Leading Locally Class Year 3
First & Third Thursday of Every Month January 7 - April 15 2010
Meeting at Steamers Coffee Shop (inside Kramers Hardware Store, Oxford, NE6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Register Online or Contact Rosie Stockton 308-962-7894

Good Leadership makes a Thriving Town
The Furnas/Harlan Partnership is committed to bringing Leadership education to the people of this region.  Some may wonder why this subject is so important, but without good strong leadership in our small towns, leaders that know how to help communities not only survive but thrive, we might as well close the doors. 
Change is inevitable, whether we are in a large or small community.  It has also been found through research that leadership is more important than location and the willingness to take on the challenges faced with a positive attitude.  Other factors of why good leadership is important is because successful towns are ones that don’t just sit around talking about doing something but actually do it.  I read a quote several months back that “the difference between wanting and having is doing.” 
There are some things we can control and others we can’t but if Leaders focus on the things that can be controlled and come up with attainable goals by finding and developing opportunities instead of focusing on the weaknesses.  To take control of the future by making the community function in the same way an entrepreneur would their own business. Taking risks and using innovative ideas and partnerships.  But this has to be part of a plan, where the community is engaged in the planning through lots of participation.  With this plan people will know who will do what, when and what is the expected end result.  By taking what is unique about the community and translating that into a vision of what you want your community to look like in the future will encourage and motivate people to “do” things, to make things go from wishful thinking to actual reality.  However, it is the overall attitude of the leaders in each community that will make or break the town. 
Therefore we are once again sponsoring a Leading Locally class.  This is a great opportunity for people of all walks of life to learn and hone leadership skills to be used in the community, organizations or home.  There have been 26 people successfully complete this class over the last two years.  Let’s continue this trend and make this area known for its leadership skills.  The class will be starting January 7 and will be held on the first and third Thursday of every month through April. There will be 8 sessions, that will include a Legislative Update Day in Lincoln on Feb.4 Other topics will include Leadership/Personality Styles, Working With Groups, Managing Conflict, Understanding Community Work, Entrepreneurial and Economic Development and Regional/Global Leadership.  The class will be held in Oxford at Steamers Coffee Shop and start at 6:00 pm.