School of Applied Leadership Kick-off: Starting the Leadership Conversation

–Written by Dr. Rebecca Cory–

On Wednesday, October 15th, over eighty community, business, and education leaders converged on City University of Seattle to celebrate the new School of Applied Leadership (SAL). The breakfast celebration was full of energy as leaders collaborated, learned from each other, and networked along with celebrating the School. The Leadership conversation began at this breakfast.

The School of Applied Leadership was formerly the Division of Doctoral Studies at CityU.

“CityU is delighted to launch this new School. It embodies our commitment to growing leaders at all levels, through various forms of education,” said Provost Steve Olswang. “We want to be sure that we are empowering leaders with the skills necessary to succeed in business, education, healthcare, and the countless sectors that are growing today.”

One of the goals of the new School of Applied Leadership is to be a catalyst for leadership conversation.

The Leadership Breakfast served to initiate critical conversations about leadership. Eleven professional speakers “captained” tables and led discussions on leadership topics ranging from Social Media, to Connections, and reluctant leaders as well as leaders as influencer. Each table’s discussion was lively and vibrant.

I attended one discussion on Leading in Turbulent times, led by Dennis Bauer. As a small craft pilot, Dennis shared the emergency procedure for when an engine goes out, and used it as a metaphor for leadership in a crisis situation. He said that first you Aviate; keep flying the plane, or, in a leadership situation, make sure that your company or organization stays aloft. Then you Navigate; figure out what you are going to do to land safely. Finally, you communicate. In an airplane, this would be letting the tower know that you need an emergency landing.

In a crisis as a leader, it is making sure your team and all your stake holders know what is going on. This session gave me a new framework for thinking about how to manage a crisis. I also appreciated meeting the other participants at my table and hearing their perspectives on crisis management.

There were eleven tables, each with a discussion topic as interesting as the one I attended. These included:

Tracey Warren, Social Media Strategist, Roundtable Topic: Are We Really Connected?
Earl Bell, Founder, Winning in Business Master Academy, www.earlbell.com Roundtable Topic: Creating and Delivering the Hero Experience (click here for free PDF of book)
Jan M. McLaughlin, President, Your Communication Connection, www.yourcommunicationconnection.com Roundtable Topic: Leader as Influencer: Impression Management in the Spotlight (see attached document)
Steve Alexander, Director, CEO Space, http://ceospaceinternational.com Roundtable Topic: Most Effective Connecting Strategies for Leaders
Melanie DePaoli, Founder and President, Omicle, www.omicle.com Roundtable Topic: Social Media Uses for Leadership
Ron Rael, Founder, High Road Institute, www.highroadinstitute.com Roundtable Topic: How to Help A Reluctant/Reticent Leader
Maureen Manley, Speaker, Life Coach, www.maureenmanley.com Roundtable Topic: Mental Fitness: Optimizing Performance, Resilience, and Well-Being
Dennis Bauer, Author, Speaker, www.dennisbauerspeaks.com Roundtable Topic: Keeping Your Leadership Cool in Turbulent Times
Carolyn Isaacs, Y5 Ventures, www.y5ventures.com Roundtable Topic: Designing an Energized, Enthusiastic, Engaged Culture
Arron Grow, School of Applied Leadership, https://cityu.edu Roundtable Topic: What Makes a Most Memorable Team and Team Leader?
Lisa Copeland, Speaker, Trainer, www.lisacopelandcommunications.com Roundtable Topic: The Friction Factor: Overcoming Generational Delusions