Hosted by Kansas Leadership Center president and CEO Ed O’Malley, this call features a conversation designed to help further your understanding of the importance of acting experimentally when exercising leadership.

Hosted by Kansas Leadership Center president and CEO Ed O’Malley, this call features a conversation designed to help further your understanding of how to take the temperature when diagnosing the situation to exercise leadership.

Hosted by Kansas Leadership Center president and CEO Ed O’Malley, this call features a conversation designed to help further your understanding of how to navigate the risk associated with exercising leadership.

Energizing Others requires an ability to start where they are. No special guest, just alums asking questions and sharing stories about how to “start where they are.” Find out what it means to start where they are and how faculty, staff and KLC alumni are putting this key leadership principle into action in civic life.

A significant component of Intervening Skillfully is an ability to hold to purpose.  No special guest, just alums asking questions and sharing stories about how to “hold to purpose.”

This past week I joined 22 young professionals at Rock Springs 4-H Center located in the heart of the Flint Hills. Participants of the Kansas Leadership Center’s Art and Practice 20’s and 30’s program, we are learning and practicing skills to facilitate leadership development with future generations of Kansans.

We gathered for two days to reflect on how to change our habits to consciously take care of ourselves and apply this practice to our purpose.

The practice of reflecting was not challenging, but stopping long enough to do so felt like riding a bike for the first time. Pedal, pedal, pedal, glide, crash, repeat.

As I ate on a worn white plate, marked with a 4-H emblem, memories flooded back from years past; 12 years of 4-H, the beginning of this desire to succeed. The reality of ribbons returned to boxes, symbols of hard work and service still linger in my present reality.

In a society where young professionals are continuously asked to consider what’s next, pausing to think about what’s now, and how to stop the urgent race to the future, was energizing.

Surrounded by talented educators, marketers, advocates, Kansans, all young voices of change, I realized I’m not alone in feeling the pressure to create the perfect résumé and push toward an unknown future we’re tirelessly working to achieve. Along this journey to a “to be determined” destination one steady desire remains: to find and hold to a purpose greater than ourselves, grander than we could possibly imagine today.

This retreat was structured to help us imagine this purpose in a setting removing urgency, distractions and worldly pressures to work toward unrealistic and undesirable definitions of success. Some of us left with a clear picture of the story we’re hopeful to slowly write. Others left with more unanswered questions equipped with journals of blank pages waiting to be filled with dreams of Kansans eager to continue working for the common good in whatever way this will continue to be defined.

Returning from this place of solace to my normal hurried life, I am different. The stream will continue to rush, but I will consciously pause to overlook the path purposefully determining the steps along my journey.  

  Amy Nichols

Kansas Leadership Center Alumni are encouraged to attend a Take Care of Yourself Aligning Purpose and Practice retreat. For more information and to register visit www.kansasleadershipcenter.org/takecare or contact Julia Fabris McBride jfmcbride@kansasleadershipcenter.org, 316-712-4947.

Wayne Bell, Wichita, and Shannon Cotsoradis, Lawrence, have been selected as the initial participants in Onward Kansas, the Kansas Leadership Center’s new, personalized leadership development experience designed for full-on, intensive difference making.

Onward Kansas is designed as an individualized experience that provides support for Kansans who are making an impact in their communities and want to significantly improve their influence and effectiveness. The participant and the Kansas Leadership Center will work closely together, meeting frequently to leverage the participant’s content knowledge of the issue and KLC’s process knowledge related to adaptive work.

Shannon Cotsoradis, President & CEO of the Topeka-based Kansas Action for Children and Wayne Bell, Wichita, District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, each come to Onward Kansas with a specific civic issue with which they’ve been wrestling.

Wayne’s civic challenge is two-fold: he seeks increased access to capital for disadvantaged Kansas businesses and the development of high growth firms in underserved communities.

Shannon seeks to reduce childhood poverty by deepening her understanding of the issue and Kansans’ perspective of the issue. In doing so, she hopes to change the conversation about the issue.

“We believe Wayne Bell and Shannon Cotsoradis hold great potential to impact our state and our world,” said Ed O’Malley, Kansas Leadership Center President & CEO. “Our strong belief is that progress on these two specific issues will help Kansas strive for the common good.”

Wayne and Shannon will select their own coach from the Kansas Leadership Center’s deep bench of experienced, professional civic engagement practitioners. They’ll also help identify a mentor, a ‘subject matter expert’ familiar with their specific civic concern. Rounding out their 4-5 member team will be leadership development professionals with diverse experience and points-of-view drawn from KLC stakeholder groups (faculty, senior staff, Board of Directors).

The Kansas Leadership Center equips people with the ability to make lasting change for the common good.

Leadership and Legacy in the Statehouse – A New Legislator’s Program is an extensive seven-month program offered by the Kansas Leadership Center to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing freshman state lawmakers.

“The potential for new legislators to leverage influence in support of the common good is immense,” said Kansas Leadership Center President & CEO Ed O’Malley, himself a former state lawmaker. “That influence is not guaranteed just on account of being a legislator, but rather available to the wise, disciplined, reflective and purposeful legislator.”

Leadership and Legacy in the Statehouse – A New Legislator’s Program is designed to create a connection among legislators and model collaboration; to increase the legislator’s own individual skills and to demonstrate a wider, deeper, more long-term and statewide perspective on their job as a legislator.

The program is broken into three component phases:

Phase 1: Entering the Arena. (December 10-12 retreat in Wichita). Preparing new legislators for their role, for working together and making an impact on behalf of their district and state.

Phase 2: In the Arena. (Monthly evening sessions in January, February and March in Topeka).  Helping freshman legislators make sense out of their early experience and providing an opportunity for them to reflect on what they are learning and accomplishing as new legislators.

Phase 3: Legacy. (A June retreat in Wichita). Encouraging legislators to think about the legacy they hope to leave during their public service in the Statehouse.

Leadership and Legacy in the Statehouse – A New Legislator’s Program will feature uniquely-crafted materials and curriculum created specifically for this program by Kansas Leadership Center staff and consultants, whose work was informed by their own personal public service experience in Topeka.

This one-of-a-kind training is consistent with the ideas of the Kansas Leadership Center’s broad understanding of what it takes to mobilize people to accomplish difficult work. That broad understanding was developed through extensive engagement and listening with thousands of Kansas citizens since its inception in 2007.

The Kansas Leadership Center equips people with the ability to make lasting change for the common good. KLC stands alone in the field of leadership development with its focus on leadership being an activity, not a role or position. Open to anyone wanting to move the needle on tough challenges in the civic arena, KLC envisions more Kansans sharing responsibility for acting together in pursuit of the common good.

When Kansas Leadership Center President & CEO Ed O’Malley participated in a Harvard leadership development seminar last spring, little did he realize that casual conversations would lead to an international gathering this fall in Wichita of people eager to learn about the Kansas Leadership Center.

Leadership practitioners from a dozen countries and 17 American states plus the District of Columbia will spend parts of three days (Thursday, November 8 – Saturday, November 10, 2012) in Wichita to explore and foster experiments using large scale leadership development for civic and social change.

During those informal conversations, O’Malley shared the basics – that the Kansas Leadership Center equips people with skills to make lasting, positive change for the common good, is unique in the field of leadership development and that we believe that leadership is an activity, not a particular role or position.

“These new friends are involved in some sort of leadership development effort in their home counties and communities, but nothing ‘large scale’ like the Kansas Leadership Center,” O’Malley said. “When nearly 50 people from across the globe want to learn how we do this with the goal of replicating it in their own countries, that tells me we’re on to something.”

The countries represented include Australia, Canada, France, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Singapore and the United States.

From the U.S., participants will travel from California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

The participants include CEOs of for-profit businesses, leaders of faith-based organizations, government agencies, non-profits, economic development groups and a host of other concerns spanning the globe. Attendees will delve into the personal and institutional challenges associated with creating a large-scale leadership development initiative, using the Kansas Leadership Center as a starting point and frame.

The hoped-for outcome is for the participants to sufficiently understand the ‘big idea‘ behind the Kansas Leadership Center to better enable them to conceive and design their own experiences and create the beginnings of a large scale leadership development plan in their home environments.

Together, KLC alumni will explore questions such as:

• What does leadership have to do with healthy communities?
• How might you identify the stakeholders in your community, engage diverse groups and foster comprehensive partnerships?
• What does it mean to explore tough, systemic interpretations about encouraging healthy behaviors in your community?

Usher will also discuss KHF’s new, expanded Healthy Communities Initiative request for proposal (RFP). Through this RFP, the Kansas Health Foundation is seeking to support communities as they facilitate policy, practice and environmental changes that will help Kansans make healthy choices such as being more physically active, eating nutritious foods and not using tobacco products.

That’s the premise behind the first-ever Leadership & Faith Alumni Gathering this fall in Wichita. Participants in the six separate KLC Leadership & Faith teams programs from 2009 through this year are invited. The gathering will begin the evening of Monday, October 22 and wrap up by 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 23.

The Monday evening celebration dinner will feature reflections by Scott Jones, resident bishop of the Kansas Area of the United Methodist Church. The dinner will be held at Botanica, where the gardens and programs expand public awareness of horticulture, educate Kansans about how nature can improve their daily lives and assist in the promotion of community development.

The Tuesday gathering will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 400 W. Waterman, and will include an opportunity to customize your experience by choosing from a menu of deeper learning options:

• Introduction to Civic Leadership Coaching
• Learning Through Story
• Energizing Others for Adaptive Work
• Exploring the Intersection of Leadership and Faith
• Communicating KLC Concepts to Broader Audiences
• Exploring the Intersection of Faith and Community
• Heat in the System

Mark your calendar and save the dates, to reflect, recharge, reconnect and rejoice!

For registration and additional details, please contact Kansas Leadership Center Program Associate Allie Denning adenning@kansasleadershipcenter.org or 316-712-4957.

The Kansas Health Foundation is excited to announce the selection of 22 Kansans for Fellows VII.  The purpose of Fellows VII is to provide an intensive leadership development experience through a prestigious yearlong program.  This group is convened around the topic of access to healthy food.  Those selected to participate will be asked to examine, expand, and apply their capacities to exercise leadership to enhance access to healthy foods in ways that promote the health of all citizens in the organizations and communities they serve.

KHF Fellows VII launched July 9-13 in Wichita with a leadership development retreat presented by the Kansas Leadership Center.  They will continue to meet every other month culminating in May when Fellows Alumni from groups one through six will be invited to come together for the Fellows VII graduation.

Those selected as a Fellow include:

Tracie Collins, MD, MPH, Chair, Department of Preventative Medicine and Public Health, KU School of Medicine – Wichita

Wendy Glick, Chief Development Officer, Catholic Charities, Inc. – Wichita

Sarah Green, Governmental Relations and Local Food Coordinator, Kansas Department of Agriculture – Topeka

Eileen Horn, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Lawrence and Douglas County – Lawrence

Vickie L. James, RD, LD, Director, Healthy Kids Challenge – Dighton

Cheryl Johnson, MS, RD, LD, Director, Child Nutrition and Wellness, Kansas State Department of Education – Topeka

Katherine Kelly, Executive Director, Cultivate Kansas City – Kansas City

Tandalayo Kidd, Ph.D., Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, Department of Human Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Kansas State University – Manhattan

Dana Knott, Division Advertising and Loyalty Manager, Dillon Stores – Hutchinson

Barbara LaClair, MHA, Senior Analyst, Kansas Health Institute – Topeka

Joe Linot, Pork Marketing and Value Creation Manager, Cargill – Wichita

Emily Joy Miller, Planner, BNIM – Mission

Shala Mills, Ph.D., Chair and Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Fort Hays State University – Hays

Barbara Mitchell, PBH, MWS, Director, Health Education Division, Johnson County Health Department – Olathe

Dan Partridge, Director, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department – Lawrence

Jane Shirley, BSN, MSE, Local Health Program Director, Bureau of Community Health Systems, Kansas Department of Health and Environment – Topeka

Brian Smith, D.Ed., Superintendent, Galena School District – Galena

Stephen L. Smith, RPh., President, Brown County Healthy Foods Coalition – Hiawatha

Jeffrey Willett, Vice President for Programs, Kansas Health Foundation – Wichita

Debbie Williams, Healthy Community Director, Greater Wichita YMCA – Wichita

Shari L. Wilson, Principal, Project Central – Kansas City

Rita York, General Manager, The Community Mercantile Market and Deli – Lawrence

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The mission of the Kansas Health Foundation is to improve the health of all Kansans.  The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities.

Questions regarding the KHF Fellows program can be directed to Amanda Cebula, Program Associate at (316) 712-4955 or acebula@kansasleadershipcenter.org.

Session 1

Wednesday, September 12, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Session 2

Tuesday, September 25, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Wednesday, September 26, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

All sessions will be held in the Fort Hays State University Student Union, 600 Park Street, Hays. Click here to learn more and to apply for participation.

Application deadline is Monday, August 20. The participation fee is $100. It includes meals and materials. Scholarships are available upon request.

The Kansas Leadership Center cultivates civic leadership throughout Kansas. The KLC is unique among leadership development organizations because of its statewide scope, focus on civic leadership and significant financial support.

The Kansas Health Foundation started the Kansas Leadership Center in 2007 through a 10-year, $30 million investment as a gift not to the KLC, but to the people of Kansas.

• A thirty-something exec of a global family business in tiny Kiowa, Miranda Walz-Allen returned home and found a community with no organized daycare. She diagnosed the situation and is maneuvering the landmines.
• Mission City Administrator Mike Scanlon focuses on creating disequilibrium and ‘us vs. them’ dynamics in helping his City Council create a new municipal revenue stream to help fund street improvements.
• Associate Pastor Jeff Prothro of Hutchinson’s Trinity United Methodist Church shares the risk involved with their congregation’s ambitious plan to eliminate poverty in their community.
• Hope and expectation resonate when 25-year old Brandon Johnson of Wichita talks about his role as executive director of a brand new non–profit designed to empower youth and families.
• As administrator of the Chamber’s Leadership Lawrence, former City Commissioner Sue Hack communicates eloquently about ‘organized leadership development’ before and after the KLC philosophies and competencies.

It’s a film about what happens when people who care, take risks to make things better. It’s not a story about political squabbles or policy disagreements, but it does address the environment that leads to them.

And in doing so, the hope is that these five Kansans, who are drawing their own new picture of civic engagement, add some value to the thinking of the rest of us wrestling with similar difficulties.

If they can draw a new picture, so can we.

The film has aired on KPTS, public television in Wichita, and we’re making plans to air it on other public stations across Kansas.

The Kansas Leadership Center’s newest Art and Practice of Civic Leadership Development – Faith program kicked off June 11^th with twenty-two highly accomplished Kansans.  Highly respected in their education fields and religious organizations, these participants were carefully selected through a competitive application process.

This is the Kansas Leadership Center’s fourth Art & Practice program in five years, but is the organization’s first specifically designed for Kansans who do faith related leadership education. Twenty-two individuals were selected for this program that cultivates civic leadership skills for use in faith settings.  Participants will attend sessions throughout the year, learning together for 11 days before the program’s conclusion in May, 2013.

The participants selected for the program are:

Matt Adams, Pastor of Westside Family Church – Lenexa

John Burchill, Associate Professor at Kansas Wesleyan University – Salina

Russ Gaeddert, Program Director at Hesston College

Jessica Schierling, Associate Dean for Student Life at Bethany College – Lindsborg

Christopher Eshelman, Campus Minister at Wichita State University

Ashlee Alley, Campus Minister at Southwestern College – Winfield

James Bacus, Campus Minister Pittsburg State University

Fr. John Jirak, Pastor at Church of the Blessed Sacrament – Wichita

Rosemary Niedens, Associate Vice President at Newman University – Wichita

Jeffery Sagstetter, Associate Professor at Manhattan Christian College

Dustin Petz, Pastor at Goodland United Methodist Church

William Blew, Consultant and Coach at Living Water United Methodist Church – Kansas City

Dale Schrag, Campus Pastor at Bethel College – Newton

Dan Entwistle, Managing Executive Director at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection – Leawood

Carole Barr, Director of Academic Development and Student Success at McPherson College

Pamela Vainer, Youth Director at Prince of Peace Church – Great Bend

Todd Lehman, Campus Pastor at Hesston College

Douglas Alpert, Rabbi at Congregation Kol Ami – Kansas City

Art Walker, Campus Pastor at Wichita State University

Cynthia Tannehill, Director of Leadership at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church – Wichita

Kent Stephens, Minister of Outreach at Holy Cross Lutheran Church – Wichita

Jodi Mason, Manager of Development at Via Christi Health – Wichita

Upon graduation, participants will join a network of approximately 100 other Art & Practice of Civic Leadership Development alumni who are teaching, training, consulting and facilitating using leadership concepts in various sectors and locations across Kansas.

********

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.  In 2011 an additional grant was given specifically for civic leadership training with all faith denominations across the state.  To learn more, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.  For media inquiries, contact Project Director Sue Dondlinger at 316 721 4959 or sdondlinger@kansasleadershipcenter.org.

Here is the Topeka class:

The program, which kicks off June 5-8 in Wichita, will cultivate skills for building leadership capacity in others. Participants will attend follow-up sessions throughout the year, learning together for 11 days before the program’s conclusion in May 2013.

This is KLC’s third Art & Practice program in five years, but it is the organization’s first specifically designed for Kansans under 40.

“By developing a cadre of well-qualified, highly accomplished Kansans under 40 who can teach leadership to others, we are building the future of leadership development in Kansas,” said Ed O’Malley, KLC’s President and CEO. “We are excited to engage with these tremendous Kansans, to learn from them and with them, and are anxious to see their contributions to our state.”

The participants selected for the program are: Tyler Alexander, Olathe; Ella Casey, Wamego; Amanda Cebula, Wichita; Andrew Conard, El Dorado; Lisa Coss, Pratt; Brittany Crabtree, Topeka; Matthew Davis, Salina; Anne Dewvall, Derby; Rickey Frierson, Wichita; LaShonda Garnes, Wichita; Katie Hill, McPherson; Miguel Jaramillo, Kansas City; Brandon Johnson, Wichita; Christian Keisler, Emporia; Sommer Keplar, Wichita; Katrina Lowry, Garden City; Allison Medina, Garden City; Brandi Nelson, Manhattan; Amy Nichols, Wichita; Jessica Noble, Topeka; Gary Palmer, Ft. Scott; Alicia Sanchez, Hutchinson; Renee Sweeney, Wichita; Julio Victorio, Dodge City; and Anna Villarreal, Wichita.

The program seeks to give participants a personally transforming leadership development experience, help them to learn and apply new teaching and facilitation skills and nurture relationships to support their ongoing development and application of skills learned.

Upon graduation, participants will join a network of approximately 75 other Art & Practice of Civic Leadership Development alumni who are teaching, coaching, training, consulting and facilitating using leadership concepts in various sectors and locations across Kansas.

*****

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.

For media inquiries, contact Program Associate Sheersty Stanton at (316) 712-4946 or by email at sstanton@kansasleadershipcenter.org.

Join Heather McLeod Grant, co-author of the best-selling Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits for an “On The Balcony” call.

Grounded in several years of research, Forces for Good illuminates practices that “can be applied by any organization seeking to make a difference in the world.”

The Kansas Leadership Center is searching for a highly organized person with great people skills to serve as a full-time Program Associate.

As an emerging national voice in the field of civic leadership development, the Kansas Leadership Center offers top-notch faculty, a cutting edge curriculum and the only programs of their kind in the state of Kansas.

The Program Associate will help coordinate planning processes and educational sessions related to the Kansas Health Foundation Fellows program. This position also serves as a member of the Program Team and will help plan and support all activities within the team. This full-time position is located at the Kansas Leadership Center headquarters in downtown Wichita, 300 N. Main, Suite 100.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Excellent communication skills sufficient to express ideas and agreements concisely and persuasively, both orally and in writing, to a variety of audiences.
• Listening skills are very important to achieve goals and objectives.
• Demonstrated project management, time management and organizational skills.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office applications, database management and internet applications.
• Ability to work in a team-based, highly collaborative environment.
• Collaborative by nature, eager and able to pull together the many elements of a complex program and to nurture and facilitate their work.
• Demonstrated integrity, dependability, sound judgment, teambuilding and resourcefulness to establish and maintain collaborative, positive, and effective working relationships with multiple and diverse constituency groups.
• Ability and willingness to travel around the state, including overnight trips.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities:

• Help plan and implement program sessions and other related activities, including primary responsibilities for program materials, mailings and logistics.
• Coordinate and direct the Fellows Initiative Team.
• Serve as contact person for program participants and alumni.
• Help identify innovative research, best practices and programming with respect to cohort based civic leadership development.
• Help develop communication materials and marketing strategies.
• Attend conferences, seminars and meetings as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Applications are due by May 23, 2012

Interested applicants should send cover letter, resume and a list of three references to Jamie Crouse, jcrouse@kansasleadershipcenter.org.

It is the policy of The Kansas Leadership Center to provide equal employment opportunity without unlawful discrimination based upon race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status or any other lawfully protected reason.

Believing that civic leadership creates stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities, the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) selected two regional efforts in Kansas for its new Academy for Team Leadership initiative.

 Visioneering Wichita’s Health Alliance and Project 17 from southeast Kansas have each been chosen to participate in KLC’s first ever Academy for Team Leadership.  Both efforts are focused on improving the health and well being of local residents, and each will receive $1 million in civic leadership training.

 The Visioneering Health Alliance is part of Visioneering Wichita, the comprehensive, long-range planning initiative for south-central Kansas. The Health Alliance works to ensure community citizens can be as healthy as possible for as long as possible. In 2010, the Visioneering Health Alliance convened partners from more than 60 agencies to select health priorities and set an action plan that would require newly engaged leadership and new ways of working together. This investment from KLC will facilitate moving that plan into action.

 “The work of the Health Alliance reflects a true commitment to working together, across disciplines and geographic boundaries, in ways that contribute to the overall well-being of our region,” said Suzie Ahlstrand, who leads the Visioneering initiative at the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. “We couldn’t be more proud that ‘one of our own’ has successfully competed for – and won – this significant challenge. We look forward to helping take the work that’s already been done to the next level.”

 “This is an unbelievable opportunity,” said Ahlstrand. “We are celebrating the announcement and looking forward to working with the Kansas Leadership Center. Our goal is to ensure their intentional investment in civic engagement and leadership training allows us to make significant progress toward the priorities we’ve identified for improving the health of communities in south-central Kansas. We are proud to take on this ambitious task.”

 Members of the Health Alliance Leadership Team include the director of the medical society, health foundation partners, the director for Project Access, leaders from the community mental health center, staff from the local public health department, the United Way, hospital leaders, non-profit leaders related to health, leadership from the YMCA, and more.

 Project 17 is a broad-based effort to improve economic and health conditions among the seventeen counties of Southeast Kansas that collectively represent the poorest and least-healthy region of the state.  Started by the four state senators representing the region, Project 17 has become a regional movement that is building capacity to create a thriving economy and healthier communities. 

 A primary goal of Project 17 is establishing a community of collaborative regional leaders who can collectively mobilize resources to invest in efforts that transcend narrowly-focused competitions pitting neighbor against neighbor.  The participating counties are Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Labette, Linn, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson. 

 “We are excited and humbled by our selection,” said Senator Jeff King, who along with Senators Pat Apple, Bob Marshall and Dwayne Umbarger spearheaded the creation of Project 17.  “KLC’s investment in the people of Southeast Kansas dramatically increases the likelihood that we can meaningfully improve the lives of a quarter-million people across our region.   Project 17 is an enormous effort that faces challenging odds, but it got a tremendous boost with today’s announcement.” 

 The Academy for Team Leadership is designed to help turn the tide on a tough public issue. KLC will provide immersion-style, leadership training for up to four years, for up to 400 people connected to each issue.

 These two efforts were chosen from 21 applicants for the Academy for Team Leadership.  Approximately 100 Kansas organizations expressed interest in the program which will provide leadership training valued at up to $1 million for each of the efforts. 

 “Our original goal was to choose only one,” said KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley.  “We were looking for a partnership with a creative, committed organization ready to roll up its sleeves and go to work on a problem.  Turns out we found two that we just couldn’t refuse.  Both these efforts are underway, fascinating and have great potential.  We are excited to join them.”

 The Academy for Team Leadership represents a different way to make progress on a daunting public issue.  “We are excited to move this forward, learn as we go and support Kansans working to create stronger communities,” O’Malley said.

 KLC will begin meeting soon with Project 17 and Visioneering Wichita’s Health Alliance to plan the initial trainings. 

 ******

 The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from The Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit: kansasleadershipcenter.org. 

For media inquiries contact Mark McCormick at 316-712-4950.

I was wondering why some people in a given community choose to engage in civic life and contribute to the greater good while others just never seem to get involved.

 Some have theorized that in order for a person to contribute to a greater good, they first must believe their own “glass” is fairly full, if not overflowing. Many agree that there is a certain hierarchy of need that must be met before people give. That’s why it is often referred to as “giving back.”

 So here’s my question: Is it possible that your current glass, no matter its size, may NEVER be full enough for you? Can your glass ever really be full without contributing to something bigger than you and yours?

 If we consider the possibility that many people in our culture strive constantly for a “bigger glass” – and that the glass will never be full because it is ever expanding – might that help explain why so few people engage in civic leadership and why few move to engagement?  It may not be the only reason, but certainly one to consider.

 So if you’re not now engaged in civic life, consider these questions: How big is your glass?  How big does it need to be?  How much is enough?  When will you reach the point that you are ready to contribute to something bigger than you and yours?

Ron Alexander is a core faculty member at the Kansas Leadership Center.

After attracting nearly 100 interested organizations from across the state, the Kansas Leadership Center’s Academy for Team Leadership – offering the winning organization up to $1 million in leadership training – has narrowed its list to seven finalists.

The finalists are:

1. The Kansas State Dept. of Education/KS Assc. of School Boards/ESSDACK – Interested in improving graduation rates (statewide focus).
2. USD 259/260 – Working on urban and suburban school districts interested in creating (and implementing?) a new model for the 21^st century high school designed to have larger numbers of students graduate prepared for college or career.
3. Kansas Action for Children – Interested in reducing infant mortality in Kansas.
4. Project 17 – Interested in health in southeast Kansas.
5. Dodge City Community College – Interested in working more collaboratively in the region to improve the quality of life and economy of southwest Kansas. (This is similar to the SEK Project 17 effort, but focused on SW KS.)
6. Lawrence Public Schools/United Way of Douglas County – Interested in increasing high school graduation rate (local focus).
7. Visioneering Wichita Health Alliance – Interested in improving the health and quality of life of citizens using identified priorities of the alliance.

KLC plans to announce the winner by mid-February.

“I’m amazed at the appetite among all of our applicants’ interest in the new kind of leadership we’re offering through this program,” said KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley. “With this group, we believe we can build a strong partnership and make significant progress on the issues they care about most.”

The finalists emerged from candidates who attended pre-application workshops in Topeka or in Wichita, or tuned into a state-wide webinar to learn more about the program and about the Leadership Center’s theories and principles since the program launched last fall.

From there, about 60 of the candidates attended a free, day-long seminar that clarified the program’s significant commitment and even more deeply explained KLC’s approach to civic leadership development.

Program Manager Thomas Stanley said a committee then collected 21 formal applications, from which the seven finalists were selected.

O’Malley looks forward to staying connected with those who weren’t selected and is offering other KLC opportunities that include free spots in upcoming programs.

“We want to stress that civic leadership can help close the gap between where we are and where we want to be, no matter the issue, and that we are committed to their success,” O’Malley said. “We’re committed to helping these people however we can.”

The Academy for Team Leadership initiative, designed to help turn the tide on a tough public issue, involved KLC selecting a Kansas public or nonprofit organization to receive immersion-style, civic leadership training for up to 400 people for up to four years in groups of about 50.

Fair-market value for such immersive, extensive training could run somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 per person. KLC used the conservative figure of $2,500 per person to reach the $1 million figure.

*****

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.

For media inquiries, contact Director of Communications Mark E. McCormick at (316) 712-4945 or by email at: mmccormick@kansasleadershipcenter.org

Your Leadership Edge

• Newton – Happening this month
• Topeka – Coming in summer
• Hays – Coming in early fall

This is a traveling, three-day program open to any Kansan looking to make progress on issues in civic life.

ExecCoach Kansas (new!)

Through this program, beginning in Spring, participants will talk one-on-one, by phone, with their civic leadership coach.

Leadership and Faith – Southeast Kansas (new!)

This three-year initiative will begin with three gatherings, held March-May in Chanute, Iola, Pittsburg, Independence and Eureka. People of any faith group are welcome.

Leadership and Faith Teams Programs

• Methodist Church Teams– Starts in March
• Multi-faith Teams – Starts in August

These six-month engagements are for faith teams with 4-7 members.

KLC Reach (new!)

This program, out in spring, features videos and discussion questions based on the KLC competencies.

Kansas Community Leadership Initiative (KCLI) Facilitator Workshop

This three-day, hands-on learning opportunity set for April is designed for facilitators of local community leadership programs.

Art & Practice of Civic Leadership Development: 20s and 30s (new!)

This year-long engagement, launching in June, is for Kansans under 40 interested in learning to develop leadership capacity in others.

Art & Practice of Civic Leadership Development: Faith (new!)

This year-long development opportunity, starting in June, is for faith educators seeking skills for developing leadership in others.

Kansas Community Leadership Initiative (KCLI) Summit

This three-day, state-wide gathering, happening in September, is for local community leadership program participants.

The Academy for Team Leadership (new!)

Beginning in the fall, this program will provide leadership training for up to 400 people who will mobilize around, and work on, one issue of civic concern. The issue of civic concern will be selected soon.

Onward Kansas (new!)

This two-year investment by KLC, launching in the fall, will focus on Kansans who are doing significant work in their communities.

New Legislators

This leadership experience, starting after the November elections, is designed for incoming legislators.

            When I walked into KLC that day, I joined about two dozen thoughtful and highly skilled Kansans, most of whom worked as facilitators, educators, coaches or consultants.

            As an introvert who typically contributes to leadership development through my writing, I was nervous about how I would mesh with such an accomplished group. But I can truly say that it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.

            The program not only taught me new ideas and skills, like civic leadership coaching, it also forced me to stretch myself and climb out of my comfort zone. I learned how to better see the big picture in tough situations, how to engage others more effectively and how to be more purposeful and resilient.

            It also helped that my cohort included some of the best Kansans I have ever met. Each one of my fellow participants contributed to the fabric of Kansas in their own unique way and I am thankful to know them.

            I mention all this not just because it’s fun to reminisce, but because KLC is rolling out “The Art and Practice of Civic Leadership Development” to a new cohort of Kansans in their 20s and 30s this year. You can read the details about the program here: http://www.kansasleadershipcenter.org/artandpractice.

            If you think you have the passion and capacity to nurture leadership in others, I’d definitely encourage you to look into it.

            Through my experience, I more fully comprehended what I could contribute to civic leadership development in Kansas. It’s safe to say that I don’t feel like I’ve been entirely the same person since.

What can we do to encourage more acts of leadership from politicians?

John Carlin is currently a visiting professor/executive in residence at Kansas State University in the School of Leadership Studies. He teaches a masters level class in executive leadership and an undergraduate class in practical politics. He also currently chairs the board for the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Carlin had returned to his home state of Kansas after serving ten years as Archivist of the United States, being appointed by President Clinton in 1995.

He served two four year terms as Governor of Kansas leaving office in January of 1987. He was chairman of the National Governors Association 1984-85. After leaving public office he taught at Wichita State University, was involved in two small business ventures, and traveled internationally on behalf of Kansas businesses. Prior to being Governor, he served four terms in the Kansas House of Representatives, the last term as Speaker of the House.

The Kansas Leadership Center is unveiling a new program for Kansans under 40 – The Art and Practice of Civic Leadership Development– and will traverse the state in the coming weeks looking for promising candidates.

Interested citizens can explore this opportunity to learn to develop leadership in others at one of four, regional “What’s the Buzz?” socials: in Wichita – Feb. 9; Hays – March. 1; Garden City – March. 8; and Kansas City – Mar. 27. Each event begins at 6:00 p.m., includes dinner, and opportunities to learn about the full range of KLC programming from faculty, staff and alumni.

Through these gatherings, KLC hopes to attract a program applicant pool reflecting Kansas’ geographic, ethnic and occupational diversity. The program launches in June.

“We are planning for long-term, state-wide, civic change,” said KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley. “We couldn’t think of a better way to seed change than by cultivating the talent and potential in Kansans who have the passion and capacity for teaching, coaching, training, consulting or facilitating. This is very exciting.”

A series of pre-program workshops will follow in April in the same locations. Interested individuals will be invited back to receive an extensive overview of the Art & Practice program’s significant commitment.

The program has a fair-market value of $10,000. KLC is offering it however, for $200, which covers instruction, lodging and most meals. Scholarships are available.

KLC will accept program applications from February 1 to May 4 at: kansasleadershipcenter.org/artandpractice. A selection committee will review applications and extend invitations to a class of about 25 people.

Through Art & Practice, participants will deepen their personal understanding of leadership, learn and apply new teaching and facilitation skills, and build individual networks to support their continued work and development.

Each participant will explore his or her capacities, develop an individual plan for applying the skills and work with a mentor or coach to see the plan come to fruition.

The Kansas Leadership Center expects to see program graduates sharing what they learn in their communities, contributing to an increase in civic engagement and leadership training across the state.

To learn more, express interest or refer candidates, please contact Program Associate Sheersty Stanton at: sstanton@kansasleadershipcenter.org or (316) 712-4946, or visit kansasleadershipcenter.org/artandpractice.

*****

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.

For media inquiries, contact Director of Communications Mark E. McCormick at (316) 712-4945 or by email at: mmccormick@kansasleadershipcenter.org

The innovative program has brought Kansas Leadership Center theories and principles to select cities across the state, and is coming to Newton Feb. 10, 15-16 and 29^th. Act now before the class of 60 fills up.

The KLC has designed the program not only to fit the busy citizen’s schedule, but also to help them make progress on the challenging civic issues they care about most. This program reaches the broadest swath of citizens of any leadership center program.

 For only $50(scholarships available), you receive:

• Top-notch leadership faculty instruction that will challenge you;
• A personal leadership assessment to help you discover your effectiveness;
• Provocative, insightful and time-flexible sessions to push you to your leadership edge;

 1ST SESSION – Feb. 10 • 2ND SESSION – Feb. 15-16 • 3RD SESSION – Feb. 29

 Space is limited so register now!

 TO REGISTER VISIT: KansasLeadershipCenter.org/edge

 Contact Thomas Stanley at tstanley@KansasLeadershipCenter.org with questions.

Interest groups paint issues in stark terms, Carlin said, and even listening to political opponents can get legislators persecuted by so-called allies.

The Gov. wistfully remembered a time when legislators of different stripes even ate ice cream together between sessions. That quality time helped fill in the caricatured outlines of political opponents, making them whole people with whom some common ground might be found.

He remembered former U.S. Sen. and American political icon Bob Dole talking about a “window of opportunity” after each election during which lawmakers would try to ensure important constituent work got done after the partisan battles faded.

“The window of opportunity doesn’t exist at all,” said Carlin, one of the youngest Kansas governors ever elected.

Indeed, interest group influence peddling, the steady loss of middle ground, a decline in media clout have fueled our current, caustic political atmosphere.

But the problem isn’t the most important part of the equation, challenged teleconference host and KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley. What we choose to do about it is.

What would it take for those of us associated with KLC to overcome the reality we’ve just discussed, O’Malley asked?

Gov. Carlin seemed to agree that our collective response would prove key to making progress. He’d begun the conversation associating leadership with “change.”

Without change, he said, we’re just managers.

 Jan. 4, 2012

 Registration begins Saturday Jan. 7 for a multi-year leadership education effort designed to help Southeast Kansas residents build the capacity to make progress on the region’s troubling health outcomes.

This is the beginning of an effort called Leadership and Faith-Southeast Kansas, a project that aims to knit-together people of faith in each of the five communities – Chanute, Iola, Pittsburg, Independence and Eureka – and touch more than 900 citizens over three years.

The Kansas Leadership Center announced its investment in the region in November through Leadership and Faith – Southeast Kansas. Now, people of faith want to get the word out to individuals and to congregations in the five communities.

Register now for the gateway events in March at: kansasleadershipcenter.org/leadership-and-faith.

“We are especially excited about this new program because it recognizes the history and ability of people of faith to make meaningful differences in communities,” said KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley. “By focusing on one region to launch this effort, we hope to help people of faith build the leadership capacity necessary to address key regional health concerns in new and useful ways. We look forward to a significant and ongoing engagement with Southeast Kansas.”

O’Malley said the leadership center chose Southeast Kansas for the launch of the program because of the spirit of the people, the health challenges, and because of the momentum already surging there.

KLC will launch this massive, regional, leadership training effort during three sessions in March. Each of the multi-faith communities in each of the five cities will host five separate but simultaneous programs. The Leadership and Faith – Southeast Kansas program will begin with three  sessions, over six weeks.

But KLC designed Leadership and Faith – Southeast Kansas as a starting point, not as a goal.

“The work is only beginning with these sessions,” said Program Director Sue Dondlinger.

Additional gatherings and feedback sessions will follow the initial Leadership and Faith-Southeast Kansas program.

Cost will be $25 per person and scholarships are available.

 “The multi-faith component is very important,” Dondlinger said. “This program is designed for people of faith who believe they are called as a part of their faith to build stronger, healthier, more prosperous communities.”

Application process: People of faith and congregations interested in this program should contact Program Director Sue Dondlinger at: sdondlinger@kansasleadershipcenter.org.

*****

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.

For media inquiries, contact Director of Communications Mark E. McCormick at (316) 712-4945 or by email at: mmccormick@kansasleadershipcenter.org

Identify your audience and your venue. Consider the group you’re speaking to and try to start where they are. Find ways to use language they might recognize and understand.

Structure conversations differently. Try to relate your audience’s understanding back to The KLC Framework.

For instance, Leadership Mitchell County facilitators initially spend four hours going over the competencies to help participants connect with the ideas. They review the bullets listed under each competency and discuss the definitions.

In small groups, they ask participants to share examples of how the competencies relate to their personal lives as well as a civic leadership situation they’ve been involved in.

 After the introduction, the facilitators delve deeper in the following sessions highlighting the competencies one at a time. They also have participants read The KLC Framework before their sessions and refer back to it throughout the session.

“Although we have found it a deep, daunting task to share what we know about KLC concepts with others, it has also been very rewarding to see more Kansans energized to make a difference,” facilitators Mark Palen and Mary Jane Chapman said.

Connect real, local issues and stories of personal experience. Consider bringing in examples of real community issues and/or your own personal stories. You can help others understand the concepts more deeply by being transparent about your own stories or by connecting the competencies to issues close to people’s hearts.

The organizers of Leadership Lawrence use a current community issue to help their program participants understand what KLC competencies mean. During a recent Education Day, Leadership Lawrence discussed school closings and consolidations, a live issue in central Lawrence, where several small schools could be closed. That issue became a way to explore the differences between technical and adaptive problems.  

The class was divided into small groups. Each met with the task force charged with determining what to do with the schools. The subsequent, facilitated discussion helped drive home the concepts of Diagnose Situation, said Sue Hack of Leadership Lawrence.

“By addressing an issue as real and personal as school closings, it was our hope that we could help the class see differently and understand how KLC competencies can be used to make progress,” Hack said.

Be patient. These ideas take time to click, just as they took some time to click for you. Don’t get frustrated when people don’t understand right away. Try again.

Do you have other ideas for sharing the competencies? If so, answer our question of the month!

I left last week’s Kansas in Question Symposium mulling our state’s most daunting challenges and energized by the opportunity to deepen my connections with other Kansans. I also left with five questions relative to how we could make progress on those challenges.

I also heard some participants speak of their desire to see tangible progress emerge from our discussions. More than once, somebody suggested that now may be the time “to saddle up and ride.” Understandable. We all want to see our state make progress.

Still, after nearly a decade of writing about Kansas civic life as a journalist and my work with the Kansas Leadership Center, I know we rarely find significant community change at the end of a horse ride. Translating a desire for progress into action is the difficult – and patient – work of civic leadership.

At the conference, we reflected on Kansas history and delved into the demographic changes influencing our state in smaller-group conversations. We sought to begin shaping a Kansas future beyond today’s problems.

Still, the challenges in our 150-year-old state are deep, daunting and complex. They require study and deliberation and collaboration. And besides, as one participant put it, we could tear off and find we’ve saddled the wrong animal.

Were I to join the “riders,” how would I do it? It occurred to me that any concerned citizen would have to answer least five questions to move us from discussion to action:

1. Where am I willing to put in a sustained effort? Like many people, I care about a lot of issues, but I can’t take on all of them. I and others will have to decide where to focus our energy.

2. What small steps am I willing to take right away? Progress on daunting problems has to start somewhere. Taking individual action is a must for getting the ball rolling.

3. Whom shall I engage? Connecting with other stakeholders in one’s issue is crucial to making progress. The reality is that big changes don’t typically come through the actions of one person acting alone.

4. Am I more committed to progress or my positions? Like most people, I have my own ideas about what should happen in Kansas. But am I willing to consider other paths forward for the good of the state?

5. To what extent am I willing to risk conflict or even failure? Fostering significant change can mean rocking the boat. Would I rather take a short, smooth ride to nowhere with friends, or a long ride full of boat-rocking risks with perceived opponents?

You also can call these five questions to consider for a better Kansas. They apply to anyone, whether or not he or she attended the symposium.

My gut tells me the path forward for our state won’t be an easy one, so Kansans interested in bringing their dreams of a better Kansas to reality need to prepare of a long ride – and ask themselves some tough questions before saddling up.

Chris Green is a Topeka-based writer. This column is part of the KLC Commentary Service, which produces a monthly column for free use by Kansas news outlets and civic organizational newsletters, websites and blogs. Reproduction is granted without authorization with KLC Commentary Service attribution.

 KLC has designed the program to help you make progress on the challenging civic issues you care about most, and to reach the broadest swath of citizens of any leadership center program.

 For only $50 receive:

 Top-notch leadership faculty instruction that will challenge you;

 A personal leadership assessment to help you discover your effectiveness;

 Provocative, insightful and time-flexible sessions to push you to your leadership edge;

 1ST SESSION – Feb. 10 • 2ND SESSION – Feb. 15-16 • 3RD SESSION – Feb. 29

 Space is limited so register now!

 TO REGISTER VISIT: KansasLeadershipCenter.org/edge

 Contact Thomas Stanley at tstanley@KansasLeadershipCenter.org with questions.

The Kansas Leadership Center is inviting communities there to host the multi-faith leadership sessions.

“We are especially excited about this new program because it recognizes the history and ability of people of faith to make meaningful differences in communities,” said KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley. “By focusing on one region to launch this effort, we hope to help people of faith build the leadership capacity necessary to address key regional health concerns in new and useful ways. We look forward to a significant and ongoing engagement with Southeast Kansas.”

O’Malley said the leadership center chose Southeast Kansas for the launch of the program because of the spirit of the people, the health challenges, and because of the momentum already surging there.

As part of a regional collaboration for example, Gov. Sam Brownback planned to address citizens as the Southeast Kansas Economic Summit this month in Iola to discuss ways to improve the region’s economy.

KLC’s Leadership and Faith – Southeast Kansas however, is a three-session program designed for four or five different faith congregations in one community that will commit to bringing a group of participants and help invite members of other congregations in the region. Cost will be $25 per person and scholarships are available.

While KLC has envisioned a multi-faith effort, the program is about individuals, not congregations.

“The multi-faith component is very important,” said Program Director Sue Dondlinger. “But this program is designed for people of faith who believe they are called as a part of their faith to build stronger, healthier, more prosperous communities.”

Dondlinger emphasized that KLC didn’t want cost to be an attendance barrier for anyone.

“That’s why we’ve made the scholarships available,” Dondlinger said. “I hope people make good use of them.”

The Leadership and Faith – Southeast Kansas program will begin in March and run in three, brief sessions, over six weeks.

Application process: People of faith and congregations interested in bringing the program to their community are urged to contact Program Director Sue Dondlinger at: sdondlinger@kansasleadershipcenter.org. Ideal communities or regions will have four or five congregations willing to bring a participant group and to help serve as hosts for the program. Any person involved in a faith community is welcome at any of the five locations. Registration will begin in January.

Communities in the following counties are eligible: Greenwood, Elk, Chautauqua, Woodson, Wilson, Montgomery, Anderson, Allen, Neosho, Labette, Bourbon, Crawford and Cherokee.

*****

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, click here.

For media inquiries, contact Director of Communications Mark E. McCormick at (316) 712-4945 or by email at: mmccormick@kansasleadershipcenter.org

But the clergymen’s efforts didn’t boil down to simple niceties.

Their actions reflected many of the carefully weighed leadership skills taught at the Kansas Leadership Center.

The six Catholic and Protestant church officials identified “triggers,” words or ideas that spark emotional reactions, recognizing deeply-held competing values and speaking to the losses at play in this hot-button issue. By speaking thoughtfully about their convictions, they may help others reciprocate.

Immigration discussions strike some people like flint – making them combustible. But the clergymen blunted that by speaking directly to common triggers. Conceding a point can soften a debate’s barbed edges.

They acknowledged, for example, that undocumented immigrants should accept a penalty for illegally entering the country, learn English and consider flying Old Glory on national holidays. This addressed the sense of loss immigration reform opponents feel for the values of law and shared culture.

Bishop Scott Jones, resident bishop of the Kansas Area of the United Methodist Church, framed the debate’s opposing values in a Wichita Eagle’s Topeka bureau story: “respect for the law and hospitality for immigrants.” Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, used KLC program language, saying: “We have these competing rights and interests that we have to balance.”

The clergymen did all this and managed to argue their own case.

They said, for example, that “with the exception of criminals, who should be arrested and deported, most immigrants were God-fearing, church-going, hard-working and family-oriented folk, who just want to … live in human dignity.”

This approach didn’t move Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach – much. You could say he held relentlessly to purpose, another KLC key to making progress.

While Kobach, who has helped craft some of the nation’s toughest immigration legislation, didn’t agree completely with the clergymen, he did concede that concerned citizens should view this issue compassionately.

“There are people with good hearts and Christian values who take different positions on this issue,” Kobach said in the article, seemingly mirroring the clergymen’s tone.

So, is this progress? I’m afraid not. No single engagement could untangle issues of this complexity.

It does demonstrate however, how intentional and purposeful leadership could pave a path toward progress.

The bishops constructed this idea a year ago. Joining Jones and Naumann were Rev. Barry Brinkman, diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Salina; the Most Rev. John B. Brungardt, bishop of the Diocese of Dodge City; the Most Rev. Michael O. Jackels, bishop of the Diocese of Wichita; and Bishop Gerald L. Mansholt, of the Central States Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

They wanted a more meaningful discussion of the issue. I think they’ll get it with this approach, as they press their case with Gov. Sam Brownback and other state and federal lawmakers.

Mark E. McCormick is the director of communications at the Kansas Leadership Center. This column is part of the KLC Commentary Service, which produces a monthly column for free use by Kansas news outlets and civic organizational newsletters, websites and blogs. Reproduction is granted without authorization with KLC Commentary Service attribution.

But because KLC faculty and staff have addressed packed rooms and had to turn others away, it has scheduled a third pre-application webinar from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 18 via WebX, to accommodate demand for workshop space and information.

To RSVP, email Thomas Stanley at tstanley@kansasleadershipcenter.org .

KLC strongly recommends attendance at the workshops but does not require it.

“We’ve been thrilled with the response,” said Kansas Leadership Center President and CEO Ed O’Malley. “This program offers a new approach to leadership and a new path to change and frankly, we’ve been surprised at the hunger out there for this new approach.”

The webinar workshop will help would-be applicants shape the challenge that would be the focus of their application.

The Academy for Team Leadership initiative, designed to help turn the tide on a tough public issue. KLC will provide immersion-style, civic leadership training for up to 400 people for up to four years in groups of about 50.

But O’Malley stressed that individual applicants or small-group applicants competed on equal footing with larger organizations. Candidates need not have 400-member staffs, for example.

“You bring the ideas and the energy, and we’ll work with you to recruit Kansans also interested and passionate about progress on the issue,” he said.

Candidate organizations could range from:

• School districts wanting to boost graduation rates;
• Nonprofits seeking improved health outcomes in their community;
• Economic development groups looking for ways to stimulate business growth;
• Rural municipalities in search of ways to slow the out-migration of their best and brightest young minds;
• City governments dealing with blighted areas;

Fair-market value for such immersive, extensive training could run somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 per person. KLC used the conservative figure of $2,500 per person to reach the $1 million figure.

KLC asks organizations to submit applications no later than Jan. 13. For more information, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org/academy or contact Program Associate Thomas Stanley at (316) 712-4958 or by email at: tstanley@kansasleadershipcenter.org

*****

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.

For media inquiries, contact Director of Communications Mark E. McCormick at (316) 712-4945 or by email at: mmccormick@kansasleadershipcenter.org

The experience, convened by the Kansas Leadership Center, offers three days of inspiration, education and intense civic leadership training. It is specifically designed for participants and alumni of the state’s community leadership programs.

The Summit represents KLC’s effort to support the ongoing efforts of community leadership programs in Kansas, which play a vital role in increasing civic engagement and enhancing leadership capacity in their communities. In recognition of their importance, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has declared Nov. 13-19, “Kansas Community Leadership Program Week.”

KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley said community leadership programs will lead the way in helping our state make progress on the issues that concern us most.

“We see community leadership programs as a great partner in the effort to foster civic leadership in Kansas”, O’Malley said. “They’re so important to helping foster civic leadership around the state and that’s why this effort is the largest effort KLC undertakes annually.”

Through programs such as the Summit, KLC seeks to encourage citizens to care more, engage more and risk more on behalf of their communities.

“We believe we need a new kind of leadership, capable of reaching across factions and making progress on daunting issues,” O’Malley said. “We see that new brand of leadership emerging in community leadership programs.”

The participating programs include: Allen County Together Leadership, Connect Hodgeman, Flint Hills Regional Leadership Program, Fredonia, Junction City/Geary County Crossroads of Leadership, Kiowa County, Leadership Butler, Leadership Cowley County, Leadership Crawford, Leadership Dickinson County, Leadership Dodge City, Leadership Emporia, Leadership Franklin County, Leadership Garden City, Leadership Golden Belt (Stafford, Rush, Pawnee and Barton counties), Leadership Hays, Leadership Independence, Leadership Kansas, Leadership Lawrence, Leadership Lenexa, Leadership Liberal, Leadership Marion County, Leadership McPherson, Leadership Miami County, Leadership Mitchell County, Leadership Newton, Leadership Olathe, Leadership Pratt, Leadership Reno County, Leadership Rossville, Leadership Salina, Leadership Thomas County, Leadership Topeka, Leadership Wichita, Leadership 2000 (Wyandotte County), Neodesha, Rooks County Vision Leadership and the Wichita Community Leadership Development Program.

The Kansas Leadership Center is unique in the nation. No other entity has KLC’s state-wide reach, robust funding and focus on leadership for the common good.

*****

The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.

For media inquiries, contact Director of Communications Mark E. McCormick at (316) 712-4945 or by email at: mmccormick@kansasleadershipcenter.org

Gary Smith
Leadership Emporia and KLC Alumnus
Emporia Chief of Police

How have you been able to apply what you learned into your work and community endeavors? We have integrated the competencies into the core practices of our department and have incorporated many of the competencies into our new officer training program. The KLC concepts fit extremely well with community policing concepts for our street officers and investigators. We’ve integrated them into our training, in our public responses to neighborhood conflicts and even in our policy development. I’ve also used many of the skills in working with my local church while it merges with another congregation.

Why do you think it’s important for community members to participate in local leadership programs? It seems that public dialogue is becoming more contentious and polarized as national and state governments move that direction. It is increasingly important for people to know how to work together, to intervene and to push things forward when necessary to counteract the current philosophy of slash and burn.
***

Cheryl Rude
Leadership Cowley County Alumna
Directs a leadership development program for students at Southwestern College

How have you personally grown as a result of your participation? Both my participation and my leadership in the program have helped me make connections with those who are not in my daily circle. This has been a valuable asset for me because I don’t naturally seek out new people or opportunities. My leadership capacity was greatly enhanced because the program provided me with a structure to make connections and build new awareness.

Why do you think it’s important for community members to participate in local leadership programs? All the standard reasons apply (i.e. community awareness, leadership skill building, networking), but I’d say that people might not know why it is important until they take the initiative to participate. I believe people can always build their leadership capacity. It is the kind of learning that is never finished. 
***

Hugh Carter
Leadership Lawrence and KLC Alumnus
Financial Advisor and City Commissioner

How have you personally grown as a result of your participation? It’s difficult to measure or articulate how I’ve grown since my involvement in Leadership Lawrence. I can only say that I have gotten more out of my civic endeavors than anything in my professional life. It is very heartening to meet and work with so many great people that you would not otherwise know. Once you jump into the arena, it may be a little lonelier, but you are in the company of others who have made the same sacrifice, both past and present.  

What was a highlight of your experience? Leadership Lawrence helped me see how I could impact the community. The highlight of my experience was when I toured the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence and met with the executive director on our Social Services Day. I had no idea how many children were served by the Boys & Girls Club (now more than 1,200 per day), nor did I know the scope of the program. I was so moved that I joined the board of directors and have worked hard to raise funds and awareness of this great community asset.
***

Sherri Buss-Rawlins
Leadership Newton and KLC Alumna
Directs Special Education Services for Harvey County

How have you personally grown as a result of your participation?  I feel empowered to address issues that I might have tried to overlook earlier in my career. I see systemic issues. I believe I communicate more effectively. I perceive myself as being able to impact results rather than as a bystander with no “power.” I hope I have developed the ability to listen with genuine curiosity.  

What was a highlight of your experience? I have post-Master’s work in educational leadership and enjoy reading books and articles on leadership from a business perspective.  What I appreciated most about the KCLI training, and later the Kansas Leadership Center training, were the elements that connected to personal leadership, educational leadership, business leadership and community leadership. Most valuable were the ideas of systems thinking (looking from the balcony) and problem analysis, such as learning to ask: “Why are we in chaos and what can I contribute to move the group forward?”

How have you been able to apply what you learned into your work and community endeavors? Through my daily work as the director of special education services in Harvey County, I work with many different groups – board members, superintendents, principals, professional staff, para-educators, parents and community agency representatives – that represent many competing interests and different perspectives. I use adaptive leadership skills in many aspects of my position. Sometimes it is necessary to turn up the heat but also provide the support and resources teams need. I hope I am getting better at asking powerful questions that take the level of conversation up to a higher level of processing.

How civil is civil enough? Some say it’s important to listen respectfully to many points of view. Others say that civility is a tool to achieve their goals, or that incivility is sometimes necessary to make a point. What most everyone can agree is that, when dealing with difficult issues, people will butt heads. A panel of thinkers from across the political spectrum will discuss the question, what are the standards of civility that we as a community want in place as we solve our everyday public problems?

When  6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, November 10, 2011

Where  Plaza branch of the Kansas City Public Library, 4801 Main Street, downstairs in the Truman Forum auditorium

RSVP at http://creatingcivility.eventbrite.com or call 816-842-4545. The event is free and open to the public. Please consider forwarding this email or using the link to share it on social media.

The panel

* Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II

* Bill Lacy, director, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics

* Ed O’Malley, president and CEO, Kansas Leadership Center

* Ellen Suni, dean of the UMKC School of Law

The moderator is Art Davis III, president of the Art Davis Group and former associate director for the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City.

The co-sponsors

The Congressional Civility Caucus works to promotes civil dialogue and respectful partisan debate both in Congress and across the nation. The Caucus is interested in exploring ways to improve civility in the legislative process. It seeks to encourage civil behavior, and improve the individual relations among Members to foster trust and personal relationships.

Consensus is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that puts the public in public policy. Its Civility Project, built around focus groups with hundreds of citizens, intends to help communities make simple, sustainable changes that build more civility into public life. For more info: www.consensuskc.org or www.consensusconsultants.com.