Leadership for Five Seasons celebrates 40 years

‘The greatest wealth of a community lies not in the amount of its treasure, but in the quality of its leadership.” That quote opens the very first booklet at the close of the very first Leadership for Five Seasons class in June of 1983.

In the Spring of 1982, as a joint venture between the Junior League of Cedar Rapids and the Area Chamber of Commerce, I was lucky enough to work with a wonderful group from the community to design a unique and intensive study of local issues, challenges and opportunities to prepare our finest emerging local business, nonprofit and community leaders for positions of public decision-making.

The guiding principle was the more participants learned about the opportunities and challenges we had in the community, the better able they would be to assume leadership roles and make decisions in the best interests of the whole region.

After 40 years is leadership training still useful and important for our communities? I believe it is. Great leadership is like the secret sauce that makes any organization more successful in today's crazy and fast-paced world. Think of it as the GPS that helps guide your team to the destination of success. Effective leaders provide a clear vision and purpose, motivate and inspire their teams, make tough decisions, build strong relationships, drive innovation, ensure accountability, and are quick to adapt to change.

Good leaders play a huge role in motivating and inspiring their teams to perform at their best, encouraging them to aim for excellence. Leaders can provide feedback and course correction to keep everyone on track.

And let’s not forget the importance of innovation. Skilled leaders foster innovation by encouraging creativity, experimentation and risk-taking.

Because incivility and negativity has become somewhat of a contact sport, leaders need all the energy they have focused on their goals. Leadership should always come from a very personal place, so when things don’t go as expected, don’t take it personally. Learn from it and move on.

Leadership for Five Seasons has been an enduring legacy for both the Junior League and the Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Economic Alliance. It was a terrific collaboration that has resulted in over 1500 trained participants in and around our community.

Our region should continue to lead the way toward civic engagement, greater community activism, and a stronger society. Communities are so much more than individual citizens going their separate ways each day.

Communities are built on the dreams and aspirations of the people within them. They are built on the ability of people to lead and work for the common good.

After all, we pride ourselves on our “Fifth Season” as a time to enjoy the other four — developing strong leaders here at home helps us all, no matter the weather.

Lee Clancey is the former Mayor of Cedar Rapids, the first woman to serve in that office. She has also served in a number of local, state and national leadership roles.