Leaders at Jamboree gathered to celebrate the graduation of  employees from a customized leadership program.  As their guide on this leadership journey I look forward to the participants sharing what was meaningful about our time together and how they applied what they learn.

After doing this with many groups, I have learned to expect the unexpected and that I need to have Kleenex on hand for those moments when my eyes fill with tears because I am so moved by the stories I am hearing.  For the past year, his group of emerging leaders had been meeting monthly to explore the many facets and challenges of leadership.  They spent time getting to know who they are as leaders and how to work best together.  We looked at themes of trust, communication, conflict resolution and change.

I served as their catalyst to create a safe environment where they could engage each other in dialog and truly talk about important issues.  Spending time together helped them to nurture relationships and build trust.  Many of them said they had made changes to how they communicated with employees and stakeholders because they understood that different people have different needs and preferences.   They were more focused on using inquiry and advocacy to understand situations. When trying to resolve conflict they stopped blaming and starting aiming toward a shared goal.  The results were amazing.

They expressed their gratitude to the senior leaders in the room, including CEO Laura Archuleta, for creating a company culture that supports the personal development of its people.