Hall County recently graduated 20 employees from a program of leadership called LEADS (Leadership Education for Advancing and Developing Staff). It is the brainchild of Sarah Crowe Communications and Strategic Engagement Manager, along with Hall County leaders, who wanted to focus on building strong leaders within the organization.
Joy Holmes Public Information Officer for Hall County emphasized the amount of effort and heart Crowe put into developing this program. “It is our first year of graduates and Sarah Crowe made it all possible.”
Holmes added, “Sarah saw the bigger picture of serving Hall County citizens by developing strong leaders.”
LEADS program
Hall County LEADS is a 12-month program that enables nominees to learn about the different departments within the Hall County system such as the Public Works, Fire Department, and so on. This year, Fridays for the participants were spent in the various departments experiencing how they are operated. Leadership topics, such as trust in the workplace, growth, change management, self-assessment, and more.
“The dedication of those in the program warrants recognition because they spent the first Friday of each month in the LEADS program and had to catch up on all the work on Mondays,” Holmes said.
Participants are nominated by their supervisors based on their skills, strengths, and management potential. LEADS sessions were taught by Hall County leadership, including department directors and Hall County Administrator Zach Propes.
The bigger picture
“Each session was followed by tours of various departments and facilities throughout the County, providing participants with a holistic view of Hall County Government and how each department ties into the strategic objectives of Hall County and the bigger picture of serving Hall County citizens,” explained Holmes.
A graduation ceremony was held on Friday, July 19. Graduates received a plaque. They were celebrated and treated to lunch.
“The program was super successful,” Holmes said. “We already have a group ready to start a second year.”
