Leadership Summit: Welcome to the Launching Pad! 6 Months, 30th Post, By Preston Yarborough

The Leadership Launching Pad  was conceived to be a resource for those dedicated to developing our next generation of leaders. We invited  leadership experts, educators, coaches, and leaders of many ages to share insights. After  six months and 30 posts, it’s worthwhile to reflect on what the LLP blog has become and envision where it might go from here. For those of you new to the LLP, please use the search tags (right column) to locate potential posts of interest. We hope for the content to reflect the activities and interests of our community. If you have a topic you would be willing to contribute, please contact us (jpyarbor@uncg.edu). We'd love to add your perspective to the mix!

The focus of the Leadership Launching Pad has much in common with the Leadership Summit, a recent event sponsored by The Search Institute and the Center for Creative Leadership. Some of our country’s foremost practitioners of youth leadership development convened in Greensboro, NC, to discuss the current state of youth leadership development. Summit participants envisioned how the profession of youth leadership development might grow in the coming years.

I believe the Leadership Summit represented a real and present “leadership launching pad.” Those of us at the virtual Launching Pad want to extend an invitation to our Leadership Summit friends. Please enjoy the information contained herein, and we would love for you to join our network and expand the breadth and depth of our common goal of providing an effective launching pad for leader development. We have expanded into Twitter (@LeadrLaunchPad--see "Follow Me" button on right)  To ease your introduction, please scan the brief 6-month review below. Consider it a cursory introduction to our growing community.

The Launching Pad’s managing editor, Katelyn Chapman, has diligently worked to source diverse and fresh leadership perspectives. We strive to provide to post weekly and Katelyn runs a tight ship. Between her management and our contributors’ generosity, the Launching Pad has generated a wealth of knowledge during its brief tenure. We encouraged contributors to provide well-informed pieces, but avoid sounding too academic. At their best, the posts are insightful, clever, authentic expressions of leader development.

Some of these leadership expressions were personal growth experiences: Kendra Hammond (Leadership Anxiety), Eric Durham (Leaders and Nuts), and Lara Amshay (Taking Risks) offered undergraduate student perspectives. A different point of view came from Mike Beitler, after his bid for U. S. senate last year. Volunteers played a crucial role in the campaign process. He commented on their enthusiasm, commitment, and how they influenced his understanding of leadership in Leadership Lessons from the Campaign Trail.

We’ve received a variety of thought pieces. Chris Ward, a doctoral student with extensive coaching experience with undergraduates wrote about Relational Leadership. Dr. Marin Burton shared her wisdom on Experiential Education, addressing both the philosophy and method of the process. Jessica McCall shared 10 Commandments of Small Group Leadership; Jessica is a faculty member in UNCG's Department of Communication Studies, is an excellent facilitator, and has a wealth of knowledge matched only by her passion for the subject. Professors from the Bryan School of Business weighed in as well. Dianne Garrett wrote a series on Change Principles 1, 2, 3, and 4 based on neuroscience leadership; Joe Erba addressed leading change in an entrepreneurial organization; and William Tullar provided his thoughts about “The Stuff of Leadership.” Mark Villacorta, PhD shared his thoughts on multicultural aspects of leadership and society--heady stuff.

Preston Yarborough (yours truly) has written on Experience is the Best Teacher...Wanna Bet?, Values and Leadership, and Community Identity: Moving from "A" to "The."

Katelyn Chapman has expounded on What is Leadership?, Choose Your Challenge, Getting Your Team on the Same Page, Managing Relationships, Creating and Achieving Your Personal Vision (the highest visited post to date), and Changing Your Environment.

We have a variety of articles on other subjects as well, so please explore using keywords, topics of interest, or simply scrolling through our posts. If you would like to contribute a post, you may see our post guidelines on the FAQ page. We want to network with other organizations' websites, resources, and integrate high quality leadership content from across the country. The potential breadth and depth of this resource is limited only by our investment of time, imagination, and technological know-how. Join us and help the Launching Pad reach new heights.

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