Leadership NOW Seeks Current, Emerging Leaders for 2019 Cohort

Informational sessions to be held October 1, 2, 3, 9 and 16

(FLINT, Mich., Sept. 24, 2018) Leadership NOW – an introspective leadership development program for individuals who work and/or live in Genesee County – is seeking candidates for its next cohort, which will begin Jan. 25, 2019.

The program, led by the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Genesee County, is designed for business, nonprofit and municipal professionals who want to give back to the community.

“Leadership NOW is an immersive experience that helps participants develop their leadership styles through dynamic learning experiences,” said DeAndra Larkin, group vice president at the Flint & Genesee Chamber. “It also empowers them to work together to address challenges and pursue opportunities in Flint and Genesee County.”

According to Larkin, Leadership NOW participants undergo in-depth leadership assessments and 100+ hours of training over the course of a year. The curriculum focuses on developing the skills and behaviors involved in six core leadership functions, including creating a vision, developing followership, implementing the vision, following through, achieving results and team playing.

The program places special attention on how to develop, initiate and sustain collaborative community projects. As such, participants are required to develop and implement a sustainable, collaborative project that benefits the community or a local organization.

Loren Crandell’s cohort, for instance, teamed up with the Brownell-Holmes Neighborhood Association to install an outdoor library and neighborhood book exchange in Flint. He says it was Leadership NOW’s community element that inspired him to apply in the first place.

“I’m nearing retirement and wanted to become more involved in my community,” said Crandell, who lives Genesee County and works at an engineering firm in metro Detroit. “Through Leadership NOW, I was introduced to Friends of Berston Field House, and I now sit on their board. It’s allowed me to plug into Genesee County in ways I hadn’t before.”

Since completing Leadership NOW in 2017, Michael Czop, president of Domico Med-Device in Fenton, has already encouraged two of his employees to apply for and participate in the program.

“I think it’s important for an organization to develop leaders at all levels—not just the managers,” Czop said. “The more aware employees are about the behaviors that drive good leadership, the more likely the organization will succeed in the long-term.”

To apply for Leadership NOW’s 2019 cohort, candidates should first attend one of the mandatory information sessions, to be held at the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, at 519 S. Saginaw St., Flint.

Applications are available online and will also be distributed during the information sessions. They are due by Oct. 25, 2018.

Leadership NOW is made possible with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Ruth Mott Foundation and the United Way of Genesee County.

For more information, visit www.flintandgenesee.org/leadership-now.

Note: This news release was updated Oct. 9, 2018 to correct the application deadline.