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B usiness leaders within the Rochester region have a lot to be proud of – and so do the groups and programs that have helped them become the growing force that they are today. One such program that has earned accolades aplenty is Leadership Greater Rochester (LGR), a key program offered by the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce since the 1980s that has become a vital resource within Rochester’s business leader community. Specifically, Leadership Greater Rochester is a leadership development program with a focus on expanding participants’ knowledge of the greater-Rochester area and building community connections. The Rochester Chamber of Commerce has offered LGR since 1987: back then it had the futuristic moniker “Leadership 2000.” As AnJuanna Robinson, Legal Counsel for Mayo Clinic, Leadership Greater Rochester Program Chair and 2019 program alumni, says, the program challenges members of the cohort to engage with the course content and be change agents in their communities. “The cohort can expect to be challenged to grow professionally and personally through expanded knowledge and networks,” Robinson says. “LGR provides a level of access into the strengths and weaknesses of the community, including economic, municipal, environmental, social, and others that often surprises its class members. The cohort is encouraged to walk through doors they would never would have considered approaching. There is a great deal of power in realizing that you can do it on your own and class members are encouraged to do so.” Since its inception, the Chamber has had over 1,000 people go through the LGR program. According to Jonathon Krull, Public Affairs and Leadership Development Director at the Chamber, “countless individuals from various sectors in the Rochester area have gone through the program. Each year, the program has 36 individuals participate. Our goal is to have each class be diverse in terms of industry and class makeup to represent the Rochester community.” As Brian Morgan, LGR Program Vice-Chair and Senior Engineer at Short Elliott Hendrickson, further explains, the LGR program is a springboard for current and
emerging leaders in the Rochester area. There are two primary foci of the program – development of the individual as a leader, and awareness of the construct of the community and its needs. This is accomplished in 10 sessions – beginning in August and ending in May – each session featuring an emphasis on one aspect of the community ranging from infrastructure, arts and humanities, the economic ecosystem, and public safety. “Within each session there are elements of professional development worked in, with the goal of getting folks out of their comfort zone in order to learn and develop,” Morgan describes. Program participants also engage with government entities, including local speakers from the city council and mayor’s office, as well as the county board and state representatives.
Each individual gains a heightened awareness of the community, and their place in the community as a leader.
“Each individual gains a heightened awareness of the community, and their place in the community as a leader,” Morgan describes. “The program is structured to then push individuals and the cohort as a group to activate that awareness into action.” By the end of the program, class members will have completed a Community Impact Project, a key component of the program which is aimed at tackling a community need identified by the group. “Through this process of learning about the community and acting on a need in a team environment, each member of the cohort gets to explore their leadership style, develop their strengths, and foster relationships that will last long beyond graduation,” Morgan says.
Advantage Magazine | 5
May 2023
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