Adult Leadership Butler (LB) Program
The Leadership Butler Adult Program will take you on a journey of "effective, servant leadership." Servant Leadership encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening and ethical use of power and empowerment. Our program will take you through a wonderful experience of learning and creating, all while building a "climate of trust" within the group to make the learning and sharing a truly great expirience. Participants will not only learn about each other and the community, but they are sure to learn something about themselves as well.
The Best Test for Servant Leadership "Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?" - Robert Greenleaf
Leadership Butler is a skill and capacity based leadership program. Community awareness of issues facing Butler County, Kansas will be present by the conversations and questions that are raised by the class, but will not dominate the curriculum. Leadership Butler focuses on the beliefs that...
* Everyone brings certain gifts and talents, which will lead to answers and solutions the community needs.
* Leadership development must create servant leaders who have the capacity to get people to work together.
* "The Best Test for Servant Leadership" sets the expectations for behavior in the program.
* True "servant leaders" will create leaders, who create leaders, who create more leaders.
Why Apply for the Leadership Butler Program?
The face of "community leadership" is changing. As the business community has changed, gone are the "middle managers" that used to fill key volunteer roles. To truly become a LEADER-FULL, performing community, we must include every sector of the community to build a collaborative leadership structure in Butler County. As a community leadership program, we train individuals to become creative thinkers within their workplace, as well as becoming more active within their communities - to step up and take those leadership roles that are becoming vacant by long standing community leaders.
One of the challenges the Leadership Butler Program has faced over the years is the "time commitment" to be a participant. While it is a great commitment, the skills and capacities that are learned can be used in all aspects of your professional and personal life. In order for us to "teach leadership," it takes time and it takes commitment from each participant to be willing to learn new ideas and new concepts in leadership.
Leadership Butler bases their work on capacities of collaborative, facilitative servant leadership. The program concentrates on building the skills in individuals to create effective action.
Benefits from participating in Leadership Butler include...
To the Employer:
* Leadership Butler will provide actual leadership training taking community issues and giving participants the skills to move to action.
* Participants can be utilized in your organization to plan training workshops or meetings for other employees.
* Participants can work with groups within your organization to build consensus on issues that arise.
* Participants can take groups through a visioning process to help determine goals and strategies.
* Participants can help build "teams" when the need is there for people to work together and get along in your organization.
To the Nominee/Applicant:
* Participants will be taken on a personal and professional journey to truly learn their talents and the leadership roles they can take on - at work, through volunteer activities and within their families.
* Participants will have "hands on" training and will be given actual steps in order to take what they have learned back to their workplace, organizations and home. If participants are not able to "teach" what they have learned - Leadership Butler has not done its job.
* Participants will become aware of certain issues that face Butler County, Kansas and will have time to discuss ideas and thoughts on these issues through the planning of their class project.
* Participants will have the opportunity to meet unique individuals from across Butler County. Lasting friendships will be made while spending this time together for personal and professional growth.
* Participants will have the opportunity to put their skills into action through the planning and implementation of the class project and facilitating the next incoming class of Leadership Butler.
I am interested in LB - What is expected of me?
The Adult Leadership Butler program generally runs from the end of August through the middle of November. The first session is a two-day opening retreat. This is an overnight function, and participants are expected to attend the full event. Sessions, after the opening retreat, are held every other week, each in a different community within Butler County. Session topics include servant leadership, visioning, creative thinking, consensus & collaboration, facilitation process, personal mission, great groups and more.
* Participants MUST attend all sessions as missing a session, or a part of a session, could result in being excused from the program.
* Participants MUST be active in the planning and implementation of the class project. This will mean meeting after class sessions are over - with times to be determined by the class.
* Plan meeting facilities, sponsors, and facilitate (putting your training into action) the next class of Leadership Butler.
* Participants have a responsibility to attend the Topeka Trip in early February.
* Participants should plan on a major time commitment while in the program. This includes 8 full days of Sessions from August to November (average of 2 full days per month), 1 overnight during the Opening Retreat, 1 evening celebration in November, Implementation of the class project (to be completed by April of the following year), and class sessions for the following year - teams of 2 to 3 people per class. This is an obligation of 8- 12 months, but not in succession and you are encouraged to get employer support for the time commitment.
What is the selection process for LB?
The Leadership Butler Board of Trustees solicits nominations each May. Individuals nominated are sent program information and an application to be filled out and returned to the Leadership Butler office. A selection committee of 2 individuals from Butler County and 2 individuals from outside Butler County select approximately 20 participants for the program. SELF-NOMINATIONS ARE ACCEPTED AND ENCOURAGED! Class participants are notified and announced in mid July.
Tuition for the Leadership Butler program is $350.00 per person. Partial scholarships may be available upon written request to the Leadership Butler Board of Trustees.
Leadership Butler is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and handicap accessibility.