The Habakkuk Guidelines: 8 Steps for Creating Best-in-Class Professional Development Programs in Christian Higher Education
K. SHELETTE STEWART
“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie, though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’” - Habakkuk 2: 2-3 (NKJV)
For those of us who are Christians in higher education, best-in-class always begins and ends with God. What vision has God given you for professional development for you as a leader and for your organization? How will you honor and execute the vision?
The Steps
The book of Habakkuk provides excellent guidelines, practical principles, and pragmatic suggestions that may be applied to the planning and implementation of successful professional development initiatives for your institution. These initiatives may include professional continuing education, leadership development, and executive education for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Let’s begin with Habakkuk 2:2-3, where God provides detailed instructions for imparting vision.
He says that your vision is:
1. To be written down or recorded (v.2):
Your professional development goals and initiatives should be clearly outlined in the form of a formal comprehensive strategic plan that includes: your mission and vision; situation analysis; program objectives and strategies; management and operations structure; marketing plan; financial plan; and implementation and evaluation plan.
2. To be made plain so that others can understand it (v.2):
The situation analysis section of the business plan for your professional development initiatives is the area where you clearly explain the importance of talent development with regards to your institution, society, and the Kingdom. Help your team understand the need and sense of urgency around human capital development. Consider including a SWOT analysis that highlights your school’s internal strengths and weaknesses, relative to succession planning, along with implications of the broader external market opportunities and threats facing your institution.
3. To be shared with other individuals (v.2):
Leadership development initiatives touch all levels of your institution. So, it’s imperative that they’re not created in a silo that only includes Human Resource (HR) professionals. While HR may play a role in drafting the plan, it’s critical that key stakeholders across all functional areas understand the importance of professional development to their organizations and to the longevity of the institution. Take the time to share your ideas around human capital strategy with your colleagues and get their input and feedback. This helps to drive a sense of ownership and accountability around talent development across all departments.
4. For motivating others toward a common goal (v.2):
Engage your team in appreciating how professional development facilitates the mission and vision of the institution. Connect the dots for them. Help them understand how these programs will help the school achieve strategic business imperatives in areas such as institutional advancement and revenue generation, succession planning, diversity and inclusion, women’s leadership, and student, faculty, and staff engagement and retention.
5. To be acted on or implemented (v.2):
Execution is critical. Be sure to clearly define roles and responsibilities in the strategic plan for your professional development initiatives. Set your goals. Identify the required learning platforms (e.g., cohort programs, executive education classes, on-demand tools, learning management systems, etc.). And, allocate the necessary resources - - both budgetary and human (e.g., subject matter experts, curriculum designers, instructors, coaches, consultants, etc.).
6. For a specific time in the future (v.3):
Best-in-class professional development programs prioritize internal target audiences based on short and long-term needs of the institution. For example, today, your most pressing audience for leadership development support may be your front-line staff or high potentials in your development office. Later, you may find that your senior executives or middle managers require more support. Make sure that the business plan for your leadership development program is flexible in addressing the dynamic changes and needs of your institution.
7. Not to be discarded (v.3):
When other institutional priorities begin to beg for attention, keep your professional development plans front and center. Maintain your commitment to developing your next generation of leaders. Your bench strength. Remember, they are integral to the longevity of your institution.
8. Fail-proof (v.3):
What does success look like for your institution when it comes to leadership development? Take the time to contemplate, discuss, and pray about this with your team. Then identify qualitative and quantitative variables to measure and track your progress. Assessment and evaluation should be integral parts of your strategic plan for talent development. Continuous improvement is essential for best-in-class professional programs. Ultimately, for us as Christians in higher education, our focus must be on achieving not just success, but, more importantly, significance in that we’re leaving a positive lasting legacy for Kingdom purposes.
K. Shelette Stewart is an author, global speaker, and consultant. She is the founder and principal of Steward Consulting, LLC. To schedule an appointment, go to shelettestewart.com.