Kohl: Scottsdale Leadership seeking new applicants

Do you feel passionate about influencing the future of our community, and engaging in relationship building, civil dialogue, and thoughtful action with other servant leaders to do so? Then consider Scottsdale Leadership.

Scottsdale Leadership is now recruiting for the next lucky class of individuals to go through this impactful leadership program; applications are due May 19.

Scottsdale Leadership’s Core Program is an interactive community leadership program that includes 14 class days spread across nine months.

The class experiences are rich, ranging from a behind the scenes look at Cattle Track — what a treasure — to food packing at Vista del Camino food bank to learning about the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community’s impact on our economy.

You’ll get a glimpse into the lives of many — of a firefighter by loading on equipment and crawling through a fake burning building; by witnessing a medic work on a very expensive “mannequin” through a partnership between Banner Health and our military, to the special folks that help abused children at the Family Advocacy Center. And you’ll have the opportunity to put your leadership skills to use in a group project benefitting a worthy local nonprofit.

Scottsdale Leadership is a commitment — of time and energy. But really, doesn’t anything worth doing involve sacrifice? We are all busy and must be selective about how we spend our time, and frankly our money. Scottsdale Leadership is a smart investment. You must invest in yourself to invest in others. It’s an opportunity to stretch yourself and to become a better community member, which benefits you, your employer, and the community: win win win.

According to Lee Ann Witt, executive director of Scottsdale Leadership and graduate of Class 33, “My Scottsdale Leadership class experience provided breadth and depth to my understanding of community issues and strengthened my ability to impact change through meaningful partnerships and positive community leadership.”

Scottsdale Leadership is not a snapshot in time. It’s not a seminar that you attend and then you forget what you’ve learned two days later. No — this experience is life changing if you let it be. The benefits abound: from the leadership lessons learned; relationships formed; new knowledge about a city that you will love even more; a newly lit fire to give back; and a glimpse into how much the specialness of our smaller communities within the overall community, from health care to nonprofits to local businesses to our rich history, rely on engaged leaders such as you and me.

I remember my parents saying, “you get out of it what you put into it.” That’s true for most things — life, work, relationships, Scottsdale Leadership. If you’ve been thinking about it, just do it: Invest the time, find ways to say yes, put yourself out there, and maximize the experience — you won’t regret it.
Learn more at scottsdaleleadership.org.

Editor’s Note: Jenna Kohl is chair of outreach and recruitment committee, and a graduate of Scottsdale Leadership Class 34.