Lessons Learned (Thus Far) From Leadership ND co-hort

This year, as part of the Leadership North Dakota co-hort, I am joining fellow ND professionals each month digging into some of the biggest challenges our state faces, including mental health, law & order, hyper-partisanship, and crisis leadership, among others.

Two months into the 6-month program, here are some takeaways and shout-outs to share.

• The pandemic has exasperated issues for many, but perhaps lost on some is the impact to critical services delivered each day by the ND State Hospital, the Ann Carlson Center (Home | Anne Carlsen), and other great organizations in ND. They help serve and support the most vulnerable people in our state and highlight the importance of continuing to lead with empathy. Thanks to Tim Eissinger (CEO), Stephanie Nelson (COO), Dr. Myra Quanrud (Medical Director) and others from the ACC’s leadership team for joining us. Thanks to the First Lady of North Dakota, Kathryn Burgum for joining us to talk about the battle against addiction in our state. What a powerful story! And thanks to the leadership team at the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown for talking to us about their important mission and tour of their campus.
• The road to recovery is hard, and people deserve an opportunity to redeem their lives, to add value, and be a productive part of society. Incarceration doesn’t have to be the end. We learned a lot, hearing from the director of Roughrider Industries (Rough Rider Industries), Rick Gardner, about their mission and the journey these men have been on to grow skills and rebuild their lives.
• Leadership is a journey, and no one has arrived yet. As we walk through the book 7 Pillars of Servant Leadership, we’ve had great group conversations, led by Deb Eslinger and Chris Hoke, on what it means to be a person of character, put people first, and communicate well.
• Driving improvement in relations b/t our Native American tribes and the State Highway Patrol and our state agencies so important. This session was super enlightening, highlighting new perspectives and considerations to mind. Thanks to Sergeant Jenna Clawson Huibregtse for leading a great session on this important topic. 
• People need to be seen and heard. Thanks to Monsignor James P. Shea for delivering a great session on the impact we can make as people, simply by being more personal, present, and grateful.
• There are amazing innovations and global impact to our economy happening many places in ND. One example is Collins Aerospace (Collins Aerospace: Redefining Aerospace), a market leader w/ a huge manufacturing center located in Jamestown, ND.
• Vern Dosch and Robert Martin thanks for doing a fabulous job generating energy and anticipation, fueling our desire to learn and grow and be better leaders. You are awesome.
• And a special thanks to my great manager, Randy McCabe, and our amazing Microsoft Fargo Campus site leader, Sandi Piatz, for supporting me in this 2021 program.

I have learned so much from the great people listed below, and look forward to the next 4 months of Leadership ND! (Leadership North Dakota | University of Mary (umary.edu))! And I am honored to learn alongside these amazing people each session: Alyssa Ralston-Lakoduk, Andrew Bates, Beth Kurz, Dan Heitzman, Gail Domres, Jen Gruebele, Jon Peek, Keith Leier, Marya Skaare, Matt Maresh, Megan Isenhower

#leadership-everywhere #umaryleadershipnd21 #growthmindset