The Adult Leadership Program is highly interactive, experiential, and participatory. These dynamic monthly sessions are stimulating and thought-provoking. Each session constantly challenges trainers and participants to "keep it real," by relating concepts to actual real-life problems and situations. Professional coaches are provided to insure one-on-one growth and mentoring opportunities for each participant. Leadership Development

Developing Authentic Leaders
Authentic Leadership Development (ALD) combines the focus of principal-centered leadership with the challenge of how we use our full repertoire of knowledge skills, experience, and personality to overcome the obstacles we face daily. This development process is used to help identify the unique talents and gifts of each individual. These gifts and talents often inspire greatness and determine what makes each of us stand out from the rest. Recognizing your unique talent enables you to seek out opportunities that will let your gifts shine at your workplace, and in your community.

Bridging Cultural Gaps
The African-American Leadership Institute recognizes that the following key elements with a leader-follower relationship may have some cultural influences:

• Communication
• Decision-making
• Values
• Motivation
• Problem-solving
• Change management
• Rewards and recognition
• Building trust

The cultural influences are sometimes known to keep African Americans from developing professionally and personally. After completing the inner personal work and attending several workshops, each person will obtain the tools needed to bridge these cultural gaps and enhance their effectiveness as leaders.

Assessment Instruments/
Personal Inventory

Inner Personal Work
This process requires the practices of intense self-awareness and an undying commitment to personal growth. It is designed to take participants on a journey to eliminate obstacles that often inhibit progression to successful leadership. Even though the work is challenging, the reward is developing an objective perspective for successful self-improvement. The personal and organizational outcomes of inner personal work are:

• Increased vision and creativity
• Effective communications skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Increased productivity
• Acuity in navigating organizational culture
• Ability to groom and empower the leaders around them

Three-Day Retreat
The inner personal work will start right away during a three-day retreat. At the retreat, individuals will work with assessments instruments; begin to build relations and bond with colleagues. The African-American Leadership Institute incorporates comedy with the self-analysis process because it recognizes that the hard work that often comes with difficult reflection may require the healing power of humor.

Participants will receive the results of the assessment questionnaires mailed to them prior to their first session. The results will serve as a key part of the self-awareness process. After completing a series of additional assessments to include a personal SWOT analysis and a 360-degree employer appraisal, participants will determine their behavioral styles, gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses, and identify their unique gifts and talents. With this information presented before them, participants can begin to develop an action plan to take them to a higher performance level and satisfaction.

An open discussion session will provide participants an opportunity to request, receive and give feedback to enhance their development. This session is designed for individuals to come to terms with any past behaviors that may affect their future progress.

Experiential Learning
Corporate to Community
AALI believes that there is no leadership without action. Therefore, we have incorporated a leadership laboratory, Corporate to Community, to allow individuals to participate in experiential learning. Every corporation understands the value of giving back to and connecting with the community. Most organizations hire staff to specifically address community needs and corporate responsibility. AALI has incorporated a learning component to help corporate leaders accomplish this goal. Through an assigned class project, participants will use their leadership skills to positively impact the community. The project will require participants to demonstrate effective leadership, management, communication, team building, problem-solving and delegation skills. They will also receive training on how to become effective board members.

Networking
AALI offers a unique opportunity for African Americans to connect with peers and share their aspirations and challenges as leaders and future leaders. Participants represent diverse backgrounds and experiences. An open and candid environment of African Americans allows participants to fully discuss their professional development needs. They are comfortable “being themselves” and able to objectively embrace the feedback offered for their personal and professional growth. The diversity of the organizations participating the program brings a wide range of approaches to problem-solving and synergy in creating solutions. These insights can be applied to real-life situations at the workplace and their personal lives. The relationships, skills and confidence acquired serve to propel and sustain them throughout their careers.

Quotes

“ The organization that I work for encouraged my participation in this leadership program to increase professional development, explore community involvement and create avenues for networking. Through my participation in the Class of 2005, I have networked with at least 15 companies, developed partnership ideas and made several new friends. I’ve enjoyed my experience with this program and would encourage any company or organization to take advantage of this one-of-a-kind opportunity.”

Yolanda Innis- Jared Polis Foundation

Legacy Comprehension and Management
Participants will examine the important connection between their life experiences, cultural and behavioral legacies, and personal journey to their effectiveness as leaders today. Ones behavior, feelings and attitudes are largely based on past experiences and encounters. Our leadership journey is grounded in the data from our life experiences and social encounters. Our personal legacy understanding becomes the foundation for our journey toward who we can be and what we can accomplish in the world. As you take your leadership journey there are some key questions to be answered: Who is the authentic you? Who are you in the world? Where have you been? Where are you going? What is possible? As participants work on their journey and how they interface with others, they learn to become more effective and productive leaders.

Career Coaches

Coaching Sessions
Each individual will also participate in confidential, one-on-one feedback sessions with a professional career coach. The coach will help to establish measurable goals and set a realistic action plan for personal and professional development. On-going meetings with a coach will be established on a quarterly basis to monitor each participant’s progress and discuss any successes and obstacles they are facing on the job. Depending on the performance review process, the coaches will schedule follow-up sessions after each quarterly review.

Identifying a mentor is a key component of the on-going development of each leader. This selection process is a homework assignment and involves interviewing several possible candidates.

Key Benefits to Corporations

The Greatest Return on Investments (ROI)
Participating in the African-American Leadership Institute benefits corporations by unveiling the untapped potential of the existing workforce. Often times companies hire employees with high potential, however they find it that these employees are not operating in their full capacity. The African-American Leadership Institute grooms these individuals so that companies can receive a greater return on their investment (ROI). AALI will move these individuals from a place of unconscious competence to conscious competence. Focusing on furthering the individual’s actions and deepening the learning process.

Companies will experience the following after their employees complete the AALI Adult Leadership Program:

• Increase in productivity, efficiency and expanded skills
• Increase in retention of qualified employees
• Decrease in turnover rates and increase in retention of qualified employees
• Decrease in enormous costs associated with managing under performing employees

Testimony
"I am so impressed with the standard of training we have gone through. Our instructors were experts in their respective fields and I gained the various skills necessary for effective leadership. It would not be enough to list all of the quality exercises included in the program. One has to participate to experience the many great features involved. The only word to sum up this leadership program is ‘Awesome’. ”

Athanansius U.P. Ohaya - Denver Health Hospital

Corporate Participation
Colorado ’s largest and most progressive companies and non-profit organizations are providing African-American employees with leadership development through the African-American Leadership Institute. They include:

Allstate Insurance
Boeing Corporation
City of Aurora
City and County of Denver
Colorado State University
Coors Brewing Company
CU Health and Science Center
Denver International Airport/City and County of Denver
Denver Police Department/City and County of Denver
Denver Water
Dex Media
Governor’s Office
Internal Revenue Service
Jared Polis Foundation
Kaiser Permanente
Lockheed Martin
Qwest
Regional Transportation Department (RTD)
Rocky Mountain News
Sprint Communications
State Farm
Urban League of Metropolitan Denver
U.S. Postal Service
U.S. Environment Protection Agency
Xcel Energy

Mountain Awards
Each year, our class participants honors"Unsung Heroes," in the community in the areas of volunteerism, art, education, youth development, local government, business, media, personal achievement, and religion. A Mountain Award is presented to these individuals in appreciation for their service and achievements in the community.

Tyrone Beverly, Arts
Gerrie Grimes, Education
Lt. Les Perry, Government
Carla Elam-Floyd, Business
Bazi Kunani, Media
Stephanie Cross, Human Services
Patricia Houston, Youth
Pastor Juanitha Jacobs-Brennan, Religion
Greg Decair, Volunteer
Donna Auguste, Commitment to Diversity
LInda J. Williams, Personal Achievment

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