Leadership Training

Building the capacity of a diverse and inclusive leadership base is the key ingredient to community and organizational success. Our hands-on, interactive training programs can help. Whether you're training for several hours or several days, our workshops can be delivered on-site in your community and can be customized so your group can make the most out of every minute.

Some topics include:

Leadership for Community Success

Draws on the Heartland Center's international field research on thriving communities and keys to leadership. Personal assessment instruments on leadership skills and personality styles may also be included.

Nurturing Entrepreneurship in Rural Communities

Identifies strategies successful communities utilize to encourage local development of entrepreneurial enterprises. Case studies examine methods of one-on-one mentoring, support for business start-ups, spin-offs and training, and business/school partnerships.

Appreciative Inquiry

A new approach to success-based community development. This positive approach to revitalization is gaining worldwide recognition as a powerful tool for moving communities forward by examining past success. Investigate a new way of thinking about organizations and communities. Learn how to apply AI to planning, evaluation and coaching. Practice the steps:  Discover, Dream, Design and Deliver. Develop a plan for using AI in your practice.

Renewing Community Leadership

Teaches strategies for recruiting and motivating volunteers and emerging leaders as well as rewarding and celebrating project success. Includes valuable hints on helping leaders maintain momentum in community development activities.

Strengthening Social Capital

Move from reactive to proactive practice. Learn how social networking can become one of your community's greatest resources. Review the theory of social capital and its importance to community vitality and learn how to gauge the level of social capital in your community. Discover new ways to revitalize clubs and associations, and take-home techniques for building reciprocity, networks and trust.

Board Member Leadership Skills

Reinforces basic skills and introduces advanced skills for members of boards, including running effective meetings, agenda design, group facilitation, conflict management, and room arrangements.

Diversity as Opportunity: Overcoming Community Polarization

America is becoming more racially and culturally diverse. Is your community tapping into the power of new people? Explore your own attitudes about "difference." Learn how diversity is a keystone to economic development. Discover ways to use your diverse population as a strength and share techniques for recruiting a diverse leadership group.

Leadership and Change

Focuses on the ways that social, economic and technological changes are impacting communities and how leaders can approach changing times with confidence.

Eight Challenges Facing Community Leaders

Explores the emerging issues that are unique to community leadership today.

Advanced Facilitation Skills

Need new skills for working with difficult issues? This training program can help you retool in the basics. Review five areas of facilitator competency. Work in a team to develop skills critical to facilitating groups. Complete a facilitator self-assessment and learn a "language of group skills."