Leadership program coming to Grant
Cultivate Rural Leaders, a rural community leadership program led by Grant native Andrew Long, will be coming to Grant this fall.
Long, the son of John and Kris Long of Grant, went on to serve in education and community leadership after graduating from Grant High School in 1995.
He is giving back to small-town Nebraska by training young business leaders to step up and strengthen their communities through leadership roles in government, education and philanthropic areas.
“Strong leadership can be the difference between success and failure in today’s rural communities,” Long said. “But most rural communities lack professionals with the time and expertise to train their current and future leaders. That is what this class brings—it is an in-person, individualized and affordable program that is geared towards rural communities.”
The class will consist of 12-20 individuals meeting one day a month for six months from September 2019 to April 2020 to learn more about businesses, governmental entities, organizations in the community, along with improving their relationships with other community leaders and completing a community improvement project together.
Materials used in the class will be based on “The Leadership Challenge” by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Major topics covered will include modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act and encouraging the heart.
In addition to the classroom activities, individuals will participate in three one-on-one coaching sessions around strengths and improving leadership skills based on their individual survey feedback.
Long has conducted similar programs in Cambridge and Benkelman.
Cost of the program is $350 per person. To date, $4,200 has been donated to the effort—$2,200 by the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund and $2,000 by John and Kris Long—providing 12 scholarships for the program. Midwest Electric is sponsoring two of its employees to attend.
Suggested participants are those between 23 and 47 years of age who work in or around the City of Grant.
The Grant Rotary Club is recruiting individuals to participate in the program and is also encouraging businesses to sponsor their employees.
Applications and more information can be obtained online at https://www.cultivateruralleaders.com/grant.
Priority will be given to individuals who apply by May 1. Questions can be answered by contacting Long at andrew@cultivateruralleaders.com or 308-737-5777, or by contacting John or Kris Long.