Launch Well, Lead Well — Hope Mission Team Leader Guide

Hope Mission · Leadership Pipeline · 2026

Launch Well,
Lead Well

A Step-by-Step Guide for New and Relaunching Team Leaders

Whether you’re stepping into a team for the first time or pressing reset on one you’ve led for years — this guide is for you. Practical, honest, and built for the real complexity of leadership at Hope Mission.

Prepared by Dennis GulleyFractional Leader of People and Culture · Hope Mission
In partnership with the Hope Mission Leadership Pipeline

Chapter 1

Why This Guide Exists

Leadership is not reserved for the few — it is cultivated in the many.

If you’re reading this, you’ve been entrusted with something significant: a team of people who show up every day to serve some of Edmonton’s most vulnerable neighbours. That matters. You matter.

This guide exists because great teams don’t happen by accident. They happen by design — and the best time to design (or redesign) a team is right now, at the beginning of a new chapter.

A word from Dennis

I’m Dennis Gulley, your Fractional Leader of People and Culture here at Hope Mission. My role is to walk alongside leaders like you as we build the Leadership Pipeline together. Think of this guide as a conversation we’re having — on paper. I’m genuinely cheering for you.

Who This Guide Is For

Brand New to Your Team

You’ve just stepped into a leadership role. Welcome. This guide gives you a clear path through those critical first weeks.

Relaunching or Rebuilding

Your team has gone through change. This guide helps you reset with intention and rebuild trust and clarity.

Scripture

“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.”— Psalm 145:4

At Hope Mission, leadership flows from our Heart, Head, and Hands model: leading with character and compassion (Heart), growing in wisdom (Head), and taking effective action (Hands). Everything in this guide is built on that foundation.

Chapter 2

Before the Team Meets

What you do before the first meeting shapes everything that comes after.

Most leaders treat the first team meeting as the starting line. It isn’t. The real work begins before anyone sits down together — in honest self-assessment and deliberate preparation.

Scripture

“Let a man examine himself.”— 1 Corinthians 11:28a

Know Yourself Before You Lead Others

The single most important tool you bring into any team is your own self-awareness. Before you assess your team, assess yourself honestly. What is your natural leadership style? Where do you tend to be strong — and where do you leave gaps?

Reflection prompts

What is my default response when things go wrong? How do I respond to conflict? What do I need from my team to feel effective? What would past team members say I do really well — and one thing I need to work on?

Map What You’re Walking Into

Spend time understanding the landscape before you try to change it. Talk to your predecessor if at all possible — not to inherit their perspective, but to understand the history, dynamics, and unspoken expectations already shaping your team.

What has this team been through?

What changes, losses, or wins have shaped this group in the past 12–24 months?

Who are the informal leaders?

Every team has people whose influence exceeds their title. Know them before you begin.

What are the unwritten rules?

These invisible norms will shape your leadership whether you acknowledge them or not.

Where is the pain?

What wounds need tending before you can build something new?

What is already working?

Arrive as a learner. What deserves to be protected before any changes are made?

Prepare Your Heart, Not Just Your Plan

In a faith-formed organization like Hope Mission, leadership preparation is not only strategic — it is spiritual. Ground yourself in what you believe about the people you’re serving and the mission you’re part of before the first meeting.

Scripture

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”— Proverbs 16:3

Chapter 3

The LDD Framework: What It Means for You

Your leadership travels with you. Your designation is yours.

The Leadership Designation & Deployment (LDD) Framework separates two things that were previously tangled together:

Leadership Designations (L1–L4)

Who you are as a leader — capability, development, readiness. It travels with you across roles and sites.

Role Complexity Bands (A–E)

The job itself — its scope, decisions, and responsibility. About the role, not the person in it.

When we separate the person from the role, we can move great people to where they’re needed most — without confusion, fear, or anyone feeling pushed backward.

The Designation Levels

Level	Name	What It Looks Like
L1	Emerging Leader	Team leads, newer supervisors — learning the craft of leadership
L2	Operational Leader	Coordinators, supervisors — leading teams with growing confidence
L3	Strategic Leader	Program managers, site leads — shaping programs and developing people
L4	Senior Leader	Directors, executives — guiding the whole organization’s direction

What this means for you

You are part of this system — as someone receiving a designation and as someone helping your team understand theirs. If you have questions, reach out to Dennis directly.

Chapter 4

Start Hard to Lead Easy

Healthy teams don’t happen by drift — they happen by design.

The way you begin sets the tone for everything that follows. Leaders who invest in clarity and structure at the start find that leading gets easier. Those who skip this work spend months coaching around entirely preventable problems.

“

Start strong. Establish clear standards and accountability early; relax controls later as trust and results compound.

— Dennis Gulley, Fractional Leader of People and Culture

Four Minimum Outcomes of a Good Relaunch

90-day outcomes

3–5 measurable wins tied to Hope Mission’s mission. If it won’t be inspected, it won’t be protected.

Role clarity with decision rights

Who decides, who gives input, who is informed. Decision rights prevent more conflict than almost anything else.

6–8 observable team norms

Behaviours people can see and call each other on — with kindness. Written down and posted.

A simple operating rhythm

Stand-ups, 1:1s, and reviews on the calendar. Set it now, not later.

The Relaunch Meeting Agenda (90 Minutes)

Name the moment (5 min)

“This is a new chapter. We’re not pretending it hasn’t changed.”

Re-commission the purpose (15 min)

What does this team exist to deliver? What does success look like for the people we serve?

Draw the boundaries (10 min)

Who is on this team, what that means, and how you relate to adjacent teams.

Clarify roles and decision rights (20 min)

What decisions live here. What don’t. Who owns what.

Co-create operating norms (20 min)

Invite the team to build the rules together. Co-creation produces ownership.

First commitments (15 min)

Two or three concrete next-14-day outcomes with owners and deadlines.

Close with a reset statement (5 min)

“What we owe each other” in this next season. Let people name it.

Scripture

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.”— Psalm 127:1

You’re not doing this alone

Dennis holds regular Office Hours for exactly these moments. Bring your relaunch plan, talk through a hard conversation, or just ask questions. Reach out before you feel stuck — not after.

Chapter 5

The First 48 Hours

In the earliest days, people silently ask: “How do we do things here?” Answer them on purpose.

The norms that will govern your team for the next year are forming right now — whether you shape them or not. Here are five concrete moves for the first 48 hours.

Five Moves in the First 48 Hours

Publish “What Great Looks Like” for 90 Days

3–5 measurable outcomes, visible to everyone, connected to the mission.

Clarify Roles and Decision Rights

For your top workflows: who decides, who gives input, who is informed. Write it down.

Co-Create Norms Together

“What behaviours would make this a great team to work from?” Write them. Post them.

Lock the Operating Rhythm on the Calendar

Weekly stand-up, bi-weekly 1:1s, monthly review. Schedule them now.

Use Scripts That Set Expectations Upfront

Say the hard things before they become problems.

Scripts That Work

On structure at the start

“We’ll start with clear structure and lighten up as trust and results show up. That’s not distrust — it’s respect for what we’re building together.”

On time away

“Please ask, don’t tell, when it comes to time away — so we can protect coverage for the people we serve.”

On standards

“Here’s what ‘done’ looks like. If something risks that standard, flag it early. Early is always better than late.”

Correcting Early — Kindly, Not Harshly

Delaying correction hardens habits. Address boundary crossings the day they appear. Immediate, calm, and specific is kindness — not harshness. The goal is always clarity, not punishment.

Chapter 6

60-30-10: Where to Put Your Energy

Most leaders exhaust themselves in the least leveraged place.

Harvard researcher Ruth Wageman’s 60-30-10 Rule answers the question: where does your effort produce the most impact on team effectiveness?

60% — Prework / Design

Purpose, roles, membership, decision rights, norms. Your highest-leverage zone. Most leaders skip this.

30% — The Launch

Your relaunch meeting. Where design comes to life and a real team forms.

10% — Ongoing Coaching

Real-time adjustments. Powerful — but only when the 60% and 30% were done well first.

The Uncomfortable Truth

If you’re exhausted from coaching your team, you may be doing the 60% work in the 10% zone. Design problems cannot be coached away.

The Five Design Questions (Your 60%)

Question 1: Is This a Real Team?

Not every group reporting to the same person is a real team. Ask: “What do we do together that we cannot do alone?” If the answer is “not much,” you may be leading a coordination group — which changes how you lead.

Question 2: Is Our Purpose Compelling?

Purpose answers “If we win together, what changes for the people we serve?” “We keep the shelter running” is a task. “We create a safe, dignified place where a person in crisis can take their first step toward stability” is a purpose. The difference matters enormously to morale and engagement.

Scripture

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”— Ephesians 2:10

Question 3: Do We Have the Right People?

The right person has both task skills and teamwork skills. Ask honestly: who must be in, and is there anyone whose presence consistently makes this team harder to lead? These are important conversations to have with your supervisor and Dennis.

Question 4: Is Our Structure Solid?

A well-structured team can operate well even when the leader is away. Ask: “How will we make decisions? How will we handle conflict? How will we keep commitments?” Write the answers before the first meeting.

Question 5: Do We Have Organizational Support?

Name clearly what your team needs from Hope Mission and advocate for it. Ask: “What must the organization provide — or stop doing — so this team can deliver?” Bring those needs to Dennis or Joel.

A 30-Day Application

Days 1–7 (The 60%): Do the Prework

Clarify purpose, membership, decision rights, norms, and resource gaps before your first team meeting.

Days 8–14 (The 30%): Run the Relaunch

Formal relaunch meeting plus 48-hour follow-up to tighten agreements.

Days 15–30 (The 10%): Coach Execution

Small consistent adjustments. Convert vague commitments into clear next actions. Celebrate early wins.

Chapter 7

Building Trust Through Conversation

The quality of your conversations determines the quality of your team.

Trust is not built in grand gestures — it is built in the daily texture of your conversations. Every interaction is either a deposit or a withdrawal in the trust account you hold with each person on your team.

Scripture

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”— Colossians 4:6

The Five Conversational Essentials (C-IQ)

Prime for Trust

Your words, tone, and posture either trigger the protect response or the partner response. Aim for partner.

Be Open to Influence

When you’re genuinely curious, they feel valued — and they bring more. Ask questions you don’t already know the answer to.

Listen to Connect — Not to Confirm

Focus on what the other person is really trying to say — their hopes and concerns, not just their words.

Sustain Conversational Agility

Reframe, refocus, or redirect when tension rises rather than shutting down or escalating.

Double-Click

When someone uses “respect” or “fairness” — ask: “What does that look like to you?” Open the real conversation.

Communicating Across Styles (DISC)

D — Dominant

Direct and decisive. Lead with the bottom line. Brief and outcome-focused.

I — Influencing

Social and energetic. Engage early. Invite their contribution from the start.

S — Steady

Patient and supportive. Give context. They need the “why” before the “what.”

C — Conscientious

Analytical. Send pre-reads. Give them time to think before responding.

Assessments That Can Help You and Your Team

I have access to a suite of research-backed assessments that give your team a shared language for how people are wired — how they behave, what motivates them, and how they learn.

DISC — Behavioral Styles

The world’s #1 behavioral profiling tool. Predicts how someone will act in a role or situation.

Motivators — Motivational Styles

Measures seven dimensions of motivation. The perfect companion to DISC — answers the “why.”

Hartman Value Profile — Thinking Styles

Measures critical thinking, judgment, and decision-making. Exceptional for high-stakes environments.

Emotional Intelligence (EIQ)

Can be coached and improved over time — one of the most valuable development tools available.

Learning Styles

Identifies how each team member learns best. Critical for designing effective training.

Rocket Model TAS

Measures team effectiveness across eight dimensions. A data-driven baseline for your relaunch.

Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS) — Ruth Wageman

Research-validated tool measuring the six conditions most predictive of team effectiveness. Lead your team with evidence, not hunches.

Want to explore assessments?

These tools are available through Dennis Gulley. Assessment fees are charged to the team’s budget — reach out first to discuss which assessments best fit your current needs. Contact dennis.gulley@hopemission.com to start the conversation.

Chapter 8

Developing Your People

The best thing you can do for Hope Mission is grow the leaders around you.

One of your most important roles is not just doing your work well — it is making sure the people around you are growing in their capacity to lead. This is how Hope Mission multiplies its mission without burning people out.

Scripture

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”— 2 Timothy 2:2

“

The new generation desperately needs a father — someone to walk with them, believe in them, and say: “You’ve got this, and I’ll be beside you while you figure it out.”

— Gordon MacDonald

The Level-Up Pathway

L1 → L2: Emerging to Operational (3–6 months)

Supervision basics, crucial conversations, safeguarding, trauma-informed care. Requires 3–4 sessions with an L3+ mentor.

L2 → L3: Operational to Strategic (6–9 months)

Coaching, hiring, performance reviews, budget basics, program design. They lead a 90-day project and mentor an L1.

L3 → L4: Strategic to Senior (9–12 months)

Strategy, multi-site operations, talent pipeline, culture shaping. Requires delivering a strategy review to SLT.

Your Four Roles in Their Development

Invest Relationally

Walk with, not just teach. Share missteps as freely as wins. The relationship is the development context.

Create Real Opportunities

Let them lead, fail, and recover with your support. Stretch grows people faster than courses.

Speak Life

Tell them what you see in them. Your honest belief is often what tips hesitation into confidence.

Model Humility

Show them what it looks like to trust others with real responsibility.

Chapter 9

People and Culture Foundations

The culture of your team is built one decision at a time — mostly by you.

Culture is not what you put on the wall. It is what you permit, reward, correct, and model. Every team has a culture — the only question is whether you’re shaping it intentionally or letting it shape itself.

Trauma-Informed Leadership

Many of the people your team serves carry significant trauma. Many on your team do too — and the work itself generates its own weight over time. When a team member is struggling, ask not “What is wrong with this person?” but “What might this person be carrying right now?”

Practical application

Check in before you correct. A 2-minute “how are you doing — really?” before addressing a performance issue can completely change the trajectory of the conversation.

Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue

Watch for: increased cynicism, emotional numbness, withdrawal from colleagues, loss of meaning in the work. Name it. Normalize it. Address it early. Your team needs to hear from you that this is a predictable human response, not a character flaw.

Faith Integration in Team Leadership

Hope Mission is explicitly a Christian organization. Effective faith-integrated leadership is neither apologetic about its foundation nor coercive in its expression. Model it, make space for it, ground decisions in values, and be honest about it — without pressure.

Scripture

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”— Colossians 3:23

Leading a Diverse Team

Your team spans ages, cultural backgrounds, tenures, and worldviews. Get to know what each person brings — not just their job description, but their story. When conflict has a cultural or generational dimension, slow down, bring curiosity, and name what you’re observing before trying to resolve.

Chapter 10

The Hard Conversations Nobody Teaches You

Clarity is kindness. Avoiding hard conversations is not.

Nobody’s leadership training adequately prepares them for the conversations they dread most. These conversations are part of the job. The question is whether you have them well.

Scripture

“Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”— Ephesians 4:15

Addressing Performance Issues Early

Address performance issues when you first notice them, not after they’ve become a pattern. A good early conversation: “I noticed [specific behaviour]. That’s not what I’d expect here. Help me understand what’s going on.”

The formula that works

Describe the specific, observable behaviour. State the impact. Ask a genuine question. Then listen. Specific is kind. Vague is cruel.

When Personal Life Affects Work

Compassion and accountability are not opposites. Start with the person: “I’ve noticed you seem to be carrying something lately. Is there anything I should know that would help me support you better?” Then, separately, have the performance conversation with the same honesty and care.

Giving Feedback That Lands

Specific

Tied to a specific behaviour or outcome, not a general character assessment.

Timely

As close to the event as possible. Feedback three weeks later has lost most of its power.

Balanced

Genuinely honest about what worked and what didn’t — not an artificial sandwich.

Dialogic

“Here’s what I observed. Does that match what you experienced?” Not a verdict — a conversation.

Saying No with Integrity

A no delivered well: “I understand why you’re asking, and I’m not able to say yes to that right now. Here’s why — and here’s what I can do.” Leaders who can’t say no say yes to everything and deliver on nothing.

Chapter 11

Trust and Psychological Safety

People do their best work when they feel safe enough to bring their real selves.

Psychological safety is not about making people comfortable. It is about making it safe to take risks, raise concerns, ask questions, and admit mistakes — without fear. Google’s Project Aristotle found it was the single most important factor in high-performing teams.

Scripture

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”— Romans 15:7

What It Looks Like in Practice

People speak up

They raise concerns before they become crises, without waiting to be asked.

People admit mistakes

They say “I got that wrong” without catastrophizing. Leaders model this first.

People ask questions

They say “I don’t understand” without feeling foolish.

Disagreement is productive

People push back on ideas without attacking people. The relationship remains intact.

New ideas are welcomed

People offer suggestions without needing to defend every detail before being heard.

How to Build It — and How to Destroy It

Model vulnerability first

Share a mistake you made before asking your team to share theirs. Say “I don’t know” when you don’t know. Your willingness to be imperfect gives permission to everyone else.

Respond to bad news well

How you respond the first time someone brings you a problem is the data point your whole team uses to decide whether they’ll bring you the next one.

Follow through

Nothing erodes safety faster than a leader who invites honesty and then does nothing with it. Close the loop: “You raised this last time. Here’s what I’ve done about it.”

Rebuilding Trust After It’s Been Broken

The path to rebuilding is not grand gestures — it is a long series of small kept promises. Say what you’ll do. Do what you said. Repeat. Track records are the only real currency of trust.

Chapter 12

Decision-Making Under Pressure

Good decisions made calmly beat perfect decisions made never.

Leadership is a long series of decisions made with incomplete information, under time pressure, with real consequences for real people. This chapter is about making good decisions consistently — not perfect ones.

Scripture

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”— James 1:5

Three Decision-Making Modes

Command — Decide and Act

Use for speed, safety, and clear authority. Crisis situations often fall here. Be direct, then communicate afterwards.

Consult — Input Then Decide

Gather perspectives, then you decide. Be honest: “I may not land where you suggest.” Avoid consulting when you’ve already decided.

Consensus — Decide Together

Use rarely, for decisions requiring everyone’s full ownership. Consensus paralysis is a real failure mode.

Dealing with Ambiguity

Hard decisions are hard because any answer involves real trade-offs. Name them clearly: “This means we’ll be able to do X, but not Y right now. Here’s why I believe that’s the right call.” Transparent reasoning builds more trust than pretending trade-offs don’t exist.

The 10-10-10 Test

How will I feel about this in 10 minutes? In 10 months? In 10 years? Decisions that feel hard now but right in the longer frame are usually worth making.

Managing Up and Across

When decisions are made above you that you disagree with, raise your concern clearly in the appropriate setting. Once the decision is made, represent it honestly to your team. The rule: disagree in the room, align in the hallway.

Chapter 13

Wellbeing and Sustainable Leadership

You cannot pour from an empty cup — and your team needs you full.

Unsustainable leadership is one of the most common ways gifted leaders fail their teams — not through bad decisions, but through depletion. Don’t skip this chapter.

Scripture

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”— Matthew 11:28

Recognizing Burnout Before It Arrives

Burnout arrives slowly — a little more cynicism, less patience, a growing sense that the work doesn’t matter. By the time it feels like burnout, it has been building for months. The most effective intervention is early.

Your personal warning signs

When you’re running on empty, how do you behave? What do you stop doing? Who do you become in the hard moments? Knowing and sharing your answers with a trusted person is one of the most important investments you can make.

Building Recovery Into the Rhythm

Sustainability is built in micro-recoveries woven into each week: the lunch away from the building, the morning that begins in prayer rather than email, the evening that belongs to the people you love. Your recovery rhythms give your team permission for theirs.

Scripture

“Six days you shall labour, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the ploughing season and harvest you must rest.”— Exodus 34:21

The Spiritual Dimension of Sustainability

The Sabbath principle — that regular, non-negotiable rest is obedience, not laziness — is one of the most counter-cultural and most needed truths for leaders in high-demand environments. What matters is that you have a source of replenishment deeper than the work itself.

Chapter 14

Onboarding New Team Members Well

The first 90 days shape a team member’s experience for years.

Hiring a great person is only the beginning. How you bring them in determines whether they become fully contributing team members. Most organizations conflate orientation and onboarding — they are not the same.

Orientation

Delivers information: policies, systems, org charts, safety protocols. Necessary but not sufficient.

Onboarding

Creates belonging: relationships, cultural understanding, role clarity, early wins. Most organizations do this poorly.

A 90-Day Onboarding Framework

Days 1–30: Orient and Connect

Introduce them personally to every team member. Assign a peer buddy. Protect them from being overwhelmed. Their primary task is learning.

Days 31–60: Clarify and Contribute

Review responsibilities, decision rights, and expectations. Give them a meaningful first project — bounded, achievable, and visible.

Days 61–90: Integrate and Grow

Have a direct conversation: “What’s going better than expected? What’s harder? What do you wish you’d known?”

Bringing a New Person Into an Established Team

Existing team members are watching. Be explicit: “Our norms don’t change — they become more important now. I’m counting on all of us to help [name] feel genuinely welcome.”

Scripture

“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.”— Romans 15:7a

Chapter 15

Leading Through Change

Change is constant. The question is whether you lead it or it leads you.

Hope Mission is a growing, evolving organization. Change is not occasional here — it is the steady state. John Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model offers a proven framework for leading change that actually sticks.

Scripture

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”— Isaiah 43:19a

Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model

Create a Sense of Urgency

Honest communication about why the status quo isn’t sustainable. At Hope Mission, this often has a compelling human face.

Build a Guiding Coalition

Change led by one person rarely sticks. Identify allies early and give them a real role in leading — not just implementing.

Form a Strategic Vision

A clear, compelling picture of the future. What will be better? For whom? By when? Make it concrete and human.

Communicate the Vision

Most organizations under-communicate change by a factor of 10. Say it in every meeting, every 1:1, in a hundred different ways.

Remove Obstacles

When people run into walls they were told wouldn’t be there, nothing kills momentum faster. See them and remove them.

Generate Short-Term Wins

Don’t wait for the big win — find the small ones and make them visible. Short-term wins demonstrate that the change is working.

Sustain Acceleration

After early wins, the temptation to declare victory is where most change fails. Use early wins as a foundation, not a finish line.

Anchor the Change in Culture

Change is complete only when it is embedded in norms, onboarding, and the stories told about who we are.

Helping Your Team Grieve What They’re Losing

Every significant change involves loss — even when the change is good. Leaders who skip the grieving step often find resistance is about unacknowledged loss, not the new direction. Name what is ending. Honour it. Then point forward.

Scripture

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”— Ecclesiastes 3:1

Chapter 16

Your Weekly Rhythm

Consistency is a form of care. Your team needs to be able to count on you.

Great leadership isn’t about heroic moments — it’s about reliable rhythms that keep you close to your team, close to the work, and close to the mission you share.

The Recommended Cadence

Daily

Brief check-ins (5 min) — connection, not control. “How’s your energy? Anything I need to know about?”

Weekly

Team stand-up (15–20 min): What moved forward? What’s blocked? Who owns what? Three priorities max.

Bi-weekly

1:1 with each direct report (30 min): priorities, support, development, two-way feedback. Non-negotiable.

Monthly

Team review (45–60 min): what moved the needle, what didn’t, what we’re adjusting. Connect to mission.

Quarterly

Team retro (60 min): start, stop, continue. Tune norms. Celebrate growth. Look ahead together.

The Weekly 3-Question Coaching Loop

“What did we accomplish together that mattered?”

Connects the week’s work to the mission. Reminds people why they’re here.

“Where did we get stuck — and what was the real issue?”

Diagnoses whether the problem was purpose, roles, norms, or resources.

“What will we change in how we work next week?”

Small adjustments, consistently made, compound over time.

Your support rhythm with Dennis

Office Hours (60 min, every 1–2 weeks) for any leader to bring questions; bi-weekly coaching for L3–L4 leaders; The Pipeline Post newsletter. These exist for you — use them.

Chapter 17

You’re Not Alone

Your support network, your 30-day checklist, and what comes next.

You’ve reached the end of this guide — but this is really the beginning. Leadership at Hope Mission is a long game, and you’re not playing it alone.

Scripture

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”— Philippians 1:6

Your Support Network

Dennis Gulley

Fractional Leader of People and Culture. First call for leadership questions and coaching.
dennis.gulley@hopemission.com

Joel Nikkel

Executive Director and champion of the Leadership Pipeline. Final approver for cross-site deployments.

The Leadership Pipeline

Your peer community of leaders at Hope Mission on this same journey. The Pipeline Post newsletter, cohort sessions, and peer coaching.

Your 30-Day Launch Checklist

Published 90-day outcomes with the team — visible and connected to the mission
Documented roles + decision rights for top 3–4 workflows
Co-created 6–8 observable team norms — posted and discussed
Scheduled the operating rhythm (stand-ups, 1:1s, reviews) on the calendar
Addressed the first boundary crossing the day it appeared — kindly and clearly
Connected each team member’s work to Hope Mission’s mission personally
Had a development conversation with at least one team member
Attended Office Hours or connected with Dennis directly
Celebrated one early win publicly — and named what it meant for the people we serve
Taken at least one genuine Sabbath rest — modelling sustainability for my team

“

At Hope Mission, leadership is not reserved for the few — it is cultivated in the many.

— Hope Mission Leadership Culture Vision Statement