Message to Chair-Elects
The ACS Leadership Institute – Building Skills, Creating Leaders

Congratulations! You’ve just learned you’re the local section Chair-elect for next year. You are excited and probably a bit apprehensive as you think about all the responsibilities involved, how you can be effective in this role and how you can make your local section noteworthy. You have a lot to get familiar with before you take over as Chair of the section and you wonder where you will find the information, tools and approaches that will prepare you to lead your section to a successful year.

Congratulations! You’ve just learned you’re the local section Chair-elect for next year. You are excited and probably a bit apprehensive as you think about all the responsibilities involved, how you can be effective in this role and how you can make your local section noteworthy. You have a lot to get familiar with before you take over as Chair of the section and you wonder where you will find the information, tools and approaches that will prepare you to lead your section to a successful year.

In 2008, the ACS Leadership Institute, a transformed version of the prior ACS Leaders Conference will be launched for local section, division, national committee, younger chemist, and regional meeting leaders. This new 2½ -day event, to be held January 25-27 in Dallas, TX, will provide you with practical courses that will equip you with the tools to effectively lead your local section and as an added benefit build leadership skills that can advance your career and make you more effective in the workplace as well.

Key features of this intensive leadership development weekend are:

• 7 hours of “how to” sessions to help you:
  • gear up for local section service;
  • overcome challenges;
  • plan events;
  • report to ACS (annual report, post-grant reports);
  • plan for tour speakers; and,
  • ensure the success of your local section.
• Three leadership courses from the ACS Leadership Development System (LDS), a comprehensive leadership curriculum, where you can learn the skills to:
• recruit and engage “volunteers” with the right skills for the right assignments;
• challenge traditional methods and stimulate innovation; and,
• lead change efforts and manage resistance.

These 4-hour facilitated courses will be presented by trained facilitators. They are: Involving Volunteers, Innovation and Leading Change. You will be able to choose 2 of the 3. Course descriptions may be found at www.acs.org/leaderdevelopment to help you choose.

• The signature 8-hour LDS course designed for developing and advanced leaders, ACS Extraordinary Leaders Workshop, with its 360° feedback and creation of a personal development plan.
• An introduction to the ACS web based learning management system, an individualized personal development system and online LDS courses.
• Opportunities for peer to peer interactions to share experiences, best practices and resources and expand your collegial network.

This flexible program is geared to support you whether you need to concentrate on the nuts and bolts of local section management or are ready to develop skills to make your experience as the next leader of your local section a truly outstanding experience. In the next few weeks, you will receive details about the 2008 ACS Leadership Institute. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to mingle and learn with your fellow chairs-elect. In the meantime, by year-end you will able to access two online courses at www.acs.org/leaderdevelopment. The ACS and You will give you an inside look at ACS roles and responsibilities and what you can gain or contribute. Articulating Personal Goals is designed to discover your personal objectives and talents and help you create a development plan tailored to your goals, both in your volunteer and workplace roles. We look forward to seeing you in Dallas.

[If your chair-elect has not been identified yet, please pass this along to the new chair-elect as soon as they have been elected.]

Carol A. Duane
Co-chair, Board Oversight Group
Will E. Lynch
Chair, Local Section Activities Committee

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