Daniella's Hot Topic: Harvard Advanced Leadership Seminar visits the University of Miami

By: Viviana Mauri, Communications Intern

            Last week on June 17^th, 2011, our President and CEO Daniella Levine attended a prestigious leadership conference by Harvard University called the Advanced Leadership Seminar at the University of Miami’s Newman Alumni Center. The program was opened by Thomas LeBlanc, Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Miami, and Dennis Scholl of the Knight Foundation. 

           Themes of the conference included understanding what it takes to adapt in a changing environment, determining how to pick the right causes compatible with your skills and connections, how to help grow a good idea, dealing with conflicting stakeholders, and learning to think in both the long-term and short-term simultaneously.

            Within Daniella’s wonderful notes from the event, there was one particular section I felt worth sharing with our amazing supporters and readers here at Catalystmiami.blogspot.com: the “7 Leadership Skills”, presented by program designer Rosabeth Moss Kantor, a Harvard School of Business professor. Check them out and see how they can help you in your life!

1. Learn to Listen: Tune into your environment.
2. Be dissatisfied. By looking for the thing that is not working, you can improve your situation and work.
3. Communication. It’s important that one not only has a vision and passion, but the ability to communicate clearly what it is you want to accomplish.  
4. Coalition building. Two heads think better than one. Believe in the power of teamwork.
5. Perseverance. Know how to deal with unexpected obstacles. Everyone loves a beginning and the finished end goal. But it is often the middle, the hard work, the “sweat, blood, and tears,” if you will, that requires from us the most sacrifice. Move from rhetoric to action
6. Face your critics! With a positive, proactive approach, stand up for yourself, but at the same time, listen, to know where you can improve, and the most important word in any environment: accountability.
7. Last, but not least, celebrate your success! You deserve to be happy in all of the amazing things that you do!

          The workshop was attended by diverse leaders from twelve countries and four continents, including top representatives of South Florida’s institutions of higher education, President of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala, and President Emeritus of Florida International University, Modesto Maidique. Also present were Florida State Senator for District 33, Oscar Braynon, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at UM, William Green, Florida House Representative, Frank Artiles of District 119, Jim Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables, and former Mayor of the City of Miami, Manny Diaz, who served as a featured panelist to the event.