A Close Look at Leadership Gilmer

Community, Featured Stories

Leadership is often a quality a person acquires not from study or imitation but rather by action, whether it is at home, at school, or at the office. Because leadership is often not developed by just words but more by actions, it sometimes seems as if the characteristic becomes rarer as the years go by.

While it may seem like there isn’t much that can be done in order to teach the trait of leadership to the current generation and the ones that will soon follow, there are some programs available to the public that can help with the development and understanding of what it means and takes to be a leader. One such program is Leadership Gilmer, which is offered by the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce. I sat down with Chamber of Commerce president Paige Green to learn more about Leadership Gilmer and what it has to offer to the citizens of Gilmer County.
How did Leadership Gilmer come about?

“Leadership Gilmer has actually been around for a number of years. We’ve actually had three or four classes previously going back to the mid ‘90s or possibly even earlier, and we’ve had a great demand for it. The last class that we had was in 2008, and since that time we have had a lot of people request that it come back and [say] that they were really excited about the program. This year we were able to secure the funding and were able to bring it back to do another class.”

What advantages does the program offer to the business owners of Gilmer County?

“It really offers not only to business owners but to all of the participants, whether they are elected officials or work for a non-profit organization. It’s training for leadership skills. We will do things to help people become better leaders in their everyday life and in their business, but it also has a more community oriented feel because we’re trying to reach and garner community leaders. I think that business people benefit from being actively involved in the community and being a big part in the community. I think that we give back more than we get. Leadership Gilmer will be just an open door to allow people to learn about all parts of our community, not just the Chamber of Commerce. We are the sponsoring agency for it, but we’re going to look at our healthcare, work force, schools, elected officials, county governments, city governments, law enforcement, tourism, and leadership development. We are basically going to look at every part of our community and try to help people learn more about the community.”

Are there any specific requirements in order for a person to be eligible for Leadership Gilmer?

“The only requirements are that we have a minimum age of 18. We have an application process, and we have a selection committee. They have to either live in Gilmer County or do business in Gilmer County and show how their participation would benefit the county and how they would use the skills they learned to benefit the county.”

What can a person expect as far as the interactions that go on within Leadership Gilmer?

“Probably one of the biggest changes that we are making this year is that we are taking it out of the classroom. There will be some classroom work and some lectures and speakers and things like that, but a big part of the program is going to be visiting actual locations: going to the courthouse, going to the detention center, going to the hospital, and going to the schools, [just] interacting with the leadership teams at all of those places. We’re also going to take a trip down to The Capital and meet with Speaker Ralston and our senator, Senator Gooch, and learn how the process works at the state level, so it’s going to be very interactive. There will be a lot of team-building and networking and then just traveling around and seeing the county and hopefully seeing it with open eyes.”

What are some of the important dates regarding Leadership Gilmer, and about how may people do you expect to participate this year?

“We are limiting the class size to twenty-five. We feel that anything larger than that would mean we couldn’t give everyone one-on-one attention. The deadline to apply is June 15th, and on July 31st we will have a mixer, kind of a get-to-know-your-classmates [day]. Classes will start in August.”

Below is a copy of the application required for Leadership Gilmer. If you are interested in applying, fill out this application and send it to either PO Box 505, Ellijay, Georgia 30540 or fax a copy to the Chamber of Commerce at 706-635-7410.

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