The Leadership Pattern (Lead Like the Savior), a church-sponsored leadership framework program with a primary aim of ameliorating both church members’ personal and career related leadership skills, is being offered at BYUH by senior missionary couple Elder and Sister Sessions.
Out of the three institutions in the Church Educational System, BYUH was the first to implement these new leadership pattern classes. Since Oct. 3, Elder and Sister Sessions have been hosting daily workshops and practicums open to all students and faculty.
“The Leadership Pattern classes are the Lord’s way of teaching leaders how to become better than they already are,” said Elder Sessions. “It gives participants the tools to be able to say, ‘I know how to organize. I know how to accomplish the work. I know how to define direction.’”
According to Elder and Sister Sessions, the Leadership Pattern was founded by the First Presidency of the Church in 2009. About a year ago, Benson Porter, managing director of human resources for the Church, was granted permission to begin implementing the program at BYUH.
Porter said in a devotional in 2015, “The Leadership Pattern, in essence, is a set of attributes for all of us who work in the Church, that we can pattern our lives with, our behaviors with, in terms of how the Savior would lead.”
Elder Sessions said each participant of the Leadership Pattern class receives a personal handbook upon arrival. According to the handbook, the leadership pattern is based upon nine core talents, each accompanied by a number of behaviors and practices in which participants can use to cultivate talents.
According to Elder Sessions, every workshop is focused upon finding ways participants can overcome the obstacles stalling or deterring their path to success.
Emphasizing the self-improvement aspect of the Leadership Pattern, Sister Sessions said, “The Leadership Pattern helps you to look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself, ‘What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? And how can I improve?’”
Elder and Sister Sessions are on their fourth mission together, and according to Sister Sessions, they have used and taught this program in every mission. They began their mission at BYUH by holding Leadership Pattern workshops among faculty and management, and they have just recently extended the program to include all students and faculty.
“No matter if you work in Food Services, if you are a TA, or if you do anything else on campus, we want all students to know that they have a clear job and a mission. Professionally, that will help you build and grow and become better at what you do and who you are,” said Elder Sessions.
The Leadership Pattern classes are held Monday to Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Heber J. Grant Building room 273.
Writer: Zoe Rounesville