My Walk into the Future continues to allow me to make a difference in the world daily. I realize most of my life and writing focus appears to only be on my marathon preparation but I’m still busy with my consulting work as well.
I embarked on an Authentic Leadership consulting project with the St. Lucie County Tax Collector’s office to enhance leadership training for front line supervisors. I have been working with this organization since February but never got around to sharing with my readers. Well, now is the time to get a full understanding of the project.
The Director of Organizational Efficiency reached out to me on LinkedIn to discuss my Authentic Leadership work back in February. We had initial conversations on LinkedIn and transitioned to a phone conversation on the impact of Authentic Leadership within the work environment. I was scheduled to attend a local Chamber of Commerce event the next week and she asked if she could join me during the event to talk more. I’m always networking so invited her to join me at the Chamber event.
She brought her supervisor, the Chief Deputy with her to the Chamber event to meet me as well. We spent most of the Chamber event discussing my Authentic Leadership work and how it might benefit their organization. We agreed to stay in touch, and they invited me to meet their leadership team—an audition if you will since I did my Authentic Leadership presentation for the group.
This led to a request to provide a 5-part leadership training program to the 18 department leaders.
I worked directly with the Director of Organizational Efficiency on the topics, dates, and frequency of the training program so we could maintain a schedule that provided maximum exposure for the leaders. The topics requested were some that I already had in my library, but I was able to build new, innovative training sessions based on the needs of the organization. FYI, a full training needs assessment was completed by the intended audience to ensure I provided training that would benefit the organization—not just something I wanted to share with them. This is a major key to a successful organizational training program.
A companion 3-part leadership training program was requested for staff participating in the LEAD Academy—next line leaders coming up through the organization.
5-part program topics:
- Authentic Leadership
- Goal Setting
- Your WHY Statement
- Being a Self-Aware Leader
- Empowering Leadership
3-part program topics:
- Self-Awareness and Leadership
- Authentic Leadership and How to be a Leader
- Learn How to Interview (next position)
There was some overlap with the topics, but I was able to tailor to fit each group and their needs based on what they requested in the needs assessment.
It was great being able to see the leadership growth in each group—some folks did not understand what leadership should be when we started but quickly developed outstanding insight on leadership when we were done. I like to look into the eyes of my clients to determine if they understand a topic and the growth, I saw in the eyes of both groups they are better leaders now.
I remind my clients leadership requires continued learning and development. You must adapt to situations and people but having a strong leadership foundation is key to organizational growth.
I am in the process of building a 2023 program for the same organization to capture more up and coming leaders. This will ensure the organization continues to evolve and grow based on the training provided to the staff. Excited to partner with this organization again in 2023. Also, looking to expand my client base to conduct training with other local organizations. Never a dull moment for me! 😊
Irie!
What projects are you working on? Make it great!
Walk Into the Future 