The 2012 Penn State Emerging Leaders program is officially underway! Please join us in welcoming the 2012 cohort!
We ushered the twenty five new emerging leaders into this year-long leadership development experience with the program Kick-Off on January 18, 2012. During this event, participants heard from various Penn Staters regarding the impact, process, and benefits of Penn State Emerging Leaders. I welcomed the new cohort and provided detail regarding the program. Sue Cromwell, Director of Workplace Learning and Performance advised the emerging leaders on how to take advantage of this opportunity and introduced the Keynote Speaker, Dr. Craig Weidemann, Vice President for Outreach. Dr. Weidemann shared his leadership philosophy with the group, specifically focusing on his seven [leadership] Lessons Learned:
1. Be open and transparent
2. People are your most important asset
3. Innovate or die
4. Listen, listen, listen
5. Don’t make a decision until you have too
6. Focus, focus, focus
7. Make time to read
The Introductory Session was held on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 providing an opportunity for participants to build rapport with each other, discuss their learning styles, and gather more detailed information regarding the expectations of the program. It is typical for participants to leave this session felling overwhelmed and unsure of what lies ahead. Over the next few months, they will be able to demonstrate their organizational skills, dedication to their professional development, and ultimately their existing leadership skills.
This multi-faceted program encourages the emerging leaders to drive their own learning. As this is a leadership development program, the expectation is that the emerging leaders will maintain their schedule, attend seminars, complete assignments, and participate openly without the need for program leaders to remind and encourage them. This unique group of learners did not simply enroll in a professional development program. They CHOSE to participate! They applied, wrote an essay describing why they should be considered, garnered their supervisor’s support and were chosen by a diverse Selection Committee. I truly congratulate the 2012 Emerging Leaders and look forward to joining them in their leadership development journey!
