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Local Training Leaders
May 01, 2008
Partnering with a college or university can bring additional expertise to training programs or help companies tailor a master's degree program to their needs
By Dan Calabrese
It's said that leaders are born, not made. But many communities across the U.S. believe they can be trained—and employers are investing money every year in the belief that such training will benefit them. Community leadership programs—often administered by a chamber of commerce, a university, or other community institution—attract applicants who hope to develop networking connections, learn the local lay of the land, and position themselves both for professional achievements and community impact.While programs are as distinctive as their communities, the typical pattern is to assemble a group of 25 or 30 and put them through a series of lectures, community tours, and hands-on projects to familiarize them with the movers and shakers of the municipalities and counties where they hope to ascend to leader status.
Such programs can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, and they are almost always employer-paid. So what return do companies get on that investment? In the best-case scenario, a well-rounded leader who's connected to the community, works well with multiple groups, and is trained to see the big picture.
Jesse Hertstein, manager of corporate citizenship for Grand Rapids, MI-based Amway Corp., enrolled in Leadership Grand Rapids (LGR)—a program of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce—to advance his understanding of collaboration, public/private partnerships, and the intertwining of systems such as health care, social services, and criminal justice. Hertstein says the best candidate to benefit from the program is already established to some degree in the community, and is looking to make a greater impact. "A leadership program like this is best suited for a leader from one sector who can deepen his or her efforts by understanding how to work within other sectors," Hertstein explains. "It is not designed for emerging leaders, who may struggle with their relevance and ability to impact the bigger picture."
A typical community leadership program has more applicants than slots, and selection committees consider various criteria in choosing who gets in—including ethnic and industry diversity, as well as length of time in a community. Mary Martin, director of Jackson Hole, WY's Leadership Jackson Hole, says program leaders are conscious of the community's high population turnover, and try not to select candidates who haven't proven their long-term commitment to the area. "We aim to not take people who have just been here one year," Martin says. Jackson Hole's high cost of living feeds its turnover, so Leadership Jackson Hole tries to groom leaders who will understand the community's long-term needs.
"We have sessions on building skills, conflict resolution, and understanding the generations in the workforce," Martin says. "Some of the sessions we have in Jackson Hole have been on the local economy and understanding how the state and local economy are connected. We've also covered having effective meetings, social action process, and change. This month we are going to the Wyoming legislature."
Kevin Stotts, director of Leadership Grand Rapids, says he looks for leaders both emerging and established to get the right mix for each year's class. "We're looking for leaders who want to become more involved in the community, and understand what the LGR program can do to broaden their horizons and perspective on how they view the community."
LGR's program has a different theme each month. In January, the focus was on education; in February, community health. Class members receive extensive background information and access to community leaders in each sector, then are taken for on-site visits. They round out their involvement with various group projects in support of a local nonprofit, which is designed to give them a hands-on understanding of community needs.
"These are community trustee projects, anywhere from five to seven projects that nonprofits come to us and say they want the leadership class to work on," Stotts says. "It could be board development, marketing, or building a volunteer program. These projects are selected because they're sustainable in their structure. The small groups and class members can work on a community trustee project. As a result, they're able to understand the challenges."
Tuition for the nine-month Grand Rapids program is $2,500 a year, with additional program costs underwritten by a foundation and corporate sponsors. Lakeland, FL's Leadership Lakeland program, administered by the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce, costs half that—just $1,250—and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. The Lakeland program has been so popular that it has spawned its own alumni association, whose members elect officers, plan quarterly events, and keep the networking momentum going.
"Leadership Lakeland Alumni was created a year after the first class," says Joe Tedder, a tax collector with Polk County who serves as the alumni group's current president. It sponsors various community events, including a State of the City address each year. "The idea was that the first class had so much fun and had such a great opportunity in a learning environment that they wanted to continue to meet and have programs of their own. We have more than 300 members in the organization."
Leadership Lakeland Director Carolyn Jackson says participants first must be nominated, then can choose to submit an application for participation. She typically receives 250 nominations, which will spawn 70 to 80 applications for 30 slots. "The selection process is anonymous, so those making the selections don't get lobbied or blamed," Jackson adds.
While participants in community leadership programs speak highly of them, they also cite opportunity for improvement. "Leadership Grand Rapids could be better by focusing on the needs of the next generation," Hertstein notes. "Currently, LGR is incubating smaller orientation programs for young professionals new to the area and researching mentoring programs for local youth. This innovative thinking will be critical in fostering a new wave of effective community leaders who will promote change in significantly different ways than we do."
Sidebar: Quick Tips
Those interested in starting or getting involved with a community leadership program should keep the following best practices in mind:
• Get the buy-in of as many community leaders as possible before you start. That will give you access to community tour opportunities, inside information, and other assets that will help make the program valuable for participants.
• Be prepared to make your case to employers about how the program will help strengthen the positioning of their employees. Employers willing to pay are crucial to program success.
• Give some thought to the mix of people you want in each class. Assemble a group of people who can learn from each other. Also, protect those involved in the selection process with anonymity, so they don't have to worry about pressure or blame.
• Encourage participants to keep in touch after their class graduates. It will enhance the networking value of their participation in the program.
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