Annie Krieg, Amanda Metzner and Mackenzie Price of St. Paul Elder Services were three among the most recent class to graduate from the Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Academy, a nine-month program led and attended by Fox Valley leaders and future leaders.
An Opportunity for Growth
From September to May, the leadership academy gathers once a month at varying businesses throughout the Fox Valley. The sessions are led by different coaches from those businesses, giving academy participants a wide variety of exposure to different leadership styles and success stories. Those selected as academy participants range from business owners to employees who have displayed leadership potential; there are resources to be gained and connections to be made for everyone.
“Throughout the past year we were able to interact with a multitude of business owners in the Fox Valley and learn how their leadership styles have positively impacted their organizations,” said assistant administrator Mackenzie Price. “I was inspired by so many of their stories and received a lot of useful resources.”
“It was great to have so many different methods of leadership represented within that group,” associate resource coordinator Annie Krieg added. “We were challenged to really dig into examining our own work styles and preferences and how that affects our interactions with the different personalities we encounter from day to day.”
A Servant Leadership Focus
While the leadership academy’s sessions differ in coach, location and topic, each has an underlying theme of servant leadership, which is to be of service to one’s people and organization by displaying humility and empathy as a leader. This principle perfectly aligns with St. Paul Elder Services’ culture of treating associates at all levels as leaders within the organization, making sure all voices are amplified for the betterment of not only the associates but the people and families they serve.
“The leadership academy helped me to become a better listener,” clinical director Amanda Metzner explained. “I was able to reflect on why I do what I do and how I can embrace my own leadership traits to be effective in my role at St. Paul Elder Services.”
St. Paul Elder Service is committed to the development of its associates so that they may identify and reach their full potential and continue to positively impact those that they work alongside and the community they’re a part of.
