Developing leaders

Roger Kennedy, John Maxwell Team certified coach, held his first mastermind group as a certified speaker/coach/mentor over the past ten weeks.

The group focused on the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and brought together ten people who were interested in collaborating to develop their leadership abilities. One of those was Myra Taylor, of Russellville.

“Whatever you’re doing, whether you’re in leadership or an employee, there are always opportunities for growth,” she said. “There are so many wonderful principles to (Maxwell’s) teaching.”

Taylor said she learned the value in being a humble leader and remembering that everyone has room for improvement. She enjoyed learning the leadership stories of others, from military officials and sports coaches to industry giants like Henry Ford.

Participant Kathi Holcomb said she has had many opportunities in different arenas for leadership in her life, and she wanted to improve her leadership skills for when those opportunities present themselves.

“I wanted to identify my strengths and identify my weaknesses,” Holcomb said. “(The class) was very good, very enjoyable.” The most valuable concept she learned was “the challenge to continue to better myself.”

“I hear about John Maxwell and about the people he talks about in his books, and it causes me to want to be like that,” she said. Particularly, she wants to be able to mentor and raise people up. “That’s really important for me, especially as I have gotten older … The areas I’m passionate about, where my leadership is used, I want to see success.”

Kennedy said he aims to begin additional, concurrent mastermind groups of people interested in leadership development.