As a recent graduate of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Fredericksburg Program, I have one important lesson to share with fellow leaders in the area: If you possibly can, join the next class.
Leadership Fredericksburg is a nine-month course for highly skilled and motivated leaders who are committed to improving the quality of life in this region while leading with integrity, best practices and guiding principles. Along with individual evaluations and development programs, the course offers each participant personal mentorship and a built-in network of fellow leaders.
The Chamber offers Leadership Fredericksburg because they as an organization believe that stronger leaders and stronger businesses make a stronger region. This is absolutely correct.
I’ve been interested in joining Leadership Fredericksburg since its inception almost 15 graduating classes ago. Many of my friends and peers had already taken the course and I had my eye on it because of its stellar reputation. But because of my public and professional duties, I was never able to make the time commitment. It just happened to work out in the last year and I’m glad it did. I genuinely appreciate my classmates and am thankful for the friendships I made.
As a business owner, I like that the curriculum teaches the science of running an efficient, productive and healthy operation. I already consider CIP Finishes to be such an organization, but I also know that a stagnant business has no room for opportunity and growth. We constantly seek to improve our systems and operations, and Leadership Fredericksburg gives executives new ways to approach this work.
One of the greatest advantages of this journey was Leadership Fredericksburg’s mentorship program. I was mentored by Denny Fallon, who is retired from a successful career with Lockheed Martin. He is a patient and thoughtful leader who understands what practices make a good manager.
Another standout offering from the program is the LMAP assessment—a comprehensive inventory of participants’ leadership skills. After going through this assessment, I’d like to think I’m more aware of my strengths and weaknesses and conversely, I know how to recognize different types of personalities in my team members, because they each require different things.
I am high-energy, a “director,” based on the assessment. That means I’m a confident, assertive leader interested in outcomes. I self-direct rather than looking for external positive feedback. This kind of leader can come off as unapproachable, though, and now I’m making changes in order to make myself more open to my employees.
As matter of fact, my plan is to send some of our folks to the class so they, too, can benefit from this training.
Leadership is not a stagnant quality, and it isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. The best leaders are always learning and growing. Just as we ask our employees to adapt to industry trends, we also need to understand how to lead them through an ever-changing work environment—whether that means navigating a pandemic, withstanding a hiring stalemate or just understanding others’ needs better. This program equips its graduates to approach new challenges with confidence.
So, don’t wait, apply for the next class to take advantage of this valuable resource today.
–Paul Milde, President, CIP Finishes