Leadership Academy

The Leadership Academy is a one-year program designed for both current and future senior leaders. Four two-day sessions will be held at the MMUA office. The first day of each session will feature a networking dinner and focused discussion. Class size will be limited to 17 students.

 

The curriculum will consist primarily of various articles and materials provided electronically. Some sessions will have assigned reading prior to meeting—typically a book on leadership. Students will go through an assessment to help the instructor and the students understand their styles, strengths, and potential deficiencies in key competencies. Students will have tasks to work on between sessions and will be expected to do some journaling. 

 

Each session is a crucial building block in developing the skills, awareness, and perspective of a true leader. Those signing up for the Academy need to be committed to attending each session, in the order presented. Sessions include:

 

Collaboration (Getting the Most Out of Your Team) and Conflict (Working Through Difficult Times)

Communication (Presence of a Leader) and Character (The Mind of a Leader; Lenses)

Change (How a Leader Navigates Change) and Mastering Accountability (Understanding and Equipping for this Critical Topic)

Failing Versus Failure (Understanding the Differences Between These Two Terms and How They Create Positive and Negative Change in a Group) and Practicing Leadership.

 

Each session is priced at $1,075 (members)/$1,375 (non-members), which includes books and materials, the assessment, and the group dinners. The total program cost is $4,300 (members)/$5,500 (non-members). 

 

The primary instructor for the Academy is Kent Myers, Managing Partner of VISION Companies. Kent has over 25 years of experience providing strategic visioning, operational effectiveness, and technology alignment consulting services to global companies. He has a decade of experience in working with Minnesota municipal utilities on leadership and culture development and strategic visioning. In addition to his extensive consulting practice, Kent is a guest lecturer at the Harvard Business School. 

 

Some sessions will feature guest speakers who have been through their own journey of adversity and triumph and have expertise in that session’s leadership topic.

 

Students who fulfill all course requirements will receive recognition from the Academy that attests to the various competencies they have demonstrated.

 

MMUA will offer two partial scholarships to applicants from member utilities serving 2,500 customers or less. Each scholarship will reduce the cost of the program by $1,000. Scholarships will be awarded to eligible students on a first-come, first-served basis. A member utility will be eligible for a scholarship for only one student at a time. Students are expected to complete the full program.