About Leading In Community
Vision
A world where everyone has the opportunity to fully develop their God-given gifts, talents, passions, and other personal characteristics.
Mission
Christ-centered leader development and spiritual formation transforming people though coaching and spiritual direction.
Who We Are
Connie Harris Ostwald, PhD
Connie is a certified coach, leadership development specialist and workshop facilitator. Her expertise in facilitating change on a deep level has given her the opportunity to work with leaders in the corporate world, faith-based non-profits and international NGOs. She delights in facilitating workshops as well as working one-on-one to bring about effective growth for leaders and strong, cohesive teams. Connie also serves on the faculty at Eastern University in the PhD in Organizational Leadership program. Her joy comes from spending time with her husband, Gary Ostwald, and their many kids and grandkids. She also loves to explore new cultures, ride her bike, and serve others in ministry.
Susan Brownlee, PhD
Susan has her PhD in Organizational Leadership with a focus on employee engagement and well-being. Susan is uniquely able to use the ITC tools to walk alongside mission-driven organizations and individuals to equip them to bring about positive change and create compelling stories for themselves and their workplace. Using her work as a Fetzer Scholar, Susan can also support individuals in successfully navigating the complexities of faith and leadership in the workplace. But what brings her the greatest joy is one-on-one mentoring of young adults with gigantic dreams! She lives in beautiful San Diego, CA where she and her husband enjoy sailing and walking on the beach.
Melissa Ledbetter
Melissa is a leadership coach and workshop facilitator, with training in ITC mapping and transformational coaching. Since 2019, she has worked remotely as a coach and part of the Desire Street Ministries team in Atlanta, GA, to encourage, equip and connect leaders in under-resourced communities. She has lived across cities and cultures in South, Central and North America as a teenager, single twenty-something, wife and now mom of four, where her experiences have taught her the need to understand life from multiple vantage points. She believes the impact of various kinds of trauma is far greater than we often know, and she is passionate about bringing truth to light and walking with others to experience God’s hope, healing and restoration – with good food and laughter, whenever possible. Melissa currently lives with her family near the US/Mexico border in El Paso, Texas.
Gary Ostwald, PhD
Gary is a spiritual director, coach, and workshop facilitator. Previously, he served on the faculty for the PhD in Organizational Leadership program at Eastern University (a Christ-centered university in St. Davids, PA) and for Colorado Christian University (in Lakewood, CO) where he was Chair of the Business Program. Gary partners with business owners, senior leadership teams, and individuals seeking leader development and spiritual formation. Helping others develop their God-given gifts, talents, passions, and other personal characteristics has been his calling for many years. Gary is a member of ESDA, an association of Christ-centered spiritual directors. His spiritual director profile is available here. Gary is committed to helping people create a more congruent and fulfilling life -- aligned with their calling from God. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Connie Harris Ostwald, and their adult children and grandchildren. Gary also enjoys running, sea kayaking, and hiking in the mountains of Colorado.
Our Method: Immunity to Change
Where did this idea come from?
- The Immunity to Change (ITC) theory comes from the research of Robert (Bob) Kegan and Lisa Lahey, professors at Harvard University, who discovered through years of research why we have such a difficult time with change.
- Just as our bodies have a physical immune system that protects us from the bad stuff in the world, we also have a psychological immune system that works to protect us from harm, yet at the same time, it may keep us from moving forward on positive changes, too!
How does this idea show up in my life?
- It feels like you have one foot on the gas, trying to move forward to reach a positive goal in your personal or professional life, but at the same time, your other foot is on the brake, keeping you from moving forward.
- We help you identify and then coach you to release your behaviors, beliefs and assumptions (the foot on the brake) that are holding your back from making that change or reaching that goal.
- You may feel conflicted in your personal development because of what we call “competing commitments.” We coach you through these challenges to reach your personal and professional goals.
How do we use the ITC theory?
- Gary, Connie, and Tom are all certified ITC coaches.
- We use the ITC theory as the basis of our Coaching, our Developmental Dash and for the Team Development Challenge.
- Our Entrepreneurial Leadership program combines ITC coaching with business training to fully invest in the success of our entrepreneurs in the developing world.
