Preparation Under Way for Upcoming SCIL Class
The 2022-2023 Sauk County Institute of Leadership Program (SCIL) is set to kick off with its retreat at Durward’s Glen Retreat and Conference Center Thursday and Friday, September 8-9. We are excited to welcome 19 new participants to our cohort.
Morgan has been busy this summer planning for new venues, panels, and program sessions, as we continue to find the balance in programming between leadership and community development. Along the way in the planning, Morgan conducted a deep dive into answering the question, “What allows room for an individual to be ‘activated’ by the program? A second question is “What makes an individual do the deep personal work?”, which often sparks growth in leadership skills. He’s narrowed it down to four foundational pillars of the program:
Create a safe “container” for learning. Vulnerability. Trust. Authenticity. All of these contribute to safety where the SCIL participants can introspect and support each other.
Connection: Leadership is a contact activity. Leadership is about being present and listening, and actually making a connection with another person. Leadership skills are built in the connections we make.
Asking good questions. Good questions are the foundation of critical thinking, allow us to reach for information that we want and need, and guide and direct a conversation.
Reflection is a super skill. Allowing time for reflection can be a “superpower” of personal development work in SCIL.
Morgan shared these foundational pillars with the new SCIL cohort in August as an introduction to the program. Morgan also provided a mindset framework for folks to begin mentally shaping the personal development work that is part of the program. As he likes to say, “your attitude will determine your altitude.” Additionally, we asked past participants if they had any words of wisdom for the upcoming class. Here’s what they had to say:
Be open to growing personally, as well as professionally. Be present with yourself and mindful of the presence of one another. Don’t be afraid to speak your truth and be vulnerable with your fellow SCILsters, as that’s where authentic connection happens. Try to make an effort to get to know one another one-on-one throughout the program. And most importantly, have fun and enjoy the experience of growing together!
Please join us in welcoming the new SCIL participants as they embark on the first step of their journey in the SCIL program.
