Welcome, Leader
Your MEP Center is helping develop leaders at your client companies – but what are you doing to advance your own leadership skills? How are you investing in yourself, or your colleagues, for the long haul?
America Works is partnering with renowned leadership trainer Circl.es to launch the second cohort of Leadership Works, a series of four two-hour virtual workshops devoted to lighting your leadership fire, creating stronger relationships across the MEP National Network, and making time to reflect on your biggest challenges.
Following the FireWorks Conference in June, you’ll have the opportunity to connect nationally, develop your leadership skills, and feel a new sense of belonging within the MEP Network.
“Text-based dialogue has helped me light my leadership fire more than any class or coach. I’m excited to organize this experience for my community.”
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
Enrollment deadline: June 30th
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP WORKS?
Ten participants, all workforce consultants from across our MEP National Network, will commit to four two-hour virtual sessions, facilitated by a professional moderator. These are not classes or courses – they are designed, structured dialogues that will build connection and openness between participants. Participants will help each other identify their personal leadership opportunities, and progress them.
All sessions will be held from 1-3 pm ET on:
23 August 23
6 Sept 23
20 Sept 23
4 Oct 23
The cost to cover logistics, content and facilitation is $750. If budget is an issue, reach out to Matt Fieldman to inquire about a scholarship.
Leadership Works is modeled after the highly successful Fellowship model pioneered by the Aspen Institute. Diverse peers meet in a confidential space to work on their biggest challenges. They form strong bonds that help each outside the session, by sharing networks, ideas, and support. The process itself teaches leadership lessons about vulnerability, powerful questions, storytelling and many other skills.
This is the second run of the program. While we have learned a ton and already made some great improvements, our vision is to tune this approach together to create something that can help bring our community closer together, mobilizing our mutual help to accomplish our joint mission. We’ll be asking for lots of feedback.
Enrollment deadline: June 30th
What do others say?
With a NPS of 73, this is what participants shared about the experience:
- Leadership works gave me a forum and peer group to voice and seek clarity on challenges leading in the workplace.
- Wonderful experience and great way to connect with peers. Going through the program helps not feeling “alone” when facing challenges
- This was a great opportunity to get to know colleagues in the network and realize how we are different yet share the same challenges. The structure is unique and really drove self reflection and evaluation of how to be a better leader. I highly recommend this program!!
Commitment - Do I have time for this?
This is a hard commitment, like a Board of Directors meeting. Each member’s consistent voice is crucial to creating a powerful session. Meetings should not be attended on-the-go; you’ll need to arrange your calendar to be in a quiet place with strong internet for these two hours.
There is almost no work outside the session. And inside, you are working on your most pressing challenges. Participants say that they can’t afford not to make it this time.
Enrollment deadline: June 30th
TIMELINE
June
🔹 Enrollment
July
🔹 Final Participants Selected
🔹 Invites & Confirmations
August
🔹 Sessions every other week
Monthly meetings
Once you enroll, we’ve got you. Stand by for a few emails, a whatsapp group, meeting your fellow leaders and some logistics. All along, we’re here to explain details and answer your questions live or via email.
About America Works
America Works facilitates communication, cooperation, and collaboration for manufacturing workforce professionals across the MEP National Network.
About Circl.es
Circles Learning Labs has partnered with America Works and other peer learning leaders like Harvard Business School and The Aspen Institute to build technology that makes it easy to scale a consistently great Forum experience virtually.
FAQ's
First relationships. For participants in similar programs these relationships transcend the words “friend,” “colleague” and “advisor.” You will gain a circle of others who are deeply invested in their success. You will have a committed space in your busy calendar for reflection on your biggest leadership challenges. You will also experience the powerful leadership lessons members all have, around vulnerability, inclusion, presence, listening, blind spots, storytelling, diverse perspectives learning itself – you will gain leaders around you who get this and become allies reinforces those things in your own workplace.
Each session includes a discussion guided by a professional faclitator. The sessions include some short “sparks” of content that are designed as springboards for deeper conversation and reflection. Readings are short and while some participants opt to review them in advance, there is time to read them during the sessions. We curate these sparks to enhance discussions specific to this group.
We recommend framing this as a Board Meeting. Because it is virtual, we ask you to practice certain special norms, like being in a quiet stationary place with good internet. Ideally, you won’t miss a meeting. They are not recorded because these discussions will be highly confidential.
We’ll start with the YPO standard of “Noone, Nothing, Never.” During the initial training meetings, Forums will spend time grappling with what this really means. We’re designing the first year as a gradual learning experience, where norms like this will be consistently revisited, with member’s understanding and skill deepening over time.
This opportunity is offered to the entire MEP community, on a first-come first served basis. All participants will be other MEP leaders from across the country.
Circles Learning Labs has partnered with America Works and other peer learning leaders like Harvard Business School and The Aspen Institute to build technology that makes it easy to scale a consistently great Forum experience virtually. The video space itself has features that make running a great Forum easy. Years of hardening has made the space reliable. But the entire digital environment makes the launching and managing of Forums at scale efficient. Participants will have almost no learning curve; you’ll simply join your session and instantly learn the few features that matter for Forum. There will be live and instant 24×7 support, just in case.
Let us know whether you prefer phone or email here, and we’ll be in touch shortly.