It’s All About Detroit
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Professional Development
This month my attention is focused on Detroit. I will be participating in several activities/events that will explore some of the challenges the region is facing, while also seeking to find innovative solutions to bring about change. In addition to this, Time magazine – in partnership with its sister publications, Fortune, Money, CNNMoney.com and SI.com – recently launched it’s yearlong project, Assignment Detroit. So, why is TIme investing so much time and money in Detroit? According to the lead article:
As a story, Detroit has been misunderstood, underreported, stereotyped, avoided and exploited for decades. To get it right, we decided to become stakeholders. Over the next year, we intend to flood the D-zone with journalists, photographers, videographers and bloggers from TIME and TIME.com, Fortune and Fortune.com, CNNMoney.com, Money, even Sports Illustrated… The hope is that through all these efforts, a narrative arc about Detroit will emerge over the next year that can somehow make a difference. While we do not intend to be cheerleaders or apologists, we do have a point of view: we want Detroit to recover and find its way into the future.
This is a curious project, and I look forward to reading The Detroit Blog to see what they report. It’s time some justice was served by Big Media for it’s distorted reporting on the city and region. Further, with a critical eye constantly upon us, perhaps those who seek to exploit local resources will be a little less inclined to do so. Perhaps.
On October 15, I will begin participating in the three-part, Detroit Orientation Institute training on all things related to Detroit and the region. Over 50 speakers will share information that will help “to improve the personal and professional knowledge of participants by providing background information on a myriad of topics.” The three session, Oct. 15, 22, and 29, are considered “off the record,” so unfortunately I won’t be sharing much on the trainings. I am looking forward to hearing, seeing, and learning more about our region through this intensive program.
Lastly, I’m really looking forward to participating in the inaugural TEDxDetroit event on Wednesday, October 21. According to its website, “This year, TED expands beyond its annual conference by seeding smaller, independent events throughout the nation, called TEDx. The first TEDxDetroit will emulate the spirit and ideals of the TED Conference.” I’m a huge fan of TED programming and I am really excited about these new, local events. I’m sure TEDxDetroit will be a success, and I am really looking forward to the exchange of ideas and the new networks that will be formed to bring about change in our region.
On a final note, I sure hope the Detroit Tigers will be joining us this October by sticking around for the playoffs!
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Detroit, Professional Development
Emerging Leaders
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Professional Development
My five month professional development training with the Michigan Nonprofit Association’s Emerging Leaders program has come to an end. In general, I’ve found that professional development trainings are either hit or miss. Emerging Leaders was right on the spot.
There were several things that made this program a success. First, we had a great cohort. The group was diverse and represented many different areas from within the nonprofit sector. This afforded great discussions and a wealth of information sharing.
Second, the themes covered were very pertinent to our day-to-day work. Topics we explored included leadership of the self, staff and board; ethics; budgeting and accountability; diversity in the workplace; lobbying and advocacy; fund development; communications and marketing, human resources; and volunteer management. I found the last session, which focused on developing a professional development plan, to be highly useful. I suspect I will be spending some time in the coming weeks creating my own plan. This will include updating my resume, creating a personal portfolio, planning goals and relevant measures and, hopefully, developing additional pages on this site to feature my work.
Further, the three sections on leadership were very informative. Often, communication is a major barrier in life. These sections provided sound advice on working with different personality types, as well as strategies for developing an effective leadership style. I am hoping to put many new ideas into practice.
Lastly, I would be remiss to not comment on the organization of the program. MNA did an excellent job of finding qualified and engaging speakers. Further, the facilitation of the program was two thumbs up. I have already recommended this program to a few colleagues at work. I hope they consider applying.
As with most professional training programs, our cohort promised to keep in touch. I hope this new network follows through on that commitment. I think we have a lot to offer one another. The plan is for MNA to create a LinkedIn group for alumni. Hopefully this will be up soon.
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Professional Development
