By Mauricio Castillo, Communication Center, Provicne of Bolivia/Chile
From January 21 to 23, the Buen Pastor Retreat House in Valparaíso, Chile, hosted the inaugural workshop of the Skills and Capacity Building Program for Leadership Teams. This program aims to enhance leadership competencies through ontological coaching.
The workshop brought together 43 participants, including leadership teams and sisters from the Provinces of Bolivia/Chile and Brazil/Paraguay, along with two members of the Congregational Leadership Team, Sisters Yolanda Borbón and Erika Sánchez.
NewField Consulting, an international leader in ontological coaching, led the session with facilitators Natalia Calle and Silvia Escobar, supported by a team of four coaches from Brazil and Chile.
The goal of the workshop was to strengthen leadership skills within the context of new governance and transformative change, fostering more effective management aligned with current challenges.
Natalia Calle, Manager and Partner at NewField Consulting, emphasized the complexity of collective leadership and the ongoing need for learning. She highlighted the importance of conversational skills in leadership, especially within the Congregation: “Leadership is a complex, lifelong challenge, particularly when it’s collective and circular, as in our Congregation. In this context, conversational skills are essential, and they will always be crucial—even in the face of technological advances and artificial intelligence. Our ability to relate and communicate with others will always need to improve.”
Leadership plays a vital role in transitions, particularly in the regionalization process currently underway within the Congregation. Ontological coaching is seen as a key tool for developing leadership teams’ skills, as expressed by Sr. Sandra Suárez, Province Leader of Bolivia/Chile: “The Congregation is inviting all of us to embrace transformation from within. Ontological coaching helps us better understand our own way of being, our listening, and how we can improve our relationships. It will enhance our leadership, teamwork, and alignment with new governance structures. This training will be applied both individually and in group workshops, and we’re grateful to the Congregation for its dedication to our ongoing formation.”
Sr. Margarita Achar (pictured above, second left), Province Leader of Brazil/Paraguay, also emphasized the importance of the training: “It starts with personal growth before team growth, which is fundamental. This opportunity helps us reflect on what we need to work on individually, while also getting to know each other better as a team. For us, as a Province just beginning to develop leadership, it’s a significant challenge, especially with the many tasks and challenges ahead in support of the Mission.”
Responding to the Congregational Chapter’s Calls to Action
Sr. Neide Almeida from the Province of Brazil/Paraguay described the workshop as crucial in responding to the Congregation’s Calls to Action. She noted the importance of strengthening spiritual leadership and tackling the deep and challenging call for radical transformation: “I am deeply grateful to God, to my sisters, and to our partners for this opportunity. Thank you, Congregation.”
Sr. María Cristina Opazo (pictured), former Provincial Leader of Bolivia/Chile and current community leader for the elderly sisters Talca, Chile, also attended the workshop. She reflected positively on the experience, saying, “It was an excellent workshop that provided concrete tools for improving leadership. It was a positive and engaging experience for all the sisters in our Province, alongside our lay collaborators in Mission.”
This workshop is the first of three planned face-to-face meetings within the program. The next two will take place in São Paulo, Brazil (March 20–21) and Lima, Peru (April 23–25).
