Leadership Medina County’s LEAD (Leadership Exploration And Development) Institute program is designed for those looking for professional development training and to further develop their leadership skills. Participants will be presented with the necessary tools, resources, information, and networking to benefit themselves and the businesses they support as they continue to grow both personally and professionally as community and business leaders. The program focuses on developing communication and strategic thinking skills.

In addition to current professional development training delivered by top corporate trainers and university professors, participants will also be provided with curriculum from Edward O’ Malley’s Your Leadership Edge fromthe Kansas Leadership Center. This curriculum focuses on adaptive leadership skills that will be applied in the classroom and in their personal, professional, and community contexts.

Professional Development Training in the LEAD Institute will include:

• Team Building
• Clifton Strengthsfinder Assessment and Coaching
• Board Training
• Emotional and Social Intelligence
• Handling Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
• Self Advocacy and Awareness
• Communication Skills and Collaborative Leadership
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving Skills, and Systems Thinking
• Personal Wellness Networking Skills
• Diagnosing Situations
• Energizing Others
• Managing Self
• Intervening Skillfully
• Technical vs. Adaptive Challenges

Yes. The LEAD Institute is an expansion of LMC’s previous Emerging Leaders Program and is now open to anyone who is looking to develop professionally and/or personally. The program’s curriculum includes much of what was offered in the Emerging Leaders program, however, has expanded its offerings to include additional current professional development opportunities in a full day offering over a nine-month period. Additionally, the program will also now include applied leadership curriculum from Kansas Leadership Center’s Your Leadership Edge.

Participation in the LEAD Institute offers an opportunity to be part of a nine-month professional development leadership program that is designed to grow professional confidence, challenge participants to think differently and learn new skills alongside a network of peers from across Medina County.

At the end of the program year, graduates will have gained the necessary leadership skills to lead anytime, anywhere. They will have:

• Discovered new ways to communicate and solve problems
• Sharpened their interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and confidence with others
• Practiced new ways to lead more effectively back in their context
• Found, tested, and pushed themselves to the edge of their comfort zones
• Discovered their Top 5 Strengths/Talents that show them how they are special and how to succeed by turning their talents into strengths and how to apply their talents to their goals and tasks
• Been provided with tools and skills to aid them in sitting on non-profit and private Boards.
• Discovered their 360 Emotional and Social Intelligence IQ to understand behaviors necessary for leadership effectiveness. They will discover important elements to building trust with others and identify actions to build/rebuild trust.
• Identified productive and unproductive conflict and the steps to resolving conflict effectively, the benefits of productive conflict and how it improves results and allows for growth.
• Learned how to promote leadership through their communication skills, how to navigate important conversations, and how to get the most out of their interactions with others.
• Learned how to build their professional “brand” and credibility in their workplace, how to advocate for themselves for important situations, and position themselves for career advancement.
• Acquired problem solving strategies and techniques with a focus on working through adaptive challenges to make progress on tough issues that require people to work differently and experimentally in our changing world.
• Practiced how to network skillfully and effectively to build relationships.
• Gained skills and tools on how to manage and take care of themselves both personally and professionally to be the best version of themselves.

Applicants should live and/or work in Medina County and be interested in an educational based program to further develop their leadership skills.

The LEAD Institute is a nine-month program that runs September thru May. Class days will be from 9am-5pm and typically fall on the first Thursday of each month, with a few exceptions(see class schedule). Graduation from the program will be on Tuesday, May 11th. Participants will also be required to complete one volunteer experience or class project in the County.

In order to accomplish the program’s stated objectives, attendance and full participation of each individual selected is necessary. Participants must be able to commit to the full class schedule and a volunteer experience in the community. However, we realize that “life happens” sometimes. Therefore, we do allow for one excused absence per class year. More than one absence could disqualify a program participant from graduating from the program. Orientation/Opening Retreat and Graduation are mandatory.

Tuition is $1,100 and includes all materials, texts, lunches, facilities, and assessments. Certificates will be issued to each participant upon completion of the program.

If selected to participate in LMC’s LEAD Institute, you (or your sponsoring organization) agree to pay the tuition fee of $1100, which is non-refundable.

Yes, tuition assistance is available. Limited resources preclude us from awarding full tuition assistance. However, partial tuition assistance based on financial need is available. Awarded tuition assistance falls in the range of twenty to sixty percent of total tuition. Tuition assistance requests must be submitted at time of application. When you are notified that you have been selected to participate in the LEAD Institute, you also will be notified about the state of your tuition assistance request

Application deadline for the LEAD Institute is midnight on July 1, 2021 by midnight.