Six LDHR trends you need to know

Happy New Year to you and all our LDHR leaders. I was praying for you and the vital and usually un-sung role you play in the movement you are part of. I’m so very grateful for all you do, knowing that when you do your role effectively, the results will generally be unseen by most this side of eternity. Thank you so much.

As well as praying, I’ve been pondering what is ahead for us all in the coming 12 months, so I want to outline some of the likely trends we will seek to address in LDHR over the next year. It’s not definitive by any means (so I’d love to hear your take on it!), but it’s the things I’m seeing and hearing:

1. 1. Embracing AI. In large organisations around the planet, the shift to automating many HR processes to AI-based systems has been rapid and hugely cost-saving, but at the same time, disruptive and sometimes dehumanising. Even leaving these systems aside, AI’s usefulness in research, tracking employment changes and developing policy and protocols is huge. If you’re not in that world yet, start having a dabble. If you’re part of the Workplace LDHR community, watch for future webinars on this vital topic.
   2. Leading with Information. We’re “people-people”. We pride ourselves on “knowing our flock” – it’s just what we do. But I know too often I’m more likely to respond to the anecdote rather than the data. We dare not ignore the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit in our conversations, but in a time that is increasingly rich with data, it’s just bad stewardship not to see what the data, as well as the conversations, are telling us about the trends in our movements. Have you looked at your PowerBI information recently?
   3. Developing a Leadership Pipeline. This has been a global priority for the last few years, yet it is an area where many LDHR and movement leaders still struggle to make progress. You’re not alone! If you’d like to give this some attention, the “Leadership Pipeline Process Lite” resource is a good starting place. If you’d like some coaching on how to use it, get in touch with the LDHR Llama (llama@cru.org), and he’ll have one of his people connect back with you.
   4. Working with, not Against, Generational Differences. I seem to have had numerous conversations with leaders and individuals about “the challenges of Gen Z” or “how to get millennials to do xxx.” Every generation has its strengths and weaknesses – often redressing the previous generations’ imbalance or failings. My prayer for all of us is that this will be a year when we listen well, lean in, think the best of and trust each other, while being courageous in speaking out for grace and truth.
   5. New Levels of Virtual Working and Global Integration. The pandemic helped us realise we can do so many roles from unexpected places. Personal, face-to-face evangelism is still at the heart of who we are, but how we work and where we work has changed dramatically, especially for our capacity roles and the digital engagement of our field strategies. This change isn’t just within nations; the number of staff working outside their national borders is significantly increasing. This reality has benefits and challenges for our culture that I believe LDHR will have to wrestle with in the coming year.
   6. Enhancing Wellbeing Initiatives. Since the pandemic, “wellbeing” has been part of a strategic leadership agenda in a new way. The rhetoric of “people are our most valuable asset” has been backed up with (in many places!) a leadership desire to ensure we care for our people’s welfare, development, mental and physical health, and engagement. With this in mind, we will be publishing a series of posts, weekly-ish, on Wellbeing and Retention, so be on the lookout for them here in the coming weeks. For those of you in the Campus Crusade family, please also consider joining our Member Care Cohort Learning Experience. It’s starting soon!

So, those are the things I’m seeing and thinking about. What about you? What do you see?

Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash