As always, the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) put on a stellar Winter Leadership Conference, and I'm happy to have the chance to share with you some of the lessons and information that Camille Fraley and I absorbed while there. To start, though, some of you might be asking yourself, "What is Winter Leadership conference, why did Cece and Camille get to go, and how does this affect me?"
AJLI puts on a number of great conferences each year, with each focusing on different aspects of League management and development. The current President and President-Elect of the Leagues are invited to attend the annual Fall Leadership conference. This conference, as you might guess, includes seminars that are geared toward the activities and responsibilities that these placements are generally expected to fulfill. The current President-Elect and President-Elect-Elect are invited to attend the Winter Leadership Conference, which focuses on things that will help prepare these women as they look ahead at stepping into the President role.
But not all of the AJLI conferences focus just on the President/PE/PEE roles. AJLI also puts on a fabulous series of conferences known as Organizational Development Institutes, or ODI. AJLI usually plans about four of these each year with the seminars being the same at each, but they are spread around the country to make it easier for more women to take part. The Junior League of Boise typically budgets to send two of our members to this every year, but all members of the Junior Leagues are welcome to attend (we just pay for two, but if you're interested and would like to go, I can guarantee it would be a great experience for you). To find out more information, visit the Member section of the AJLI website, and look under the Trainings and Meetings tab.
There is also the amazing Annual Conference, and each year the JL of Boise has sent the current President, President-Elect and President-Elect-Elect. This year, that is being held the weekend of April 15-17, and we will post a recap of that Conference when we get back, too.
Back to the Winter Leadership Conference! It was held the weekend of January 28-30 in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. There were great fun moments, like the Opening Reception and getting to see an American city that is steeped in folklore and history. Even more than that, it was a terrific weekend to come together with hundreds of other women who are working in their communities to resolve the issues they face. I was really struck at the impact that Junior League members are making all over the world.
The Junior League of Savannah talked with everyone about the partnership they have with dozens of other organizations, Healthy Savannah. Facing a population that is among one of the most obese in the nation, the Mayor of Savannah brought together a group of organizations to get Savannanans to adopt better eating, fitness and wellness habits. It was inspiration to hear about the difference they are making and how the coalition of very different groups were all coming together for a shared goal.
A lot of the conference focused on the relationship of the individual Leagues with AJLI. One segment I appreciated was a workshop in which we discussed the Rights, Roles and Responsibilities that each League has as a member of the AJLI. We were all reminded that we, the Leagues, have a strong ownership role in the AJLI. As members, we approve the Association's mission, vision, by-laws, external policies, and internal policies that directly affect the individual Leagues. It is pretty powerful to realize that each of us has a voice in how this organization of 160,000 women is run and how it supports our League.
It was not all about the relationship between AJLI and the Leagues, though. Vicki Clark presented another outstanding seminar on Servant Leadership. She lead us through relevant and illustrative exercises to demonstrate how the greatest thing a leader can do is make sure that needs of others are being fulfilled - not her own needs. I've uploaded her presentation to the member section of the League website (after logging in, go to Membership Council, and then click on the Downloads tab). I would love to hear your thoughts on this information and ideas for how we can better incorporate it into our League leadership training and our League in general.
Another interesting presentation was given by Janine Le Seuer, a League liaison with AJLI, who talked about Using Governance and Management to Lead Your League. The great news is that the Junior League of Boise is somewhat on the cutting edge of this - we already have a good division between the governance and management functions of our League, and with the approval of our by-laws, we have created what is sure to be an even more effective and efficient management system, which will result in a more efficient League.
It was an honor for me and Camille to represent the Junior League of Boise at this conference, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with information and lessons learned from future conferences.
Thank you for all YOU do for the League and our community!
~ Cece
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