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KSRE Tuesday Letter

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K-State Research and Extension
123 Umberger Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-3401
785-532-5820
extadmin@ksu.edu

March 7, 2023

Everybody Leads

Submitted by Gregg Hadley, Tim Steffensmeier, Mirna Bonilla Salazar

I remember one of our colleagues, Ron Wilson, telling a parable to illustrate an important leadership concept. It was about a person who, like a lot of people in their town, were upset about a bent stop sign. The person and the townspeople would often complain about how bad that bent sign made them and their town look. It was so unprofessional. Why didn’t “They”, those in authority, do something about it.

One day the protagonist was looking at the sign and was starting their usual internal monologue. “That looks horrible. This is such an eyesore for our town. Why doesn’t someone do something about it?” The protagonist took that question to heart, got out of their truck, went to the sign, and pushed it back into the proper position.

This parable demonstrates the important concept of everybody leads, and the K-State Office of Engagement and K-State Leadership Seminar committee is offering a great opportunity to learn more about this important leadership concept.

Please note that this is being offered in-person only, but I believe it is an excellent professional development opportunity. It may be something that those working off campus may want to talk to their supervisors about possibly including it in their professional development plans and making the trip into Manhattan. If interested, please read on.

The K-State Office of Engagement and the K-State Leadership Seminar committee invite you to attend a leadership development event, "When Everyone Leads in a Land-Grant University," from noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 5, in Town Hall, 114 Staley School of Leadership (Manhattan, Kansas).

"When Everyone Leads: The Toughest Challenges Get Seen and Solved" is the latest book from the Kansas Leadership Center, which presents a new approach to engaging in the act of leadership. The training event is open to the K-State community and will feature:

• Ed O'Malley, "When Everyone Leads" book author and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation.
• David Rosowsky, K-State vice president for research.
• Mary Tolar, dean of the Staley School of Leadership at K-State.

Following the event, there will be an opportunity to dive deeper into the "When Everyone Leads" book. A free copy of the book will be given to the first 100 individuals who register and commit to joining a discussion group. Discussion group activities will launch from 1-2 p.m., immediately following the noontime presentation. K-State colleagues will read and discuss the book in small groups over the following months. These facilitated discussions will focus on strategies to exercise leadership and ways to apply them in your career.

Claim your copy of "When Everyone Leads" and RSVP for the 1-2 p.m. session.

Note: You do not have to RSVP for the noon to 1 p.m. session, but you must complete book discussion registration for a copy of the book. Unfortunately, there will not be a virtual option for this event.

The event is being coordinated by the Office of Engagement and the K-State Leadership Seminar. Contact the Office of Engagement at ooengage@k-state.edu for questions or accommodation.