Judging by their excited chatter, their laughter and their teamwork on projects, the new Leadership Snohomish County class of 18 future leaders interacted at their fall retreat as if they had known each other for years.
Executive Director Sarri Gilman said they were one of the most enthusiastic groups she’d seen in the program’s 10-year span.
Even in their first few hours at the LaConner Inn, the mix of people from a cross-section of careers around the county looked and sounded like a gathering of long-time friends.
That’s a plus, Gilman thought, because the entire class will be on a mutual journey through eight months of learning about the county, its people, challenges, organizations, communities and nonprofit agencies. Working well together will later turn into working closely with community groups or their own employers in making positive changes in the county.
The intent of the community leadership development program is to prepare motivated individuals to become involved leaders who are thoughtful, informed and open to a variety of possibilities. Participants gather for monthly, full-day sessions to learn about the critical issues facing the region, meeting local experts and leaders who work on solving the challenges in the county and its communities, learning about community issues and applying their skills to a specific project. The projects are designed to address a community need and apply skills of collaboration, effective decision making, consensus building, understanding the power of diversity and effective communications.
A highlight of the first day of the retreat was the presence of Margot Helphand, who has opened each of the program’s 11 retreats, all in the traditional venue at the LaConner Inn.
“It’s been a pleasure to see many people from the first leadership class who still are involved in community service. The program has changed and improved over the years. We have a lot of new, exciting aspects. The retreat is busy but we don’t want people to be so worn out from the conferences that they never want to volunteer for anything,” she joked.
She said the program looks for people who have been inspired by community leaders they’re known and learned from, those who enjoy learning about themselves and those who exude confidence but are able to admit mistakes or say they don’t know everything.
“Leaders are people who lead in such a way that you don’t want to let them down,” Helphand said. “A leader encourages people to do what needs to be done, without waiting for someone to tell you to do it. Leaders value other people’s opinions and thoughts, they give positive feedback and believe in you. Leaders are people who lead by example, they’re honest, action-oriented and positive, people who see a half-emptied glass as half full.”
During the two-day retreat, the group not only got to know each other better but to know themselves better as well. There was time for some self-examination through a “life orientation” workbook program that helps each person explore their leadership skills and goals. Helphand noted it’s worthwhile “to reflect about how you function and operate in different situations, to learn about yourself and your strengths before you begin seeing where you might play a role in solving the challenges facing communities and the people in them.”
Education, a basic subject that is the foundation for everything that happens in Snohomish County’s businesses, homes, factories and community service groups, was the topic of the first of the six class education days Nov. 6 when the class gathered at Everett Community College’s Early Learning Center to learn about new trends in that essential field from Director Kelly Davidson.
Next came a trip to Sno-Isle Libraries Service Center in Marysville, where Director Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory provided a tour of the facility and Linda Byrnes, former superintendent of Arlington Public Schools, discussed funding education needs. A field trip to Quil Ceda Elementary School followed, with Principal David McKellar guiding the group through classroom visits. The afternoon session brought a return to Sno-Isle Libraries Center to discuss impact projects for the leadership class, followed by a discussion of local school boards, led by Kay Duskin, president of the Arlington School Board.
The day’s program wrapped up with presentations from a school-to-work panel that included Megan Wilson, a Snohomish High School student; Christa Shaw, a counselor with Edmonds Community College; Allen Funk, publisher of The Herald; Sue Ambler, executive director of the county’s Workforce Development Council, and Warren Helm, training and compliance leader with The Boeing Co. Afterward, Kurt Hintze, chair of the education committee for Boeing and Leadership Snohomish County, explored the question of whether leaders are “born or made.”
Evaluating the day’s activities later, Stephanie Arnoldin, who works at the Boeing Co.’s aircraft delivery center, wrote on the leadership program’s Web site that she found the education day “enlightening,” reminding her of her experiences before Boeing when she worked with Oklahoma’s Department of Education.
“I will always have a special spot in my heart for all teachers, because their job is truly one that requires a great degree of self-sacrifice. The examples we saw made it very clear to me that it truly does take a village to raise a child. Parents need to take an active role in all facets of education. Everyone needs to take a participatory role in education in one form or another. Life is not a spectator sport. One of my favorite quotes comes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, ‘Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.’ This experience in LSC will touch us all in different ways. I challenge each one of my co-leaders to pay it forward and apply their special talents in a way that will leave a lasting legacy.”
Lori Cummings, assistant director for human services at the Everett Parks and Recreation Department, wrote on the program’s Web site that the LSC’s education committee presented a “high quality” program and that she found “the site visit to Quilceda Elementary especially informative and inspiring and … enjoyed the panel session held late in the day. It was impressive to hear so many leaders within our community speak about their passion, and inspire us to contribute more to our community.”
Coming up for the group are education days on government and public policy; business and economic development; health care and human services; cultural arts and tourism; plus law and justice. May 7 marks the presentation of the class members’ “impact projects” and the celebration of graduation night.
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