Grooming Leaders in Montgomery

Post #59

Last week, Leadership Montgomery celebrated the graduation of its 21st class.  There are now some 1,500 alumni of this unique institution.  As a proud member of the Class of 2002, I have stayed involved, publicizing the program among my friends and neighbors, and helping recruit applicants for future years.

What is Leadership Montgomery?  It’s a year-long program that brings together existing and aspiring leaders in diverse fields-- including business, government, academia, and the non-profit world-- who live or work in Montgomery County.  It does not teach tips for becoming an effective leader.  There's no executive coaching, assistance with giving a speech, working with a Board of Directors, or supervising employees.  Most participants have already mastered these skills.

What it does offer is an in-depth learning opportunity in the various sectors and issues that make Montgomery County a special place.  Spending one full day each month investigating the challenges and opportunities around growth and development, public safety, transportation, education and other public issues provides participants with a more sophisticated understanding of our county and inspires ideas for how to most effectively contribute to our community. 

In addition, it offers a chance to develop deep connections with leaders from other sectors whose paths you would likely never otherwise cross.  Founder and Executive Director Esther Newman stresses the importance of diversity as well as excellence in the participant selection process.  In addition to race or ethnicity, the Selection Committee looks for political, professional, geographic, economic, age, and gender balance in each class.  The result is a program that “looks like Montgomery County”-- surely the best way of ensuring that the ideas that emerge from it benefit us all.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Are you a graduate of Leadership Montgomery, or do you know someone who is?  What contributions do you think this organization has made to our community?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#59) you're addressing. 

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.