Daily News

Leadership Pioneer Valley Offers Program on May 1

SPRINGFIELD — What is emotional intelligence? Why is it important to leadership? Can it be learned? These and other questions will be explored in an interactive workshop, “Work of Leaders Essentials,” sponsored by Leadership Pioneer Valley and Bredenberg Associates. The event will be held at the Business Growth Center in the Springfield Tech Park on Friday, May 1 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. A networking lunch will follow.

The program is designed for seasoned and emerging leaders in business, government, education, and healthcare, as well as coaches and consultants. It will be presented by Ingrid Bredenberg, professor of Leadership and Management at Marlboro Graduate School and senior strategy coach with Bredenberg Associates. Online registration is available at workofleaders.eventbrite.com.

The program is based on more than six years of research into leadership best practices. Interviews with over 300 authors, consultants, and thought leaders in the field of leadership development, as well as analysis of millions of data points from 360-degree assessments of leaders, resulted in a book, The Work of Leaders, as well as a leadership-assessment tool. The tuition of $95 includes a personalized Work of Leaders assessment which must be completed prior to the event.

“Leaders need more than just vision. They need to be able to align people, processes, and projects to their organization’s purpose. And then they need to take action to make things happen. That’s the goal of this program,” said Lora Wondolowski, director of Leadership Pioneer Valley.

Added Clarissa Sawyer, program director for the Mass Bay Organization Development Learning Group, “with all the changes in business, policy, and education, leaders need to be forward-thinking, collaborative, and visionary. Leaders aren’t born; they’re educated. This program provides critical insights and strategies for new and seasoned leaders.”