Imagine!’s Leadership Development Program Update for February

The 2014/2015 Imagine! Leadership Development Program is at the halfway point, and as a group we have a lot to look forward to. During our January meeting we discussed what each member was most excited about. A common theme was the monthly Leadership Series that the group will be taking part in over the next five months as well as the “Leadership Through Influence Two Part Series”. We also have two more books to discuss, “The Reason I Jump” by Naoki Higashida, and “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandburg. Additionally, January is when each member of the leadership group switches to a new executive coach for the second half of the year.

The upcoming leadership trainings will include: “Leadership through Influence,” which is a two day training the group will take in February, “How Great Leaders Build Trust,” “How Great Leaders Motivate and Engage Employees,” “How Great Leaders Manage Their Emotions,” “Energy and Optimism,” “How Great Leaders Think and Act Strategically,” and “How Great Leaders Manage Change and Influence Behavior.” I personally am very eager to get started with these trainings and see how my current leadership style matches up with the material that we cover.

We are all in the mist of reading our second book for discussion, “The Reason I Jump” by Naoki Higashida. This book is a memoir narrated by a 13 year old boy with autism and is a great read. It was actually originally written using a Japanese letter board and was later translated into English. The group chose the book because we wanted to work to get in touch with the population we serve as employees here at Imagine!. I would highly recommend the book and am interested in hearing what other members of the LDG group thought about it when we discuss this book next month. We recommend that you view the New York Times review of the book “The Reason I Jump”.

During our last meeting we also discussed the Alliance conference that the group will be attending this June at Copper Mountain. This conference promises to provide us with an overview of what is going on in services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) here in Colorado. Representatives from Community Centered Boards (CCBs) across Colorado will be presenting at the conference. I am excited to learn more about what projects other CCBs are focused on. Additionally, I think it will be a great opportunity to network, meet new people, and step away from our day-to-day lives and engaged in some reflection.

Several of the LDG members attended the Imagine! Celebration fundraiser on Friday, January 23 as volunteers. As volunteers at the celebration we helped with everything from directing parking to assisting guests at silent auction tables.

Thank you to Emily Pitt, who works in Imagine!'s Innovations Department for sharing this update!