoral training. But a program at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ohio is taking on the challenge of helping pastors achieve and maintain success. Since 2001, the Seminary’s Pastors of Excellence (POE) program has provided support through a series of retreats and activities to empower pastors. The retreats teach and offer spiritual encounters that can instill a vision for transforming church culture. “In order to be effective, pastors must be authentic,” said Sandberg. “When they are not, they cannot grow.” Sandberg was in one of the ﬁrst groups of pastors to take part in POE, and he now sits on the program’s advisory board. “Somewhere along the way, I forgot how to breathe. My relationships were in danger, and I wasn’t helping people as best I could,” he said. “The POE experience taught me how to breathe again. I could be more authentic in my relationships, and I was able to take the time to improve my spiritual health.” David Oliver, Ph.D., is a mentor in the program. He said he also recognized the need for a support system for pastors. “On one’s own, it’s difﬁcult to step back from the press of the day to gain true insight into ourselves. Most of us are reactive rather than reﬂective. A situation arises, and we deal with it. The tools we use in the program allow people to do reﬂective thinking, and that can impact behavior,” he said. 46 January 2009 talent management magazine www.talentmgt.com http://www.talentmgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talent Management - January 2009

Talent Management - January 2009 Editor’s Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Learning Connections Integrate Web 2.0 Into the On-Boarding Experience Show ’Em the Money: Compensation Trends 2009 Transition at the Top How Hollywood Manages Talent and What You Can Learn Get the Most Bang With Limited Training Bucks Life After Layoffs Attract Specific Talent Groups Performance Management: Its Time Is Now Helping the Helpers Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Full Potential

Talent Management - January 2009

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