PROFESSIONAL Skills

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more

and become more, you are a leader.”  

~ John Quincy Adams

The MPA provided several unique opportunities to meet, hear from, and learn from and about many professionals in the field. Frequently local leaders in the public/non-profit sector were invited to host guest-lecture presentations. I found their insight and perspectives to be an incredibly valuable tool to guide my learning.

 

 

Outside of the classroom, the program also encouraged opportunities to connect with local leaders in our areas of interest. The requirement of completing leadership profiles, workforce analysis, budget trends and the like enabled me to have quality “face time” with many influential leaders in my field. One such leader is John Joy, Director of Program Support for San Mateo County Human Services Agency. His leadership profile can be found here.

 

In addition, the curricula provided several opportunities to study a number of influential leaders of today and of yesteryear. During PA 762 – Leadership, I had the opportunity to read Winning by Jack Welch. Mr. Welch is a well known dynamic, candid and influential leader. As the CEO of General Electric, Welch capitalized on his innate ability to attract high-quality staff and develop future leadership, resulting in tremendous capital and market gains for GE. A paper reviewing Winning can be found here.