Leadership Institute Benefits You

By Jenny Bolsky, CPA

A unique benefit of CalCPA membership is the opportunity to participate in our CalCPA Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute is designed to develop and enhance participants’ leadership skills and prepare them for leadership roles in their business and volunteer positions by improving their leadership behavior, critical thinking and management skills.

Strong leaders in strategic positions are critical to CalCPA’s continued success, and this program is designed to teach members the specific skills necessary to grow into future leaders of both CalCPA and the profession. While the program aims to develop volunteer leaders for CalCPA, participants will find that the program’s benefits extend into their professional and personal lives.

Every year a select group of approximately 20 individuals is accepted to the five-day highly interactive program. I had the privilege of participating in the 2008-09 class and found it extremely rewarding. We worked with an outstanding instructor to identify our individual strengths and weaknesses, and learn strategies for building our professional relationships, management skills and productivity. It is a top-notch training program and I have been enriched by the relationships we built in the collegial environment. Plus, I had a lot of fun!

The Leadership Institute takes place over five days from October through January in three segments, alternating between Northern and Southern California locations. The first two days cover “situational leadership,” a process by which participants identify the fundamentals of leadership and assess their leadership styles. Participants learn how to determine the appropriate style for various situations and types of individuals, as well as the consequences of inappropriate leadership behaviors. This segment is designed to enable attendees to translate the behavioral sciences, principles and concepts into effective action.

Day three is about leadership within an organization, such as CalCPA or a CPA firm. This segment covers strategic planning and goal setting, structuring your organization for success, trends in our profession and benchmarks. Managing people is covered on day four and includes communication skills, emotional intelligence and organizational leadership (building teams and relationships). Participants also will learn best practices for managing, motivating and developing people and creating a desirable workplace environment. The final day addresses firm management fundamentals, such as how to develop the necessary standard operating procedures to strengthen the foundation of your organization, implement accountability and create a personal marketing plan.

CalCPA and the California CPA Education Foundation underwrite the significant cost of this excellent program. Attendees must only pay a small administrative fee and travel expenses. Acceptance to the Leadership Institute involves a nomination process designed to identify members with the greatest potential for fulfilling future leadership positions at CalCPA. A committee of top officers and leaders select participnts based on nomination forms received; self-nomination is encouraged. To be considered for this year’s Institute, you must submit your completed nomination form by Thursday, Sept, 10. I encourage you to learn more about the Leadership Institute and download an application online.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 5:04 pm and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.