Log in

Association is asking members to identify essential skills for all career levels

For decades, the Catholic health ministry has been building up and evolving the role of mission leader and has increasingly been recognizing mission leadership as essential to ensuring that Catholic identity is integrated into to every aspect of ministry systems and facilities.

Ministry systems have looked to CHA to establish a consensus around the qualities and credentials that help make sure that mission leaders are qualified for this expanded role — and that there is a pipeline of able candidates for positions along the mission, chaplaincy and ethics career continuums.

In spring 2018, CHA launched Project Legacy to assist the ministry in talent development and succession planning for mission, ethics and pastoral care positions. After a series of interviews, surveys and data collection from system member human resources departments, a tactical plan was developed and shared with sponsors, system chief executives and mission leaders in spring 2019. This comprehensive three-year plan called Faithfully Forward aims to address shortages of qualified candidates in these areas. One of the tactics includes CHA updating its mission leader competency model last revised a decade ago. The plan for implementing Faithfully Forward runs through CHA's 2020 to 2021 fiscal years.

Smith

Brian Smith, CHA vice president of sponsorship and mission services, says CHA now is in the discovery phase of updating the mission competency model, working with the Reid Group consultancy to conduct phone interviews with about 60 c-suite executives from ministry systems. CHA and the Reid Group also are in the process of administering an online survey of mission leaders. The survey went out electronically to about 650 mission leaders last month, with responses requested by Oct. 11.

Smith is encouraging mission leaders to respond to the survey. Based on the results, CHA and the Reid Group will draft new mission leader competency resources by early November and share them with system mission leaders for their input and suggestions. CHA and the Reid Group then will update the draft and host focus groups of mission leaders in the ministry for their input.

CHA plans to release the updated mission leader competency model and materials next summer.

"A lot has happened since CHA last updated its mission leader competency model in 2009," Smith says. The association wants to understand the changes in the structure and expectations connected with the role and to help mission leaders to be relevant and effective, given the changes.

The current competency model centers on the personal qualifications, leadership skills, theological grounding, spiritual awareness, ethics competency and organizational management abilities that mission leaders should have to excel in the role.

"The Mission Leader Competency Model," a 16-page electronic booklet published on the CHA website, describes the development of the model, explains the competencies and provides tools to help people develop the competencies. Also available on CHA's website is a self-assessment tool for current and prospective mission leaders and a bibliography of resources. CHA will update or replace those materials after it completes the new model. The association plans to have a new assessment tool and bibliography as well as new video resource by the end of 2020.

Changing roles
In the past, mission leaders have been expected to be generalists in their field. Smith anticipates the survey responses may point to some core competencies needed by all mission leaders, and additional specific competencies that reflect areas requiring specialization. For example, mission leaders responsible for leading formation will need greater skills and competencies in that area. Specialization is also occurring in executive mission positions. "As the role of mission leader has evolved, you see a trend towards specialization, especially in those who hold positions at a regional or system level," he says.

Smith says it is likely that the updated mission leader competency model will stratify competencies by experience level, setting out qualifications and skills expected of mission leaders depending on whether they are at the start, midpoint or apex of their careers.

Debra Canales is executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Renton, Wash.-based Providence St. Joseph Health and a member of a six-member steering committee advising CHA on this work. She says she sees a very high value in the potential for such a tiered competency model that promotes skill-building over the arc of a career.

"We're pursuing a vision of future mission leaders who lead to both inspire and influence within our organization and the communities we serve," she says.