by Renee Polk, current Stepping Stones participant 10/19/12
Imagine this. . .
You leave home before the sun rises and travel to a hotel in central
Austin for an ongoing leadership class.
You exchange warm greetings with others, quickly grab a continental
breakfast and locate an empty seat. You strike
up a conversation at your table, anxious to share how you implemented a
takeaway at your workplace from the last class.
You overhear participants at another table exchanging contact
information to discuss a shared HR issue in their respective workplaces. As the room fills, you settle in to begin a
4-hour shared strategic learning journey with an experienced facilitator and
robust discussions. Welcome to the Stepping Stones community!
Stepping Stones to Enhanced
Leadership is a 2009 Pinnacle Award-winning program created by the Austin
Human Resource Management Association (AHRMA) leadership to establish a
pipeline for AHRMA’s Board of Directors, provide professional development from
best-in-class subject matter experts, and enhance workplace engagement and
strategic partnership of program participants.
However, Stepping Stones is much more to me and my fellow 2012
participants. It is a community.
So, I asked my fellow participants if they would answer a few questions
to give everyone an inside view of this year’s program. Here’s what they said. . .
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO APPLY TO THE STEPPING STONES PROGRAM?
“I wanted to advance my career to the executive level, and I felt that
developing leadership skills was exactly what I needed to get started.”
“I was encouraged to apply for the program by my mentor.”
WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST BENEFIT YOU HAVE RECEIVED EITHER PERSONALLY AND/OR PROFESSIONALLY FROM PARTICIPATING IN STEPPING STONES?
“I really have appreciated the insights gained from the DiSC
training. This has helped me understand
my strengths and weaknesses as a leader, and how other people might be
thinking.”
“I found the Credible Activist session particularly helpful to me in my
efforts to make HR more visible to the other executives.”
“I have enjoyed putting my networking skills to work, and understanding
the approach from the various participants with different viewpoints.”
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO TAKE BACK TO YOUR WORKPLACE FROM YOUR PARTICIPATION IN STEPPING STONES?
“Honestly, I have been able to take something back from every
session. They are all so relevant and
very well presented.”
“Having this leadership training has given me more confidence to raise
and advocate for HR issues within my company.”
“I was able to utilize the Credible Activist materials with the rest of
the HR team.”
WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND STEPPING STONES TO OTHERS?
“This is an incredible opportunity to learn from experts in the HR
field, and the information is presented in a personal way so that you can apply
it to your own situation.”
“It’s a great way to learn how others have handled a similar
situation. There have been great
discussions because of the differing viewpoints and approaches taken in various
situations.”
WHAT OTHER COMMENTS AND/OR OBSERVATIONS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT STEPPING STONES?
“This is an amazing opportunity that you should not pass up. It looks like a big time commitment, but the
experience is so rewarding that you really don’t mind being out of the office
because you bring so much back.”
