Program Structure
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Leadership
Maine is a yearlong experiential program covering twelve days. Unlike
community-based leadership programs, Leadership Maine is statewide in scope and
focuses its discussions on issues important to the overall Maine economy.
Over the course of the program, participants will learn about their own
personal strengths and opportunities for growth, and examine the leadership
styles of government, non-profit, corporate, and educational leadership in
Maine.
The
program begins with an orientation in June and concludes with a closing retreat
and graduation in May. The three-day opening retreat in September offers
participants action-learning exercises in an outdoor setting to build
relationships with class members, explore leadership styles, and develop a
personal action plan for the year.
From
October through May there is one three-day session, one two-day session, and
four one-day sessions. All sessions are held on weekdays in different
parts of the state, giving participants the opportunity to meet key community
leaders.
Curriculum
Sessions:
The
program uses large and small group discussions, field experiences, and
simulations. Excluding the opening and closing retreats, each session is
focused around specific issues that affect the economy, and discussions about
the leadership skills and characteristics needed to address those issues.
At
each session, issues are discussed in relationship to Maine’s changing
economy. We use “Measures of Growth” as the reference point for all
sessions and explore the connection between economy, community, and environment
as it pertains to the quality of life in Maine. Sessions will focus on
regions of our state and may include such topics as innovative business,
skilled and educated workers, vital communities, efficient government, state of
the art infrastructure, or healthy natural resources.
Leadership
Maine is not a leadership development program. It explores leadership on
three levels:
- The relationships among
leaders, followers, and a common goal.
- The skills necessary to
bring people together for a common purpose.
- The characteristics of
effective leaders.
Team
Projects:
Each class us divided into 5-6 teams. Each team is asked to explore a specific
topic.
The purpose of team projects is
two-fold:
- To experience the
process of working with a diverse group of leaders from different sectors
and regions of the state
- To examine the
leadership associated with a critical issue facing Maine’s economy.
The
end result
of the team projects is not to “solve” the problems identified but to learn
more about the issue and the role that leadership plays in addressing it. Each
project team should address the following questions:
- Who are the leaders?
- How did they become
identified as leaders in this issue?
- Describe the leadership
styles of each.
- What leaders are
effective? Ineffective? Why?
- What leadership is
necessary to move this forward?
Each
project team presents their results to the class at the closing retreat.
Presentations should include a written report and an oral presentation, and all
team members are jointly responsible for the contents of the report.
Conclusions and recommendations should be arrived at through a consensus
process by the group.
The
team project component is reflective of the key purpose of Leadership Maine in
educating leaders about the critical issues facing our economy and in building
a network of leaders to shape Maine’s future.
Here
are the most recent projects from the Lambda class:
Other
past project topics include: Searching for a
Healthy Maine; Maine’s Forgotten Drop-Outs; Transportation on Maine’s
Coast; Transition from High School to Post Secondary Education; Economic
Development Incentives: Important Tools or Corporate Welfare; Talent for
Technology: Who will Build Maine’s Economic Future; Youth Learning and Leaving;
The Eldercare Shortage in Maine; Collaboration and
Cooperation Among Municipalities in Maine: Does Leadership Matter?
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