Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is Colorado's Morning News, the Monday edition. If you're
looking for a way to grow as a leader in
the workplace, The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce is accepting
applications for its Leadership Fellows Program from now through September
twenty ninth.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Joining us now on the ka Common Spirit Health Hotline
is Melanie Sue Hicks, vice president of Programs for the
Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, one of our partners here
on KOA. Melanie, thank you so much for your time
this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Thank you for having me tell us.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
A little bit more about the Denver Metro Chamber of
Commerce Leadership Fellows Program. Give your elevator pitch of what
it's all about.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Sure, So, the Fellow's program is about an eight month program.
Five months of that is working with an executive coach
and during those eight months you really get a chance
to explore who you want to be as a leader.
It's really made for more senior leaders who are thinking
about their leadership legacy, their next chapter, how they want
to leave and impact both on their organizations, the people
(00:54):
around them, and the community. As they send you past
the the ladder of success that we all climb for
a while in our career, and then we get to
a certain point and think there might be other things
that I want to accomplish besides just growing from title
to the title. And so this is a place for
leaders to really explore that in themselves and figure out
(01:16):
a roadmap of what that looks like for the next
few years.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
It reminds me, Melanie, a lot of people say anybody
can manage, but it takes someone special to lead. I'm curious,
at least on that note, what skills with tools will
participants get and gain through the program.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Absolutely, So one of the things that we begin with
is really an internal what I call excavating your attic.
So we keep a whole bunch of boxes in our mind,
and some of those boxes are lessons we've learned over time.
Some of them are joyful things we've done. Some of
them are mentors and nuggets of knowledge that we've picked up.
And so I think sometimes the best teacher is yourself.
(01:52):
And so we give them space and tools to go
back into that attic, pick out the things that really
influence them as a leader, and then re direct those
same lessons and leadership skills into their own version of
how to inspire and lead others. And so we begin
there and then really dive into what what does it
(02:14):
look like to have hard conversations. We're working with a
wonderful ally, Katie Anthees, who is helping us develop curriculum
around what does it look like to have, you know,
really really tough conversations. It's you know, not just in politics,
do we need to have those tough conversations, but sometimes
just one on one inside the workplace about expectation setting
and alignment and what does it mean to really be
(02:38):
happy and productive at work in today's environment, how to
be brave enough to share what we need and also
take feedback.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Is this a new program? Has it been around for
a while and it has been around? Do you have
some success stories of what you've seen in the past.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Sure, So the program has been around for a number
of years. It has. It began with the help of
the Better Foundation and really about what we or what
they back then called civic DNA and kind of what
was special about leaders in Colorado and how can they lead?
And it's molded over time. The curriculum has been tweaked
(03:17):
over time, and we're doing another tweak to it now
to really make sure it remains completely relevant to those
that have been in it. But I can tell you
that I when I joined the Chamber Foundation, the Leadership
Foundation back in May, the first thing I did was
reach out to participants of all of our program and
the response from those who participated in fellows was just
overwhelming the way that they said they reframed their priorities.
(03:41):
I had multiple leaders tell me they began to lead
their people in a different way and had great success
at connecting when they had previously hit roadblocks. These they
just they couldn't understand. One of the things that I
am most proud of around you know, talking to leaders
is when you realize that you want to build a
(04:01):
diverse team, but then you have to stretch as a
leader to be able to manage people who have diverse talents.
Not everyone can receive, you know, direction and leadership in
the same way that you receive it. And so the
more diverser team, the more diverse your leadership mechanisms have
to be. And so helping people really dive into understanding
that and reading the room and being able to lean
(04:24):
into all of those strengths. And that's what I heard
over and over again as I interviewed past participants that
they were able to just give themselves that time and
that reflection to say, what do I really want to
look like as a leader and how do I become
the best at that that I can possibly be?
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Melanie? Where do people go if they want to learn
more about it or sign up to be a part
of the program.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Sure, you can go to our website at the Demometric
Chamber found the Demometric Chamber of Commerce website and you'll
find under Learning and Development you'll find all of our programs,
including the Fellows. Or you can contact me directly at
Melanie dot Hick at Denver Leadership dot Again.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
You can go to Denver Chamber dot org for more information.
Vice President of Programs for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation,
It's Melanie Sue Hicks.