“I’ve done a lot of listening,” said Dr. Paul Nyquist to employees during a July 29 assembly in Alumni Auditorium. Moody’s new president then described his first two months at Moody and the process through which he and Moody’s leadership team are defining and designing a vision for the future. His desire is to cast the vision at Moody’s Presidential Inauguration ceremony on Oct. 23, 2009.
Since Nyquist’s June 1 start date, listening and learning about the culture has been a priority. In conjunction with Moody’s Training and Development department, he hosted 11 lunchtime meetings to give more than 120 employees an opportunity to share their thoughts regarding the ministry’s past, present and future. In addition, he is also seeking input from trustees and staff working at outlying locations, as well as meeting with donors and alumni to gain their perspective.
In preparation for an intentional and focused strategic planning process, Nyquist has been working with his leadership team on the foundational elements. This has included reaffirming Moody’s values and redefining Moody’s mission. There is also a need to conduct an environmental scan to determine what internal and external forces might affect Moody’s ability to accomplish its mission. All of these components will begin the establishment of a compelling vision for the future.
In addition to this work, Nyquist is also broadening the communication channels with one of Moody’s core constituencies—employees. Starting in September, the quarterly employee assembly will become a monthly event. Nyquist’s desire for the assemblies is to “listen and keep Moody stakeholders, like employees, informed about what is happening at Moody.”
This type of two-way conversation, marked by active listening and sharing, has been the hallmark of Nyquist’s first 60 days at Moody. “It is my goal that intentional listening and learning will help our team as we work toward the next stages of the strategic plan to make Moody even more effective and Christ-like in our ministry,” said Nyquist.