Legislators Fine Tune Leadership Skills at Special Institute
A group of 23 state lawmakers recently completed the 2009 Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute (GLLI).
The special initiative is an extension of the Institute's nationally recognized Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators and is authorized by the Georgia General Assembly Training Institute. More than 70 senators and representatives have graduated from the program since it began in 2005.
Participants in the two-session program are new legislators who are nominated by House and Senate leaders. The highly interactive instructional setting is designed so that they can enhance their personal, team, and organizational leadership skills and explore issues with professional development experts, scholars, legislative leaders, and their colleagues.
"Our goal is to help these dedicated officials expand the leadership abilities required for collaboration when it comes to addressing state issues in today's complicated legislative environment," said Wes Wynens, Vinson Institute faculty member and GLLI coordinator.
During the first session of the 2009 institute, participants examined their individual personality types and sharpened their personal leadership skills. "It is important to understand your own dynamics because it serves as a framework for how you approach the public policy process," Wynens added.
They were also introduced to a framework for analyzing public policy that involves examining the underlying values associated with each policy option. This model was developed and presented by Phillip Boyle, a national leadership consultant with extensive experience working with state and local government officials.
Team and organizational leadership were covered during the second GLLI session, which was held in Atlanta in September. Marty Linsky, former Massachusetts legislator and faculty member at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, led the class in a discussion and simulation on what it means to lead adaptively and ways that legislators develop and exercise power.
Each Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute concludes with a roundtable discussion among participants and House and Senate leaders. This popular segment provides the opportunity for seasoned lawmakers to share their experiences and perspectives, and the newer legislators can ask questions and comment on their learning experience.
"The Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute was extremely beneficial to me. The sessions provided a wealth of information about leadership and our roles as members of the General Assembly. The setting also gave us an opportunity to get to know each other on a higher level," said GLLI graduate Rep. Elly Dobbs of District 53.
Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute >>
