How do you do leadership development for your team? Or don’t you? If not, now is the time.

Every good organization invests in its people. However, leadership training can be expensive and time-consuming. One solution to this is that several companies and non-profit organizations commit to attending the annual ELO Forums. 

The ELO Forums are one-day conferences for Christian business leaders and entrepreneurs across Canada. It's a time to connect with like-minded leaders, be in a community of difference makers, and participate in ongoing professional development. 

Over the years, dating back to the origins of ELO in 2005, companies will buy a table of 10 so they can spend the day together digesting comments from the various speakers. In addition, they may have a follow-up session over a meal at the company for future discussion.

A great illustration of this comes from Daniel Emond, President & CEO, Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada (ATC), Winnipeg, MB. The vision of ATC is “to put hope within reach of every community by providing freedom from life-controlling issues through the power of Jesus Christ.” 

Daniel explains why ATC is committed to being part of ELO: “Our organization has had an exceptional experience with the ELO event. We've been attending for five years now and each year we assess the impact it has on our team. I must say, it has greatly influenced the rapid growth and overall health of our leaders and the entire organization.”

Not only is there the learning aspect of the Forums, but it is often an opportunity to connect with others, even those within the same community. Daniel explains, “During one of the networking breaks last year, one of our leaders had the opportunity to meet the leaders of Providence University. To our surprise, they had developed a solution for a specific staff training and development issue we had been trying to solve. It was an incredible connection that allowed us to address our organization's greatest need for proper education. We are now able to train many of our upcoming leaders through Providence University within our organization. They will have the opportunity to work on their degrees while serving our organization.”

He further explains that “for multiple years, we struggled to find a solution to this problem, but with this one connection at the ELO event, it was accomplished. The ELO event continues to play a vital role in helping Adult & Teen Challenge excel.”

Other companies and non-profit organizations from across Canada view the ELO Forums, likewise, as a great form of leadership development for their teams.

There is still time to attend this year's conferences!