Get Acquainted Event
The Leading Edge Class of 2011 met for their Get Acquainted event on January 6th. Thanks to board members Veronica Law, Gina Smith-McKenzie, and Mark Drennan for attending. The 40 class members were divided into teams to learn about Fort Worth’s heritage in preparation for the Opening Retreat on January 21st. The Heritage Hunt is always a great teambuilding experience, as well as an eye-opener about Fort Worth’s past.

Opening Retreat
Leading Edge kicked off their year with an Opening Retreat at The City Club on January 21st. The morning focused on a dynammic introduction to Kouzes & Posner’s Leadership Practices by Craig Haptonstall with Leadership Mechanics. Through the coming months, the LPI practices will be revisited as the leadership skill enhancement portion of Leading Edge. The class broke into small groups and headed to a variety of restaurants downtown for lunch with community leaders. This year’s leaders included Julie Wilson, Sergio DeLeon, Dee Jennings, Rosa Navejar, Gloria Austin, J.D. Granger and Susan Alanis. In the afternoon, the Heritage Hunt teams shared what they learned about their focus area – enabling that the class to have a comprehensive picture of what has made Fort Worth the community it is today. To close the day, TCC Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley was the special guest for a reception to welcome the new class.

The Fort Worth Way
Our February program focused on the importance of clarifying values in order to “Model the Way.” Councilman Joel Burns spoke to the group about the concept of the Fort Worth Way and how it can be perceived in different ways depending upon your perspective. A large portion of the day was focused on Fort Worth’s unique ability to solve problems and create broader opportunities through collaboration. Ginger Head Gearhart with Imagination Celebration shared with the class how the national park service is working with Fort Worth to create a national model for collaborative programming about the national parks. The various collaborators for this initiative joined Ginger and the class for discussion about how the collaboration was formed and will evolve over the coming months.

Mastering Your Message
In March, Leading Edge was hosted by the Fort Worth Club. Rebecca Shaw with Spaeth Communications facilitated an interactive session on making powerful presentations. Several members of the class were caught on camera as they spoke about an organization or cause that they were passionate about. The class worked in teams to inspire a shared vision by creating strong messages, using stories and examples and developing closing statements to encourage their audience to take action.

Because a key piece of Leading Edge is creating connections with community leaders, the class joined members of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth at their weekly meeting . Doing so also had the added benefit of being able to critique a presentation based on our morning discussion. We are grateful to Rotary Club President Ames Fender and Executive Director Neva Williams for welcoming the group so warmly!

The Changing Face of Fort Worth

Challenging the Process was the leadership practice for the month of April. To start our discussion, Pat Cheong with United Way briefed the class about the results of the Community Assessment and the needs related to education, income and health. The class brainstormed new opportunities for those areas and also some of the obstacles that would need to be overcome.

As our community changes, it becomes more important to be aware of cultural differences and make sure that all perspectives are included in community decisions. Adena Cytron-Walker with the Multicultural Alliance facilitated a Barnga tournament with the class and helped the class relate that experience to the way that we interact with others in our workplaces, our volunteer work and as a community overall. Everyone spent some time reflecting upon their circles of influence and determining how they could create small wins by introducing someone with a new perspective to an organization in which they are involved.

The Non-Profit Sector
Christie Stinson with the Funding Information Center kicked off our early May meeting with a discussion about the economic impact that non-profits have on the community and what the impact would be to Fort Worth if that sector was not present. The class also gained an understanding of the qualities of an effective non-profit organization. Representatives from United Way provided insight into the Non-Profit governance process. The group considered the characteristics of engaged board members, and the roles of staff vs. board participants.

Enabling others to act was the leadership focus of the day. Because non-profits rely heavily on volunteers, the class considered the unique challenges of enabling others to act who don’t have a “business” reporting relationship. As current and future committee chairs and board members, the group will have the opportunity to put this insight to use again and again.

Our host for the day was the Child Study Center. LE alumni Seth Fowler and his family are recipients of many of the Child Study Center’s services. Seth shared their story with the group and also explained how his participation in Leading Edge led him to become involved in the community in new ways. An optional tour of the Child Study Center closed a very insightful day for all.

Creating Successful Team Environments
Our late May program focused on leading teams effectively. Estrus Tucker facilitated a wonderful discussion about how to create an environment that invites openness, honesty and respect for the exchanging of ideas. The group discussed the importance of being able to express divergent opinions and engage in productive dialogue – something that seems to be in short supply in our environment today. The class tried their hand at group decisions through a desert survival exercise. Following that, Harriet led the class through several tools that groups could use to arrive at decisions in a productive way. Many class members commented how useful those tools would be in their upcoming work.

Encouraging the Heart was a natural leadership practice to focus on during this session. The group considered the importance of recognizing the contributions of others. Everyone was encouraged to send a written note of thanks to someone who had made a difference, and to continue the practice each week until the closing retreat.