By Dr. Lois Parkes, Leadership Development and Institutional Strengthening Specialist, CARICAD T here is no facet of life that has not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. CARICAD’s Leadership Development Programmes (LDPs) are no exception. This impact revolved around three main areas – delivery, design and participant engagement. Delivery – Fortunately, virtual delivery and the use of the blended approach to LDP delivery was already a part of the LDP delivery prior to the pandemic. With the pandemic, this meant that 100% of all LDP delivery had to be done virtually. In order to do this, the CARICAD team had to expand its capacity to deliver using multiple platforms, and engage in continuous learning, both informal and formal, to sharpen its virtual delivery. Participant Design – With its genesis in the former Caribbean Leadership Project, much of the leadership programme design was for in-person delivery. Again fortunately, the capacity to design virtual training was developed within CARICAD. Full virtual delivery meant that every aspect of the leadership development programming had to redesigned with the virtual adult learner in mind. Critical design elements that had to be embedded included participant interaction, and practical application of learning both inside and outside of the virtual learning space. Another design consideration was to ensure that the topics were relevant to the context of the pandemic, and how this was impacting participants’ roles as leaders in their respective organisations. Many areas were redesigned to reflect these new realities, such as leading remote teams, effective virtual meeting management, and managing the Engagement – Leadership Resilience has been one of the enduring themes of the LDPs. With the pandemic, and the toll on mental wellness, this has taken on a higher level of meaning in the programme. Since the pandemic, we have witnessed participants burying their team members and loved ones, dealing with the associated anxiety and grief of their teams and other stakeholders, juggling work from home and online learning of their children, falling ill themselves with the virus, and a host of other challenges. How does one keep participants engaged in such a context? Coaching and other support has been critical in facilitating participants in their engagement in the LDPs. Also, fostering the creation of networks among participants has also been essential in creating that sense of community, where participants can laugh, share with and support each other, using virtual means such as WhatsApp groups. Ultimately, the pandemic has challenged us to ensure that our LDPs are fit for purpose, and meet participants at their point of need, equipping them with the necessary support and tools to navigate their current leadership realities. 28
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