A Younger Chemists' Perspective- Leadership Development Workshop
In January 2009, I attended the American Chemical Society (ACS) National Leadership Institute through a Leadership Development Award from the Younger Chemists Committee (YCC). During the weekend-long event in Fort Worth, Texas, I engaged in leadership training activities with Younger Chemist Leaders and other ACS members at all leadership levels, from local section volunteers to the Executive Director and CEO of the Society. Although I knew the weekend would be beneficial to my development as a leader within the ACS, I had no idea how much I would be impacted by the training I received and the people I met.
The ACS has developed a world-class leadership program, the ACS Leadership Development System, which includes training programs for ACS members at all levels of service. During my time at the Leadership Institute, I participated in two of the workshops designed for emerging volunteers and leaders, "Engaging Colleagues in Dialogue" and "Engaging and Motivating Volunteers". Going in to each of these workshops, I was unaware of the depth of information that would be provided and how broad the application of the concepts would be. Leaving the workshops, I immediately felt more prepared to handle challenges associated with interacting with other volunteers. In "Engaging Colleagues in Dialogue", I took away skills on conducting dialogue during situations of conflict in order to benefit all parties involved, a skill applicable even as a graduate student. In "Engaging and Motivating Volunteers", I worked with ACS student affiliate leaders, national committee chairs, and local section leaders to develop specific plans which we could take with us and implement in our current leadership positions. The one-on-one interactions during the workshops with the other conference attendees was invaluable, as I was able to grow my network of contacts and learn from the experiences of those who have volunteered in the ACS for many years.
In special sessions for the Younger Chemists Leaders, the focus was personal reflection and values assessment, identification of our strengths and weaknesses, and implementation of a personal development plan. The portion of this training that impacted me the most was the idea that strengths and weaknesses are not what you do well and what you do poorly, but what you do that makes you stronger or weaker after completion of the task. This new view of the skills and attributes to make me stronger and more successful helped me to define more clearly the types of tasks I should be tackling in my future career and volunteer activities. The topics presented led to intense dialogue among the participants, a component of the conference that I believe was beneficial to all of us in understanding the challenges we will face in a changing chemical industry and highlighted the importance of communication. It was an amazing experience to meet so many young chemists who have already accomplished so much, and I have no doubt they will have a significant impact on the Society and all it can accomplish in bridging the gap between chemistry and society.
As younger chemists, whether still in graduate school, completing a post-doctoral position, or just beginning our careers, it is our responsibility to seek out opportunities to develop our leadership potential. I would like to encourage each younger chemist member of the ACS to participate in the ACS Leadership Development System, whether it is through the courses provided at regional and national ACS meetings or through the modules available on the ACS website. My experience at the Leadership Institute and in the two courses mentioned above has opened my eyes to the leadership opportunities available within the ACS and within the larger chemical enterprise. I believe each of the Younger Chemist Leaders in attendance left motivated to return back to their local sections with new ideas and new goals, and ready to take their involvement in the ACS to the next level.
Stefanie Bumpus is a 2009 YCC LDW award winner and a graduate student in the Kelleher Research Group at the University of Illinois.