Laity Council members from across the 8 Parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region of Ghana, during their recent Annual Leadership Formation, held at the Alfons Merten’s Centre, Donkorkrom, were schooled on effective leadership that could aid evangelization.
The Leadership Formation had run from Thursday May 28 to Sunday May 31, 2026.
In his May 29, 2026 Leadership Talk, Rev. Fr. John Felix Awaitey Formedza Jnr., Parish Priest of St. Anthony Parish, Amankwakrom, defined Leadership as “the ability to influence, guide, direct, and motivate people toward achieving a common goal or objective,” and involves helping individuals or groups work together effectively to accomplish tasks and achieve success.
He further outlined the strategic triad of Leadership which includes: Vision, being the ability to articulate a clear, compelling and achievable picture of the future, which must be “specific, measureable, targeted, time- bound and oriented,” Mission, which is the action to be taken so as to arrive at a desirable outcome, and Values, being the ethical application.
Drawing inspiration from Amos 3:3 and John 10:1-10, Fr. Awaitey enlisted some good qualities of a good leader, such as Honesty, Integrity, Equitability, Courageousness, Straightforwardness, Fair and Firm, Just, Loving and Understanding.
He took the Laity representatives through various Leadership styles, ranging from Democratic, Laissez-faire, Autocratic, to Transformational Leadership; where leaders inspire and motivate their teams to innovate, exceed expectations, and enact positive and lasting change, Servant-leadership, whose emphasis is on serving others first and prioritizing the needs of team members and the community.
The Priest further drew the attention of the Laity Leaders to the Johari Window, which is a psychological model designed to improve self- awareness, interpersonal communication and team dynamics by mapping an individual’s personality, behaviours and motives across four quadrants (the Open Area; known to self and others, the Hidden Area; known to self but hidden from others, the Blind Spot; known to others but unknown to self, and the Unknown area; unknown to self and unknown to others, such as untapped talents.
The Diocesan Laity Council members were challenged to look into their various styles of leadership, especially within the context of the Catholic Diocese of Donkorkrom; Education wise, Culturally, Economically and otherwise, and see where they need to grow from, for the good of all, and especially those they lead.
In any case, their leadership must be purpose-driven, dynamic, focused, goal-oriented, intentional and impactful, he reinforced.
Participants were split into five different groups after the talk for follow-up discussions on the topic.
Present during the Leadership talk were Rev. Fr. Michael Awuah Ansah, Diocesan Laity Chaplain, Rev. Fr. Gabriel Dabo-Gyamfi, Diocesan Youth Chaplain, Mr. Michael Djan, Diocesan Laity Chairman, who doubles as the Accra Provincial Laity Council and National Vice Chairman, amongst others.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Diocese)
