A new training program is being launched to help women expand their leadership skill set.
The Women’s Network Community Leadership Institute is a partnership of the Women’s Network of Northeast Ohio and Leadership Akron.
“Women need a Community Leadership Institute where they can not only learn about leadership and the community, but are also provided an environment where they can learn about and address the key issues of gender diversity in the workplace and gain support from one another to move their careers forward,” said Kirsten Lino, board president of Women’s Network. The 37-year-old organization has provided networking lunches and programs on women entrepreneurship, among other topics.
Leadership Akron will run the institute, which starts on Feb. 18 and will be a six-session course over a four-month period. Applications are due by Jan. 8 for the session, which will cost $850 for Women’s Network members and $1,000 for non-members.
A pilot class of 22 women have just completed the program and provided feedback to retool it for the first official class, Lino said.
The program was officially announced to the community at an event Wednesday night.
Lino and Leadership Akron President Mark Scheffler had been discussing the possibility of the new program for a while, but the Beacon Journal’s “Who Will Lead” series and the subsequent community discussions around the topic made it more evident the need was there, they said.
“There is a hunger for something specific,” Scheffler said.
Lino said the class will cap at 25 participants and she’s already got a list of more than that interested. She hopes there will be enough demand for two classes — one in the spring and one in the fall.
Scheffler said the women’s program is an adaptation of Leadership Akron’s Community Leadership Institute program, which is run at specific employers such as Akron General and Goodyear. This will be the first gender-specific program.
Workshop instructors and panelists will include both men and women and will focus around four pillars of leadership: visionary leadership, delivering results, influence and advocacy and relationship building.
Discussion platform
The program also provides a platform for women to openly discuss gender dynamics in the workplace and how to navigate and overcome gender-based challenges and perceptions, organizers said.
“This is not man-bashing,” said Lino. “Some people have had a hard row to get where they have, but what have we learned to build a better toolbox for the next generation? How can we become better leaders?”
Lino said the program is geared for women in any stage of her career, and all ages are encouraged to participate.
“We do dig into some of the barriers that keep women from ... opportunities,” Lino said.
“Any woman in her career should be coming to this. We dig into those high-level issues. What’s keeping them from getting that senior promotion or leadership opportunity?”
Inspiring leaders
Lisa Davala, marketing coordinator at the Akron-Canton Airport and a member of the inaugural class, said the institute opened her eyes to what she called “the incredible network of leaders we have in the region.”
“Each participant had her own experience and success to share with the group, and the panel members were inspiring, helpful and went out of their way to make themselves available to the group,” Davala said.
She said the program helped her understand “that leadership styles are vastly different from one person to the next, but still effectively better the home, workplace and community.”
For more information about the new program, go to www.leadershipakron.org/womens-network-cli
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ.