Leadership: That’s What It’s All About

Most of you will be familiar with the line “that’s what it’s all about” from the Hokey-Pokey. 

So, here’s the thing: if someone asked you to do the Hokey-Pokey, but you never had, would you know what to do?  Of course not. 

In fact, even if you had heard the song a hundred times, until you had actually seen (or danced in) a Hokey-Pokey, the chances are 99 times out of 100, you still wouldn’t know what to do!

Well, leadership is kind of like the Hokey-Pokey: most of us think we know what it is, but very few of us have taken the time to be trained in leadership.  Which is ironic, when (in my opinion) leadership is one of the most important subjects to know, especially when it comes to participating in any kind of organized activity.

If this connects with you or I’ve triggered your curiosity, then here’s an opportunity you’ll want to consider: 

Less than 6 weeks from today, on Wednesday, September 7, I’ll be among several speakers during what is sure to be a content-rich, fast-paced 3-hour workshop, entitled: “Leading from the Center.”  Ignoring the fact that someone was  persuaded to invite me to speak, there are  number of really cool features to this workshop that will make it worth your while.

First, there will be 3 really terrific speaker/facilitators:  Dr. Patty Speier, Dr. Lynette Reed, and Rebecca Guengerich, MaSF.

Dr. Speier is Executive Director of the Seton Cove where she uses her gifts as a spiritual director, teacher, and retreat facilitator who specializes in the use of literature and writing for spiritual growth and ethical development. She is passionate about the connection between Spirituality and Leadership and has developed a year long intensive for leaders in all fields (business, medicine, law, religion, non-profit) which is now in its sixth year.

Dr. Reed, through her private practice, mentors individuals and teams from businesses, not for profit organizations, schools, allied health, Chambers of Commerce, government, and churches. She has taught continuing education courses through the American Planning Association for Ethics and also team building and leadership training courses through the Texas Education Agency.

Ms. Guengerich  is the Director of Spritual Life and Growth at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, where she creates opportunities for faith formation and offers spiritual direction to individuals in the church and community, so one’s faith can morph from limiting and anemic to transformational life giving possibilities in their lives.

Second,  the subject matter they are covering is profoundly important to every individual and organization, because it connects to everything we do, day-in and day-out.  The overall workship theme is Leading from the Center: Unbinding Our Potential.

Each of the speakers will build upon that theme, by starting from the core of individual leadership capability, and then progressively widening the circle of leadership engagement to include one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relationships. 

What sets this workshop apart from others, in my opinion, is that it combines the best of secular and spiritual principles, simultaneously drawing from the best practices of pragmatic and academic thought leadership.

Third, the workshop is going to be held at the Austin Museum of Art’s Laguna Gloria facility.  So, in addition to visiting an amazing, historic location, you’ll also have the opportunity, before and after the workshop, to view the latest works on exhibit at this jewel of our city.

Fourth… and if that’s not all, there are the resources themselves that you receive as a workshop participant.  These include books, handouts, online references, and a few surprises. 

The workshop is $60 until August 19 and $70 afterwards.  The walk-up rate, the day of the workshop, is $85.  Registration is online at this site: http://bit.ly/nuhvnv – be sure to enter your registration fee beside the label: “WORKSHOP 9-7-2011”