I’ve been reading John C. Maxwell’s “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” and came upon the following statistics from his informal poll to find out what prompted respondents to become leaders.  He shares:

How They Became Leaders

Natural Gifting	10 percent
Result of Crisis	05 percent
Influence of another leader	85 percent

This came from his “Law of Reproduction,” in which he asserts: 

“It takes a leader to raise up a leader.”  

This isn’t a surprising conclusion. Many leaders will openly point to that one mentor who took them “under their wing and taught me everything they know.”  It’s great when you’re in an organization that has that sort of culture.

What if you aren’t?

What if you want to be a leader and haven’t found that mentor who can guide you? Who do you turn to then?

How about a community?

My reading of these “Laws of Leadership” comes at a time when ATD-Orange County is looking for people who want to be leaders in their talent development community. We actively seek to create an experiential learning environment; a significant part of that experiential learning resides in leadership development.

Long-term members are likely aware that our Chapter Board of Directors changes at the end of the calendar year.  We make a big production of swearing in the new board and thanking departing members for their service. Each year, some of our chapter leaders shift positions, seeking to develop their skills in a different facet of a training organizations.  Some stay on in the same position, looking to finalize projects they’d initiated. And some step down. While all that happens at the end of the year, we’re looking to fill those vacant positions now.

What about it?  Are you ready to develop the skills you’ll need in the next step of your career?

Nominations for the 2019 Board of Directors are now being accepted.  While that implies you should be recommending a peer whom you think would be darned good at leading our community, we recognize that that darned good leader could be you.

As a leader of our organization, which leaders would you be working with? Who might be influencing you as you develop your leadership skills?  Let’s take a look at our “C-Suite.”

Susmitha Valvekar, an instructor at UCLA Extension and instructional designer for Glidewell Dental.  She’s got a Ph.D. in Philosophy, leads the Change Management Special Interest Group, and will be Chapter President for 2019.  She’s been most effusive about how ATD-Orange County has supported her professional growth over the past few years, and views her time in the C-Suite both as an opportunity to give back to the community, and to those who choose to serve on her Board.

Become part of the 85 percent of leaders who develop not through trial by fire, but within a safe community of practice.