Inside of Emerging Leaders Institute
Inside of Emerging Leader's Institute by Shellee McCullum
Have you wondered if you have the skills to be an effective manager? Do you know what it means to motivate, elevate, and communicate with your team? Do you possess the skills to empower those who work for you? These are just a few of the nuggets of information I have learned over the past seven weeks while participating in the Aurora Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leaders Institute.
Led by Dr. Bill Marzano, our cohort has taken a journey focused on understanding and embracing the keys to managerial success in the workplace. We took a personality assessment so that we can fully understand who we are as individuals, and how our personalities can lend themselves to successful teams. Dr. Marzano uses Maslow’s Theory of Motivation, W. Edward Deming, and others to show the importance of creating a team of leaders, dedicated to a mission, focused on a goal, and willing to use their time and talents to advance that goal. As a leader, the manager needs to be keenly aware of the differences of their team, and guide those individuals to success by using their time, talents, personalities and backgrounds. Having a motto, something that your team stands for, creating synergy with your team right away, and recognizing the importance of effective communication immediately, is tantamount to building and maintaining a successful team; while at the same time, making your team feel comfortable in contributing their uniqueness is key to your team’s overall success.
The past seven weeks have been an eye-opening experience for me. It has given me a roadmap of what I need to do to be a successful manager and employee. I feel like I can avoid the pitfalls associated with being a “bad manager” and focus on the positives of being an effective leader.
About the Author
Shellee McCullum is the Administrative Coordinator in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, at Waubonsee Community College. Along with office management duties, I am the designated project coordinator in our department, responsible for the tracking of institutional data requests, reports and several of the Title V grant projects.
