It’s hard to prepare for a company’s future without the topic shifting to leadership by the “next generation.” Instead of adding one more item to the in-house to-do list, help is available through a new offering from the Arizona Technology Council.
The development program Emerging Leaders Council is underway with a cohort that includes a chief operating officer; a director of product development; a supervisor of human resources analytics; and a senior software engineer from organizations such as Honeywell Aerospace, MicroAge, The University of Arizona, SRP and Wells Fargo, says Diana White, the Council’s chief of staff.
With a background that includes business consulting and serving as executive director of the incubator Moonshot, she created a curriculum with support from Council President and CEO Steven G. Zylstra that targets rising professionals ages 25–39 from Arizona’s technology sector or related industries. “Just watching their eyes light up when I talk to them about the different ways that you can lead, and how you get some benefits from leading this way and some benefits from the leadership styles,” White says, is proof of the aha moments among the professionals she is guiding.
Each of the program participants needed a supervisor referral as part of the application process. Supervisor comments included, “I want them to be ready for the next step. I don’t necessarily have time to train them to do that. This is a great program for them to get their feet wet.”
The Emerging Leaders Council includes quarterly meetings covering topics ranging from fiduciary responsibilities to executive presence, as well as speakers and in-person events. White also gives participants monthly one-on-one coaching on topics of their choice. “From the very first one-on-ones, they were already giving me challenges and I was helping them walk through it,” she says. “And each and every one of them has come back to me and said, ‘I used your advice and it worked.’”
Additional experience is gained by participating in mock board sessions. “As a manager, supervisor, director right now, it’s very, very beneficial to understand how your board moves, how they think, so that you can best interact with them,” White says. “That’s a very important thing, especially if you want to be seen and build your brand.” Beyond that, some members of the cohort may want to pursue appointments to boards later in their careers.
Worth noting is program participant selection is not limited to only employees of Arizona Technology Council member companies. As each cohort participant’s commitment ends in September, White already is preparing for the next wave of applicants.
To learn more, watch for updates on the Council’s website
www.aztechcouncil.org/aztc-emerging-leaders-council.
