Join the New ASPIRE Leadership Development Cohort
Interested in people-leadership? Then this program is for you.
The ASPIRE leadership development program, designed to prepare community members who are not yet leaders but aspire to hold a people-leadership position, is now accepting applications for the 2023 cohort. Facilitated by the Workplace Learning and Professional Development team, ASPIRE is open to Georgia Tech employees who do not currently manage others and emphasizes leadership as a state of being or mindset.
“The Aspire program helped me grow my confidence and taught me how to think as a leader," said Melanie Paulina, administrative operations specialist in the Office of Information Technology (OIT).
"The self-directed learning portion was great but where I really felt supported and learned the most was through the in-person collaboration with my cohort.”
Members of the program participate in a series of activities including workshops and discussions with members of campus leadership. The program helps participants cultivate a leadership mindset, develop different complex skills, and gain the competencies needed to grow into an effective people leader.
“This enriching experience served as an opportunity for me to self-reflect and improve my leadership skills in terms of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving and so much more,” said Sergeant Jessica Howard with the Community Outreach and Engagement Unit at the Georgia Tech Police Department. “ASPIRE empowered me with an abundance of tools and resources that will aid in my leadership roles for many years to come.”
ASPIRE uses a collaborative learning approach where accepted participants are placed in small groups representing different departments across the Institute. “I joined the Aspire program because I wanted to learn more about what others did on campus, to build my knowledge base,” said Steve Place, campus sustainability program manager for the Office of Sustainability.
“It was a great experience because I did learn a lot about how others operate in this environment, but just as important was that many of them are facing similar questions and scenarios I face daily.”
Additionally, supervisors, who serve as the participants’ co-learners engage together with the content that is covered. Both are sent discussion guides throughout the program that prompt discussion points and implementation suggestions for key learnings.
"Participating as a co-learner in the ASPIRE employee leadership program, enabled me to see first-hand how my Senior Manager gained new perspectives, collaborated with others, and their commitment to continuous learning,” said Warren Goetzel, director of academic technology and engagement for OIT. “As a co-learner, I was also able to directly see how they learned new techniques and strategies for effective leadership, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making."
Applications will be available until Friday, August 4. Interested applicants are encouraged to discuss with their supervisors and apply.
For more information, please visit https://pe.gatech.edu/wlpd/programs/aspire.
Aspiring Leaders at Georgia Tech
