Leadership Acceleration Team

The Leadership Acceleration Team is a group of faculty, staff, and students work are working to create a comprehensive student leadership development plan that organizes Michigan Tech’s current offerings into an intentional system of participation, reflection, and meaningful development. The Team has identified a Leadership Framework:

Student leaders at Michigan Tech are distinguished by persistence, a positive attitude, high academic achievement, and pride in creating a sustainable and socially responsible world. To become the best leaders they can be, student leaders at Michigan Tech also need to understand the foundations of leadership, develop a set of personal leadership competencies, and accelerate leadership learning through active, hands-on leadership opportunities.

Leadership Competencies

The Leadership Acceleration Team focuses on developing the following leadership competencies in students: self-awareness, communication, teamwork, ethical practices, and social responsibility.

Leadership competencies usually develop in multiple environments. To value those environments and develop the complete leader, Michigan Tech encourages student leaders to engage in meaningful activities and reflection at three levels: self-awareness, working in teams or groups, and society/community.

Self-Awareness Working in Teams or Groups Society/Community

Competency development in:

  • Self-awareness and appraisal
  • Foundations of leadership

Competency development in:

  • Communication skills
  • Collaboration and teamwork skills
  • Conflict management and power

Competency development in:

  • Ethical principles
  • Civic engagement
  • Social responsibility/sustainability
  • Appreciation of diversity

Opportunities for discovery and application are critical to a student’s full comprehension of new ideas and experiences. Leadership development at Michigan Tech emphasizes both the process of discovery and the process of application of leadership principles.

Discovery

This process engages students in meaningful education to understand their own effective approaches to leadership, and how to use relevant programs, activities, and theoretical frameworks to better understand the principles behind effective leadership.

Application

This process places students in meaningful experiences and encourages them to apply their understanding of ideas about leadership. Intentional reflection and mentoring will guide students through the application phase of the program.

Further information about the Leadership Acceleration Team is available from John Lehman (jblehman@mtu.edu).