One way to increase employee engagement is to help people feel more invested in what happens within their organization.
That is the thrust behind the President鈥檚 Leadership Academy at 吃瓜头条, where President Chris Vitelli welcomes a diverse set of 12 employees for a year鈥檚 worth of leadership training.
Participants report that the academy, now in its second year, is a rousing success.
鈥淭hose four hours would fly by,鈥� said Communication Studies professor Matthew Ward, a first-cohort member from 2021-22.
Topics covered in the first year were: Leadership 101; Effective Planning; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Communication; Personnel 101; Decisive Leadership; Innovation & Change; and Charting Your Path. The second cohort swapped out Effective Planning for Employee Engagement, which Vitelli chose as the theme for the campus in 2022-23.
Participants read books, articles and case studies to prepare for each session, then meet as a group with Vitelli for activities and Zoom calls with guest speakers, usually one of Vitelli鈥檚 colleagues from within the California Community College system.
Vitelli鈥檚 goal with the academy is to nurture employees to reach their potential, preparing them to take on bigger leadership roles within the college and influence how the college achieves its mission.
鈥淚鈥檓 still a work in progress,鈥� said Raul Alvarez, Associated Students of 吃瓜头条 Student Support Coordinator and a participant in this year鈥檚 academy. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about what I鈥檓 going to learn and how I鈥檒l implement those things.鈥�
Valerie Albano, Dean of Allied Health, Child Development, Kinesiology & Public Safety, applied for the first cohort to better serve the college in her work with the Greenbriar Project, a local farming initiative that has teamed with the college to study hemp production. It also jumpstarted her work as dean.
鈥淭here was a broader set of skills I wanted to cultivate,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was lucky to be selected.鈥�
SESSIONS
Ward and Albano both said they responded strongly to the Decisive Leadership session, which included a case study on what went wrong when eight people died on a single day in 1996 while climbing Mount Everest, the world鈥檚 highest peak.
鈥淲e did a case study on people who attempted to scale Mt. Everest, on the roles climbers take when they climb,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淚t talked about the importance of group cohesion, but also why it鈥檚 important to avoid groupthink.鈥�
Their analysis echoed so strongly with a lesson Ward teaches his communication students that he used what he鈥檇 learned to improve that class.
Albano appreciated that the exercise expanded how she later worked through a challenge within allied health.
鈥淎s a scientist, I was so used to zeroing in on the minutiae,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had to think bigger to figure out how to expand the nursing program. One article made a huge difference in how I think.鈥�
Alvarez was struck by a book entitled 鈥淒eveloping the Leader Within You 2.0鈥� by John C. Maxwell. The book outlines five levels of leadership: Position (people follow you because of your job title), Permission (people follow because they want to), Production (people follow because of what you鈥檝e done for the organization), People Development (people follow because of what you鈥檝e done for them), and Pinnacle (people follow because of who you are and what you represent).
鈥淚 realized I was already doing some of these things,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ike staying late to check in with the custodial department, making that sacrifice. The staff sees you there, sees that you want to learn what their daily responsibilities are鈥攁nd not just within their job description, but their wants and needs.鈥�
SUCCESS
Vitelli and his staff did the same, listening intently to mold each academy experience to trainees鈥� needs. Hearing feedback about structure, coffee and meeting places, they altered sessions, brought in Starbucks and gave everyone 吃瓜头条 blankets to sit on while outside.
Academy members appreciated the consideration. Then, with the smaller details nailed down, Albano could release the grip she had on her work.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 be the hero,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am here to support students to become who they want to be. That鈥檚 leadership. I鈥檓 able to help our nursing students, to help our paramedic training program gain accreditation so we can train students for jobs and life. The academy showed me others who are doing the same thing. I don鈥檛 have to do it all.鈥�
Alvarez, who balances a busy work and home life with his role as offensive coordinator of Golden Valley High School鈥檚 football team, was moved to implement the idea of a whiteboard to remember important but non-urgent activities.
鈥淯sually I鈥檓 work, practice, home, work, practice, home,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think of the other things I should do like catching a movie with my wife. With the whiteboard, you write down non-job things you can do to improve your wellness. You do them so that when you get back to work, you have a different vigor. You鈥檙e not just here grinding.鈥�
Ward had an epiphany after reading the book 鈥淭hanks for the Feedback鈥� for the session on communication.
鈥淭hat was the best book I read through the entire experience,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淚 finally realized why it鈥檚 so hard for us to receive positive feedback. I also used to provide a ton of feedback, and it must have overwhelmed my students. I learned to give just the most important bit.
鈥淗onestly, I wish I鈥檇 read the book before I got on the tenure track last year. That process would not have been as stressful as I made it out to be.鈥�
BREAKTHROUGH
Participants also saw their relationships with Vitelli evolve.
鈥淭he funny thing about it is when you spend as much time with your president as we did, you naturally see him as more of a human being,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淚t can be very powerful.鈥�
Merely completing the academy felt like a breakthrough.
鈥淥ne of the biggest takeaways was knowing who was out there and what they do and looking at how we all apply ourselves,鈥� Albano said.
Said Ward, 鈥淭he academy not only gave me an opportunity to be an effective leader, but also to improve as an educator.鈥�
Alvarez said the academy is already a success when it comes to engaging employees.
鈥淎s soon as a manager, supervisor or director shows they care, not just about your internal self, but about your growth within your job, you become more excited about your work,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ven after 16 years here, I now feel it鈥檚 never too late to improve. I hope there鈥檚 a way to offer the academy experience to even more people.鈥�