14 graduate from Chamber’s Institute for Leadership Development

ALBANY — Fourteen business professionals recently graduated from the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Institute for Leadership Development, a program created in 2015 to serve local businesses and the community by training and developing stronger leaders.

The graduation ceremony took place at Wynfield Plantation in Albany.

A key element of the institute is the mentor-trainee program, which pairs current community leaders with young professionals. Along with mentorship, the program’s curriculum provides a genuine and detailed focus on several key leadership qualities, including effective networking, delegation, understanding leadership style, visioning and strategic planning, political savvy, influence and negotiation, image and the media.

Leadership Development Institute participant Reedi Hawkins said the training has helped her to become more in tune with her own personal leadership style and to better understand and discern the unique leadership style of others.

“These skills can be especially valuable in my day-to-day work dealing with people,” said Hawkins, who is employed as the marketing and research director for the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission.

“We do a lot of community work with different organizations in different realms,” Hawkins said. “This training taught me the value of being a good follower as well as a good leader. To be effective, it’s important to know what role to take when engaging with others.”

Years ago, craftsmen hired apprentices to learn skills needed to carry on their trade. In more modern times, mentoring has proven to be a highly successful way for established community and business leaders to share their insight, knowledge and experiences in an informal setting with potential rising leaders. Quite often these relationships evolve into lifelong friendships.

“We began the Institute for Leadership Development in response to needs within the local business community. The institute has been successful in molding future business leaders through personal and professional development,” said Barbara Rivera Holmes, president of the Albany chamber.

A recently announced merger between long-established Leadership Albany and the chamber’s Institute for Leadership Development may bring changes to the program. The merger was announced on May 11 during Leadership Albany’s graduation ceremony, which had 29 graduates representing a diverse population throughout Albany and the surrounding area.

Leadership Albany was established in 1984 for the purpose of identifying and developing leaders in the Albany area. With more than 800 alumni, the organization’s roster reads like a who’s who of area business, nonprofit and government leaders.

While Leadership Albany places a strong emphasis on building community trustees, the chamber’s Leadership Development Institute focuses more on helping individuals to build personal leadership skills and to develop specific character traits.

As the merger was announced, Jenny Savelle, chair of the Albany chamber’s board, gave positive input, saying, “The chamber believes in results-oriented partnerships and in the effective use of resources. Blending the strong business leadership program of the chamber’s Institute for Leadership Development with Leadership Albany’s mission to develop leaders for the common good provides a well-rounded experience for participants who have demonstrated a willingness and capacity to lead.”

Many of the recent graduates from the chamber’s Institute for Leadership Development previously completed the Leadership Albany program.

“Both programs were excellent,” said Hawkins, who graduated from the Leadership Albany program a year ago. “My hope is that the new program will also feature a mentoring component.”

Daniel Stone, a recent graduate of the chamber’s Leadership Development Institute and a 2016 graduate of Leadership Albany, agrees that the mentoring program should remain.

“The mentoring has a positive impact on both the mentor and the ‘mentee’,” Stone said. “I met with my mentor at least once a month, and we communicated frequently by email. I would ask questions, and we would dissect the emails over breakfast. My mentor was always receptive to my concerns and proved to be very helpful.”

Both Hawkins and Stone said they believe mentoring helps young business leaders grow and develop important relationship-building skills.

Leadership Albany, because of its diversity, also helps newcomers get to know the city, Stone said.

“Leadership Albany was especially helpful in painting a broad picture of the city,” he said. “I took that program when I was new to the area, and it helped me get to know the community — both geographically and by fostering diverse relationships.”

Stone is employed as a regional retail manager for SB&T Bank.

As for the anticipated merge between Albany’s two leadership programs, Stone said he believes future students could benefit from the additional resources that will likely become available.

“I am anxious to see just how this all plays out,” he said.

Organizers and participants in both programs say that fostering strong relationships is the key to developing good leaders.

At this time, it is uncertain if there will be a mentoring component when the new curriculum is developed for the next Leadership Albany training session. Other details of the merger remain in limbo. Updates on the Leadership Albany and Chamber’s Institute for Leadership Development merger are expected during the next few months, along with specifics on leadership training opportunities.

INSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CLASS OF 2016-2017

David Anderson, MCLB-Albany

Kimberly Carter, Albany State University

Deborah Clemons, Renasant Bank

James T. Ealum, Campaign Manager

Lola Edwards, Albany Technical College

Erin Freeman, Albany Area Resource Center

Reedi Hawkins, Albany-Dougherty EDC

Tim Hunter, Tim Hunter CPA

Haley Janousek, Mauldin & Jenkins

Michael Kennedy, Lee County Library

Whitney Passmore, AB&T

Latreesa Perryman, MCLB-Albany

Daniel Stone, SB&T

Jason Wilson, Southern Point Staffing