What Can Seasoned Leaders Gain from the Owen Alumni Leadership Development Program?
By: Lesley Bartley, MBA ’05, Program Manager – Alumni Leadership Development
May 12, 2017
So you’ve made it to the proverbial corner office, you have a team of people reporting to you, and you make the “big” decisions these days. You’ve earned your way to the top and garnered a number of wonderful experiences and perhaps some pretty hard lessons along the way. You’ve hit your stride in your career, and you are kicking butt and taking names, right? How can you, as a seasoned leader, possibly need more leadership development?
Because leadership development is all about learning, and learning doesn’t stop – no matter where you are in your career. Ray LaBlond said, “You learn something every day if you pay attention.” Leaders might recognize this until a challenging situation forces them to consider the unknown. That was Dave Ficeli’s experience.
“A couple of years ago, I once again found myself at a crossroads where I didn’t feel like I was consistently growing, and that was exactly why I had left the corporate side years before. I am not a classic entrepreneur, but I jumped into the waters nonetheless, and it worked well for a while. Then it got to the point where it wasn’t working as well, and I didn’t know the good next step… I needed to jumpstart my energy and ambition.”
~Dave Ficeli, Vanderbilt MBA 1999, Co-founder and Managing Partner at CeLLar D Wines.
Dave knew he needed help and had benefited from executive coaching in the past, but he was no longer a part of a large organization with those kinds of resources. So he turned to the Owen Alumni Leadership Development Program and the Owen Coaching Network* (OCN). With help from one of the OCN coaches, Dave found a way to “build a bridge from where the road strayed to where [he is] now,” and he found the jumpstart that he needed.
Leadership development is about learning to pay attention to what can often go unnoticed. It’s about noticing, reflecting, and being attuned to what is going on around you and how you are reacting to it, so you can make adjustments within yourself as necessary to show up as the best possible YOU at each opportunity. Ultimately, leadership development is not about the company, it is about you.
So what about you? Do you feel like Dave, at a crossroads of some kind? Maybe:
- You’ve just taken on an big and exciting new role, and you really want to get it right from the start…
- There’s a challenging personality at work that you would like to manage better…
- There’s something about the way you are managing your time or setting priorities that leaves you stressed and worn out, and you cannot quite figure out why…
- You’ve been passed over for a new assignment or promotion, and you would really like to figure out why and how you can be prepared for the next opportunity…
- There are lots of organizational changes all around you, and you want to be the one constant for your team; you want to lead confidently and help them understand the changes…
- You are taking stock of your life, and you realize you want more passion, energy, time, or connection to your family or friends…
- You’ve woken up one too many times with the feeling that although you have “made it,” this isn’t really doing it for you anymore…
As Albert Einstein once said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.” So let’s not allow that “thing” you can’t quite seem to wrap your arms around weigh you down any longer. This is where the Owen Alumni Leadership Development Program can help.
From understanding what Leadership Development is all about and Laying the Foundation, to Managing Transitions through key stages in your career, and Developing Skills, we may have what you need to unlock that next potential within you. Not quite sure you can do it on your own? No problem! Take a look at our 15 certified, professional, executive coaches who are ready to assist you with whatever it is you need. No matter your background, industry, or goals, one of our coaches is likely to fit your needs and help you accelerate your success as a leader. We have negotiated below-market rates and various package options with our coaches to provide you ways to meet your time commitments and budget.
Perhaps this year is YOUR year, where you will commit to bettering yourself, accelerating your success, and living up to your full potential as a leader. Visit www.OwenAlumniLDP.com to discover what resources are waiting.
“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.”
Leave a Response