Leadership

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President’s Note ............................................5

Developing a Timeless Skill .............................6

Behind Silver Star ..........................................8

Coaches Key to Leadership Training .............. 11

Climbing Toward a Vision ............................. 14

Transforming the Community ......................... 16

Art of Leadership Course Offerings ............... 17

Advertiser Index .......................................... 19

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PRESIDENT’S NOTEGeorge Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther

King, Winston Churchill, Gandhi, Caesar Chavez John F. Kennedy, and Franklin and Teddy Roos-evelt are all viewed as great leaders. What made them leaders and what made them great?. They grew up in fairly common circumstances. Some were highly educated some were not. Old lead-ership theory would say they were born leaders.

Later theories believed in situational leadership (under certain circumstances leadership traits were

strong while under different circumstances the same per-son’s leadership traits were weak). The predominant theory today

uses some of the situational theory but states that anyone can become a leader and develop leadership skills. It is based on personal mastery and the ability to create a vision of a future that others can see themselves in and thus commit to it becoming reality. In looking at the group of leaders above, I would say that is the secret to their being viewed as some of the greatest leaders in history. They all had a vision they truly believed in and were able to communicate it in a way that others were willing to follow and even lead in their own ways, even if it meant giving up their life to accomplish it. This edition of Avenues will explore the principles of leadership and how all of us have the ability to lead. We will present a roadmap for you to consider while en-hancing your ability to be a leader in your community. The Fund has been involved in an executive lead-ership program for almost 10 years now. It has transformed our orga-nization and over time has become the culture for how we operate. Its premise is based on the concept outlined by Peter Senge, the author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization (1990). He wrote of leadership being created by a learn-ing organization through personal mastery. “Organizations learn only through indi-viduals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning, but without it, no organizational learning occurs’ (Senge 1990: 139). Personal mastery is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focus-ing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively’ (ibid.: 7). It goes beyond competence and skills, although it involves them. It goes beyond spiritual opening, although it involves spiritual growth (ibid: 141). Mastery is seen as a special kind of proficiency. It is not about dominance, but rather about calling. Vision is voca-tion rather than simply just a good idea. People with a high level of personal mastery live in a continual learning mode. They never ‘arrive’. Sometimes, language, such as the term ‘personal mastery’ creates a misleading sense of definiteness, of black and white. But personal mastery is not something you possess. It is a process. It is a lifelong discipline. People with a high level of personal mastery are acutely aware of their ignorance, their incompetence, and their growth areas. And they are deeply self-confident. Paradoxical? Only for those who do not see the ‘journey is the reward’.” (Senge 1990: 142) It is with these principles of personal mastery and vision that commitments are

GOVERNING BOARDJames M. Hammond III, ChairIndiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities

Marsha A. Kreucher, Vice ChairCommunity Action Agency

Michael J. Taylor, Secretary/TreasurerNational City CDC

James S. BernackiComerica Bank

Wendell JohnsThe NHP Foundation

R. Wayne KoehlerFifth Third CDC

William C. PerkinsWisconsin Partnership for HousingDevelopment, Inc.

Thomas TracyHunter Chase

Paul J. WeaverFederal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis

CORPORATE OFFICERSMark S. McDaniel, President & CEOChristopher C. Cox, CFOJames L. Logue III, COOJennifer A. Everhart, Executive Vice PresidentRick Laber, Executive Vice President

This magazine is published quarterly by the Great Lakes Capi-tal Fund (GLCF) to provide readers with information on the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and other community de-velopment resources.This publication is copyrighted. The re-production of Avenues to Affordability is prohibited by law. For additional copies, comments, concerns or to be added to the mailing list, please contact the Great Lakes Capital Fund office at 517.482.8555 or visit www.capfund.net.Editorial, Advertising and Layout/DesignMary McDaniel, CMP • Alternative Solutions, LLC 517.333.8217 • [email protected] Travis • Ink Ideas Graphic Design, LLC517.604.0350 • [email protected] Office1000 S. Washington, Suite 200Lansing, MI 48910 Phone 517.482.8555Detroit Office1906 25th StreetDetroit, MI 48216 Phone 313.841.3751Indianapolis Office320 N. Meridian St., Suite 1011Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone 317.423.8880Madison Office16 N. Carroll Street, Suite 300Madison, WI 53703-2716 Phone 608.209.7821Willowbrook Office7223 South Route 83, PMB 227Willowbrook, IL 60527

(contintued on page 18...)

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. “ Margaret Mead


COVER STORy

The Art of Leadership Program has been successful in inspiring vision, leadership skills and confidence in business executives and managers for over 20 years, transforming or-ganizations of individuals into communities of people, pursuing their life visions while realizing the purpose of the enterprise. The program assists executives, CEOs and staff alike to find, reignite and sharpen skills so that they can inspire a greater sense of vision and effectiveness in their companies, commu-nities, and personal lives. Denise Stein, Founder and President Art

of Leadership Advisors, said the Art of Leadership’s programs are effective because leadership skills are timeless and universal at any age. After over a decade of work-ing with businesses and organizations, Denise decided to implement a leadership program for youth and formed the Art of Leadership Foundation, dedicated to inspiring vision and leadership in young people, giving them the skills to succeed in their lives and to be leaders in their com-

munities. “The curriculum of the kids’ program and the executive program is the same, but the delivery methods are different,” she said. “The kids learn the same things as the executives, but the kids usually grasp it much more quick-ly,” she humored. “If you look at the concept of leadership since the very beginning of time, a leader is someone who has a vision of some kind and inspire others to share in that vision. It could be anything from a highly successful organization overall to improving efficiency on a production line. Really it’s any view of

the future; we help them to get in touch with it and to bring it to fruition.” Stein, who teaches the Art of Leadership curriculum to both businesses and youth, said the goal of the Advisors program is to help people rise to the occasion of the next chal-lenge or achievement they or their organiza-tion are facing. “It all comes back to leadership,” she noted. “Oftentimes, people get so busy doing their day-to-day work that they aren’t paying atten-tion to their team or they lose sight of their goals.” Stein referred to the acclaimed Martin Lu-ther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech, in de-

scribing the way the Advisors curriculum is delivered to executives. “That speech was so powerful be-cause of the way he shared it. People ev-erywhere said ‘I have that dream, too.’ He shared it in a way that it becomes mine and yours, as well. Likewise, in the Ad-

visors program at an organizational level, we teach people to vocalize what they do want, rather then what they don’t. It’s much more inspiring.” Susan Rivard, Family Service Worker and Site Supervisor of the Chippewa-Luce-Mack-inac Community Action Agency-Newberry

Developing a Timeless and Universal Skill

Head Start Program, recently attended a 1 ½ day Art of Leadership Advisors program in Boyne, along with several co-workers, at the recommendation of the Head Start Director, Reenie Butler. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she ex-plained. “It ended up being an intense training

“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Dwight D. Eisenhower


COVER STORy

curriculum focused on tweaking your person-al life vision and how to apply it to your or-ganization and the community in which you live,” she said. Rivard – who manages a staff of 10 – said that participants completed personality evalu-ations to identify their strengths and person-ality traits, and to understand self perception versus how peers view you, in order to make a more cohesive working environment. During the program, Rivard said she was also able to confront a fear of hers. “I’m a nervous public speaker. Art of Lead-ership helped me to be able to talk to the Head Start parents in a more confident, non-judgmental way,” she said, noting that part of her personal life vision was to take what she learned in Art of Leadership and put it to practical use in her life to help others. “I find that now I am taking the time to re-ally listen, wait for an answer, and encourage others.” One of the goals that Rivard and her co-workers came to the program with was to get more parents involved in Head Start and to help them to see their life vision. The cur-riculum taught by Stein and another trainer helped them do just that. “When the team came into the program, they were all focused intently on the biggest challenge their organization was facing. And when they walked out, they were much more present to the gift that they give every day in their work,” Stein said. “They were focused, had new ideas, and were eager to become a leader in the industry. It’s very rewarding to

watch the progress from a group of peo-ple to move from in-dividuals to a team.” After the program, Rivard and her co-workers took the skills they learned and the newfound excitement they gained and put them to use right away. They focused on gaining greater parent participation in the Head Start program’s family day through unconventional methods they had never tried before. And the results they saw speak for themselves. “We upped our efforts and really brought our personal life vision to getting parents in-volved,” she said, noting that they thought out of the box and utilized methods they hadn’t in the past. The result was parent participa-tion rising from a mere 10 to 15 percent to an amazing 85 percent. “Art of Leadership allowed me to look at myself professionally and personally and made me realize that when you are excited about what you’re doing in life, you automati-cally pass that excitement on to others,” she explained. Rivard said that the activities and discus-sions in the program allowed for self reflec-tion, exploration and growth. However, she said that the greatest surprise for her was learning that her peers viewed her as a strong leader and worker. She also noted that she viewed herself as a procrastinator, and the Art of Leadership trainers have helped her to work on that, as well as other goals. “I tend to want to be a ‘fixer.’ I realized

that by really listening and valuing the input of those around me, I am better able to help

solve problems, rather than just taking it into my own hands,” she said. “The staff has seen the change in me and it has made them feel more valued. It’s helped us create a wonderful working environment.” Likewise, Head Start Director Reenie But-ler, has seen the difference Art of Leadership has made in the staff. “Some staff members did not view themselves as being in leadership positions,” she contended, “but they now view themselves as leaders, and have an increased ability to set goals and produce results.” Rivard said she would recommend Art of Leadership to anyone looking to expand their horizons. “If you’re at a point in life where you want to grow personally and professional-ly, I would highly recommend the program. I would take it again. It helps you build a sense of community with the people you’re working with,” she said. “It was amazing.” Stein said the sense of satisfaction she gets when she sees individuals who have complet-ed the program reach their goals – just like Susan – is what inspires her. “We really can transform our communi-ties. People are so highly inspired by the end of the program – they are focused and ener-gized. They’re unstoppable,” she said. “Imag-ine if all companies and people in a commu-nity had the same enthusiasm that Susan has, that would be great. That’s my goal. That’s my dream. And I know we can do it.”

“Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” Sam Walton


FEATURE

by Breanna Camarillo

Most businessmen probably don’t brag about a lack of profit. But Marvin Veltcamp, who began mowing lawns for Medallion Manage-ment, Inc. in college and worked his way up to Chief Executive Officer, is not like most businessmen. Though he certainly steers his management company toward earn-ings, he enthusiastically offers up an unusual business motto, saying he runs a ”for-profit business with a non-profit mission.” Stated another way, his motto could also be that a person who of-

fers up good works in the service of God will flourish financial-ly, perpetuating a win-ning cycle that allows him to invest more

money in the next community project. Veltcamp, 52, who has been in the affordable housing business since the early 1980s and with Medallion since 1993, said he considers all of his work with lower cost housing community service because he devel-ops properties to serve the less fortunate, not to fatten his bottom line. “The bottom line isn’t how much money we make, but how we serve the residents’ needs,” he said. Though he has decades of development behind him, he was still surprised and “thrilled” at the impact Silver Star has had on veterans and in his ability to have a role in changing people’s lives who have given their lives in service to their country. “We’ve found this to be the most rewarding experience in 20 years of development,” said Veltcamp. The rewards come largely from the development’s coordination with services such as health care and by providing contacts at the many times difficult to navigate Veterans Administration. “A lot of vets ended up on the street because they had some sort of disability and had trouble wading through the benefits process at the VA,” he said, adding that the inability of many veterans to get disability benefits left some living under bridges or in parks. “They never deserve to have to scrape by day to day.” And his vision with Silver Star isn’t just to give veterans a roof over their heads, but to inspire residents, many of whom are struggling with disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder. On the grounds resi-dents will find pleasant touches like a fountain in the common area, all meant to help them feel like they are really coming home every time they return from therapy or medical treatment.

Behind Silver StarCEO Says Philanthropy Leads to Prosperity

“For those to whom much is given, much is required.”

John F. Kennedy


FEATURE

“Helping involves way more than brick and mortar – it’s about education, leadership skills and getting them the appropriate re-sources, said Veltcamp, who has worked with Great Lakes Capital Fund on various projects, dating back to 1993. “Everyone deserves beautiful things to give them the energy to turn their lives around,” he said, paraphrasing the words of a man he met five years ago that inspired him to take on the Silver Star project when the idea was brought to him. “But veterans are especially deserving because they have used their lives to get the freedom we have. “I’ve seen several situations where resi-dents get jobs and their lives change and that’s what it’s all about,” he said. While he has always been committed to community service, saying it’s both his per-

sonal vision and his calling from God to make use of his talents to help people with fewer re-sources, Silver Star is his first foray into help-ing military veterans. He decided to develop the project when several years ago a man from Chicago who had built a successful home-less veterans’ complex there approached him about developing a property in Michigan. He got his occupancy license in September 2009 and the apartments were at 100 percent capacity within one month. As the 75-unit project approaches its one-year anniversary, Veltcamp reflected on the torturous three years it took to wade through red tape and bureaucracy at the Veteran’s Administration, problems that came about largely because of the development’s location on VA grounds. “The process isn’t for the faint hearted,” he said. “But through it all the thing that kept us go-


ing is that we were going to help homeless vets.” Veltcamp is so committed to his vision to provide housing for the estimated 100-plus homeless and/or disabled veterans in Calhoun County that he plans to pursue funding to ex-pand Silver Star, adding 60 to 75 more one-bedroom apartments within the next year. That would help ease the more than one-year wait for people currently on the list for an apartment. Additionally he would like to address

encountered, so he works to encour-age them to keep

going for the good of future residents. Beyond his involvement with Art of Lead-ership, Veltcamp, who is married and has two sons, also exercises his “Christian duty” along-side his wife by working with the Kalamazoo Deacon’s Conference to help reinvigorate the city’s disadvantaged north side, helping to co-ordinate donations of food, clothing and ser-vices to those in need. As a board member and fundraiser, he is also behind Kairos Dwelling Place in Kalamazoo, a four-bedroom hospice home-away-from-home for the terminally ill. Largely through private do-nations, the home provides end of life care free of charge for people who couldn’t otherwise af-ford to bring hospice into their homes. His contribution to his community isn’t remarkable, he said, in a matter of fact tone; it is simply the right thing to do. “I help because there are people in need,” said Veltcamp. “Isn’t that what God wants us to do?”

“Absolute identity with one’s cause is the first and great condition of successful leadership.”Woodrow Wilson

FEATURE

a growing problem of homeless women veter-ans who are raising chil-dren alone by building 25 to 30 two and three bedroom townhomes on the site. He said he wants to not only expand the capacity for living space at the complex, but the ability for the unique development to tap into veteran’s exceptional leadership skills. As a main financial supporter of Art of Leadership in Kalamazoo Public Schools, Velt-camp is familiar with the benefits of the pro-gram and thinks its teachings, combined with coaches who are successful veterans, would be the “perfect fit” for formerly homeless vets. “My goal is to help residents identify their current reality and move toward their life vi-sion,” he said. Veltcamp is also putting the program’s teamwork lessons to work by helping other states use Silver Star as a model to develop their own veteran housing with coordinated services. He said many of the states are find-ing the same financing and leasing hurdles he

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In an economy with one of the highest unemployment rates since the Great De-pression it’s more important than ever for people to maintain skills that give them a competitive edge. But the task

of keeping up with ever-changing technology in a global economy that becomes more so by the day can seem daunting. That’s where ART of Leadership coaches come in, teach-ing youth and business executives one highly marketable skill that will never go out of style: leadership. “Leadership will never get old, no matter what technology is the newest or where people live throughout the world,” said Greg Janicki, a former Chief Operating Officer of an auto-motive research company and alumnus of the executive leadership training who has been a volunteer coach for 10 years, currently at De-troit’s Cornerstone Middle School. Coaches like Janicki, many of whom are alumni of either the executive leadership or youth program, are among the ART of Lead-ership program’s most valuable assets. They guide participants through the building blocks

of how to become a successful leader, teaching them when to act as task manager, when to be a cheerleader, and when to simply listen. Janicki said he also focuses on one of the program’s main messages, which is that a lead-er doesn’t have to be someone of prominence, it is simply someone who speaks about a fu-ture that others want to be part of. “When Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of having a dream, he was able to get people to join him and get fired up because he was very inclusive,” he said. “It was a dream everyone could get involved in.” Ronaldo Ancog, a staff coach with Art of Leadership who also works on the Cor-nerstone program has been volunteering for about a year and a half, said in addition to other skills, he focuses on helping students develop an aptitude for listening, telling stu-dents who might think leaders spend most of their time doling out directions that listening is actually more important than talking. And when students encounter obstacles to reaching their goals, as they inevitably will, coaches are there to help them refocus on

their vision and to view the unexpected as a detour, not a roadblock. For example, a few years ago, a graduate of ART of Leadership, like many students start-ing out in the program, envisioned himself becoming a professional athlete. While shoot-ing hoops for a living could be a lofty goal for those who are simply looking for fame and fortune but don’t show much athletic prowess,

this student was great at basketball and may very well have been on his way to an athletic college scholarship, said Janicki. However, the student said, in speaking at a leadership event, his hopes were dashed mid-way through high school when he was diag-nosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The boy said “he could have been crushed” by the end of a dream but instead he was able to redirect his energies toward a different goal. He said his Art of Leadership coach had long encouraged him to evaluate what core values would have been served with a career in basketball, in his case, gaining self-respect and notoriety that he could use to help his community. He learned through leadership training that while bas-ketball was his first choice for serving those values, it wasn’t the only way. That story illustrates why it is so impor-tant to reinforce at every meeting with partici-pants that there is a three-step process in lead-ership: a personal vision, a mission, and goals, said Ancog. Working toward small goals sup-port a mission, such as a community service project, and the mission supports the vision, the ultimate goal a person envisions for him or herself, he explained. “We remind them that all of their current actions should support their vision,” he said. “If they don’t, then the students need to ask themselves why they are doing what they are

”A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”Rosalynn Carter

COAChING

Coaches are Key To Enacting ART of Leadership Training


get what you really want?” But adults who complete the training will be find they are rewarded with a better un-derstanding of their personalities and their co-workers’ personalities (since one of the first steps in the program is a personality as-sessment). They will also get more work done because, as Ancog said, “a happy worker is a productive worker.” And students who commit to their goals and keep focusing on their personal vision are also guaranteed to rise above all others, said Janicki. We say: If you stick with us, you’re going to change the world,” he said. “It’s a big promise, but it’s out there.” Students get real world experience in ap-plying that transformation through commu-nity service projects. They are completed at the end of each year and students have the freedom to develop a project for the com-munity with a focus on an issue selected by ART of Leadership. For example, following last year’s literacy theme, Janicki and Ancog’s group chose to write a book, which they read to younger students and distributed to lead-ers around the state and country, including to President Barrack Obama. Along with other projects, there was also a book drive that col-lected hundreds of books and donated them to a local charity. Wanda Beavers, or “Mama Tutu” as she is known, a coach from Jackson, MI, has been serving her community for years, but now wants to learn management skills in order to help even more people. “I want to be a grant writer, a better public speaker and the head of a nonprofit and then I’ll tell everyone I learned it at the ART of Leader-ship,” said Beavers, whose work in the commu-nity, including running an unofficial homeless shelter out of her home, complete with bolo-gna sandwiches paid for out of her pocket and served out of her kitchen, earned her the title of “Jackson Citizen of the Year” in 2009. She attended her second weekend retreat this year as a coach to local children from dis-advantaged homes and she is learning along side the children in order to be a more effec-tive fighter for the homeless and other dis-tressed Jackson residents.

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doing or consider changing their vision.” Coaches said a lot of their job is to live what they teach and constantly act as an example to students, sharing their vision as they encourage children to share their vision. Ancog’s vision is to create and foster positive relationships with everyone he meets; Janicki’s vision is to use hope to help himself and others feel at peace with themselves and their surroundings. When it comes to working with youth, convincing them to steer away from negative influences that offer a quick and easy reward can be difficult because the changes that come from leadership training are incremental and long term. Coaches focus on helping children define for themselves what broad goals such as becoming famous or ending war mean to them. In other words, they must ask themselves what core val-ues are realized in reaching their goals. But while it often takes work to get their goals narrowed down to the realistic or specif-

ic, students are at least quick to offer up goals, whereas many adults find it embarrassing to share their dreams and often clam up as a result. “It’s a little easier for kids because adults don’t really go around saying what their vision is,” said Janicki. “You ask about their goals in a room full of adults and you get dead silence.” Another hurdle is the very idea of change, which tends to make people uncomfortable. For instance, if their vision is to be a public speaker, they might have to work on being more outgoing even though they aren’t used to interacting with many people. To get them accustomed to acting differ-ently, part of the process of leadership train-ing is to assign the students a task that will put them out of their comfort zone but move them toward their vision. “There’s a tension between their current reality and the way they must behave to reach their vision,” said Janicki. “We ask them: How much discomfort are you willing to endure to


“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on

the crowd.”Max Lucado

COAChING

Humbled by her “country roots” and for-merly homeless and jobless state, Beavers said if she can be successful, anyone can. She thinks learning with the children helps them see that all it takes is willingness and perseverance to meet goals and break free from hardship and a broken home or community. She also adheres to the “golden rule” and expects students who see her treating others as she would like to be

treated to mimic her positive behavior. Despite initial fears that he didn’t possess any skills special enough to qualify him as a coach or, that as a guy from the suburbs, he wouldn’t connect with children in Detroit schools, Janicki found that by simply showing

up he was able to forge a strong relationship with his students. “What I learned is that it’s first and foremost about trust,” he said. “If you can be honest, you can be a good coach.” Ancog said his experience as a coach has also been surprising. He went into coaching thinking he would act as a tutor, but quickly realized the job was to help students learn “how to think, not what to think. “Primarily what I do is ask questions that allow students to look into themselves and decide what they really want for their future and how they want to be treated,” said Ancog , who is also a former auto industry executive. “I think to be a good leader, you have to ask a lot of questions, and I spend a lot of my time asking questions, trying to get the student to look at things from a different perspective.” And while they began coaching to give back, all of the coaches were surprised to find that they have gained as much or even more than the students, garnering invaluable com-

munication and leadership expertise. “I thought I would be happy to just say I’ve helped the community. I thought it would make me feel good, but it’s so much more. I’m really getting something tangible out of this. I’ve been learning about leadership and coaching for 10 years and practicing, honing my skills,” said Janicki. In fact, as he finds himself between posi-tions after losing his job to downsizing, Janicki said he is leaning on the teachings of following a vision to help him decide his next move. I can evaluate all of the opportunities that come at me and pick which direction to go based on whether it fits my personal vision,” he said. Thanks to ART of Leadership, students also have increased focus and drive that will guide them toward a bright future, giving them a leg up on their peers. Said Ancog: “When people ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they can answer them.”

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CLImBINGTOwARDA VISION


by Breanna Camarillo

Taking to the last rung of a ropes course known as the giant’s ladder, 17-year-old Janice Campbell was elated during this year’s adven-ture course when she realized she had climbed higher than ever before. She still had what she calls a terrible fear of heights, but in her teammates she had an even greater asset – someone who cheered her on and encouraged her to tap into her inner strength whenever fear threatened her progress. “This was a lesson for the rest of my life,” said Campbell, a Kalamazoo Central High School student and fourth time attendee of the weekend long Art of Leadership Academy. “If I encounter obstacles, I won’t back down. I’ll face my fears.” Campbell’s experience mirrors the goal of the academy to translate a metaphor for team building into useful life skills. With the help of a handful of volunteer coaches, the camp for teens and adult leaders-in training uses tools from zip lines to textbook and team exercises to reinforce lessons on how to lead, when to act as a team, and how to accept direction, all in order to achieve a personal vision. Challenges such as the giant’s ladder,

which involves using the weight of a partner to anchor a rope that holds the climber, lit-erally placing the safety of the climber in the hands of his or her partner, teach participants about encouragement and trust, said Stuart Riley, Director of Walled Lake Outdoor Edu-cation, where the retreat is held. Through their physical feats, participants, about 50 of whom attended this year’s an-nual retreat for teens and adults, learned the importance of coaching each other through rough spots and accepting coaching when they hit a roadblock. Like Campbell, students are also expected to cultivate courage, which program leaders define not as the absence of fear, but a willingness to persevere in the face of it. During instructional time, students partic-ipate in discussions about setting challenging goals and overcoming obstacles, often sharing their personal experiences as examples. The students also get a chance to practice teamwork as members of small groups made up a handful of kids and adults from different backgrounds, schools, and cities. As a small group they explore their visions further, for example by defining 10 core values for each team member.

The participants then privately narrow down their choices to three core values and share with the group what those values, such as family, independence, community and reli-gion, mean to them and why they are of the highest priority. Ranking tops for 17-year-old Taylor Blackston, a senior at Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills who has been in Art of Leadership since sixth grade, are faith, integrity and affection. She said her faith goes beyond belief in a higher power, which she adheres to by staying active in her church. “If I can believe in something I can’t see, it means I can believe in myself even if I’m not where I want to be yet,” said Blackston. She said even though she is admittedly al-ready an overachiever, using time at the acad-emy to think about her goals makes her “dig deeper inside” to evaluate the course she has charted for herself and decide if her actions are on track with her goals. When she began Art of Leadership six years ago, most students proclaimed their vi-sion to be world peace or some other large, intangible goal. Since then Blackston said she has gotten more realistic about her goals and learned that she can wake up and change the world one day at a time. At this year’s retreat, her final as a partici-pant although she hopes to come back as a

coach next year, her goals are hovering some-where between going to medical school and becoming a journalist, torn between using a scalpel or the written word, but convinced that either way she will make a positive im-pact and put a spark in people’s lives. “I won’t hide in a corner,” she said. “I want to lead the way.”

“It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead -- and find no one there.”Franklin D. Roosevelt

ACADEmy

Leadership Camp Practices Real world Skill Building


Founded nearly 23 years ago, the prin-ciples behind the ART of Leadership pro-gram have guided thousands of professionals in businesses, non-profits and in government toward identifying and pursuing their per-sonal visions. And the program keeps grow-ing, a decade ago partnering with Great Lakes

Capital Fund to form the ART of Leadership Foundation to apply the same goal setting and coaching methods to middle and high school students and community partners around the state.

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LEADERShIP

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a

molder of consensus.”Martin Luther King, Jr.

Transforming the Community One Leader at a Timeworking with Communities and youth The foundation began its work in Detroit, looking to change the culture of “taking the easy way out” by helping people identify their core values and a way to make their dreams a reality. As the method took hold it spread to Kalamazoo, Lansing, Baldwin and Jackson. “We fight to have a long lasting impact on youth against a strong negative culture,” said Denise Stein, ART of Leadership president and founder. She said unlike some founda-tions, which raise money toward helping chil-dren struggling with illness, ALF puts dona-tions toward healing society. “Our kids aren’t sick, the community is,” said Stein. Despite the challenges, the program is causing change. While inner city schools have stagnant graduation rates hovering as low as

25 percent, 100 percent of ART of Leader-ship school-aged participants have graduated from high school and gone on to the military, post high school training or college. Gradu-ates of the program are now in prestigious schools around the country, such as the Uni-versity of Michigan, Morehouse College and Columbia University. Students also leave the program with hun-dreds of community service hours under their belts, having worked on projects that include improving literacy through holding a book drive for charity and writing a book and revi-talizing some of Detroit’s most impoverished neighborhoods by repainting houses and im-proving the curb appeal of dozens of homes. Many students learn an extreme dedica-tion to volunteering, putting in long hours at churches and other civic organizations as well as with Art of Leadership. Two participants have even been recognized for their hard work with a Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship that pays for 10 years worth of college and with the governor’s Youth Service Award for exceptional community service efforts.

Serving Businesses, Organizations, and Teams Professionals who participate in the Exec-utive Leadership or Team Leadership Acad-emy through ART of Leadership Advisors have the opportunity to learn more about themselves, their co-workers, and their orga-nizations in order to obtain a foundation of skills that create effective individuals and suc-cessful organizations. Coaches believe that every organization is a collection of individuals with unique moti-vations, skills and experiences. Independently and collectively, these individuals encounter problems. The Art of Leadership programs address these problems head-on, providing solutions to the real world barriers that or-ganizations face every day. How? By creating committed, accountable, and effective indi-viduals; by focusing on how people at all lev-els of an organization can achieve results; by harnessing the power of a personal vision to


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create individuals and teams who are inspired, engaged, and effective. The Art of Leadership solutions build a foundation for long-term success. Participants delve into the curriculum in several ways, from executive programs which unfold over a several-month leadership and coaching engagement, to attending one or two-day workshops that focus on building specific skills, such as how to work with chal-lenging staff or to successfully power through the employee appraisal process. Stein added, “In my 20+ years of executive coaching, I have been amazed at the achieve-ments of my clients. A creative and commit-ted team of people can rise to overcome even seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The hu-man spirit, when focused on a specific goal, is a very powerful thing.” Our client testimonies speak for them-selves: “I went into the Art of Leadership Execu-tive Coaching program with a good deal of skepticism. What I found, however, was that the work had me focus on and clearly iden-tify my fundamental values and core life prin-ciples. It had me see what counts for me and helped point to where I want to dedicate the rest of my life. It has tremendously broadened my understanding of what I can accomplish.” –Lloyd Semple, Chairman Emeritus, Dyke-ma Gossett P.L.L.C. “I was able to apply the (Language of Leadership) concepts with my management team immediately. It is surprising that such valuable tools can be conveyed in such a short workshop.” – Nancy Wanchik, President and COO, CAPE Health Plan “I am listening to people more intently and am more thoughtful and aware of their per-ceptions than ever before. My ability to lead my team effectively has taken a giant step. The future that I am committed to is for each customer and employee of this bank to feel respected, appreciated and valued.” – Sandra Pierce, President, The Charter One Bank of Michigan.

For information on how your organization can benefit from Art of Leadership’s valuable coach-ing programs, visit www.artofleadershop.net.

The Language of Leadership Complainers. Every organization has them. Yet what we often do not under-stand is that the complaint is typically grounded in commitment; a commitment that is a sign not of what we cannot stand, but instead of what we are willing to stand for. The Language of Leadership program teaches participants to uncover this com-mitment and how to use that knowledge as a success tool. Participants will learn how to turn the complainer into an advocate for change and growth in the organization. Participants will engage in lively discussion and inquiry to add value to their experi-ence. Participants will leave the workshop with practical lessons and action plans that they can apply immediately.

Goals to Results Organizations and individuals usually have no problem setting goals. It is the re-sult part that is typically the problem. Or-ganizations often establish goals with good intentions but fail to understand the human element of goal achievement: that is, how individuals interpret goal relevance and implement goal achievement. The Goals to Results program teaches participants how to set goals that have meaning; how to align goals directly to the organization’s mission; and how to achieve goals that create orga-nizational and individual success. Partici-pants will engage in lively discussion and inquiry to add value to their experience. Participants will leave the workshop with practical lessons and action plans that they can apply immediately.

Leadership, management, Coaching Breakdowns occur at all levels of an or-ganization. But typically they share these common elements: they involve people, cir-cumstances and our ability (or inability) to manage the two. The Leadership, Manage-ment, Coaching program gives participants the ability to identify the skills needed to resolve breakdowns and produce intended results. The program provides practical tools and approaches to understand the breakdown and apply the most effective response. Participants will engage in lively discussion and inquiry to add value to their experience. Participants will leave the work-shop with practical lessons and action plans that they can apply immediately.

your Success Strategy Today’s challenge for leaders is to create a community where people are encouraged and supported in bringing creativity and innovation to their lives. To do this people must begin to think in new ways or (to use a popular cliché) “think outside the box.” Participants in the Your Success Strategy program will learn to see their “box” and re-fresh and enhance their way of thinking to achieve success. It may sound counter-intu-itive, but the very characteristics that made a person successful eventually become bar-riers to his or her future. Participants will engage in lively discussion and inquiry to add value to their experience. Participants will leave the workshop with practical les-sons and action plans that they can apply immediately.

Art of Leadership Course Offerings


PRESIDENT’S NOTE

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made to accomplish goals. Those commit-ments (promises) then can be managed and real accountability can be created. The key factor in the managing promises is the added ability to have a coaching relationship be-tween individuals. This is not a top down form of leadership. It does start at the top with a leader who has a vision of a future that

everyone sees them in. From that, everyone else has the ability to create visions and lead others to achieve them. Another way to look at the same concept is according to the definition stated on Wiki-pedia described as the “process of social influ-ence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.” To individualize this a bit more, an understanding of basic attributes of

leadership are helpful. If you are a leader who can be trusted, then those around you will grow to respect you. To be such a leader, there is a Leadership Framework to guide you: Don Clark Leadership website. BE a professional. Examples: Be loyal to the organization, perform selfless service, and take personal responsibility. BE a professional who possesses good character traits. Examples: Honesty, compe-tence, candor, commitment, integrity, courage, straightforwardness, imagination. KNOw the four factors of leadership — follower, leader, communication, situation. KNOw yourself. Examples: strengths and weakness of your character, knowledge, and skills. KNOw human nature. Examples: Hu-man needs, emotions, and how people re-spond to stress. KNOw your job. Examples: be proficient and be able to train others in their tasks. KNOw your organization. Examples: where to go for help, its climate and culture, who the unofficial leaders are. DO provide direction. Examples: goal setting, problem solving, decision making, planning. DO implement. Examples: communicat-ing, coordinating, supervising, evaluating. DO motivate. Examples: develop morale and esprit de corps in the organization, train, coach, counsel. In these challenging times, good leadership is at a premium. All of us need to continue to learn better ways to lead. There are a lot of people out there who are depending on us to be the best leaders we can be. One thing is for sure: even with those listed at the beginning of this article, top leaders are not perfect. They all have many examples of failures and mis-takes; but what made them great is that they learned from their mistakes and always held a personal vision for a better future as their touchstone so they always move ahead and not go backwards. In closing, I would like to use a phrase that the former First Gentleman of Michigan Dan Mulhern uses to end his weekly leadership newsletter “Lead with your best self.” All of us can be leaders, it can be learned. Just believe in your personal vision, communicate it, and anything is possible.

(...contintued from page 5)

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