As Vince Lombardi famously noted, “Leaders aren’t born, they’re made.” However, in the context of higher education, the method of developing leaders among college employees varies widely.

Although some faculty and staff enter community college positions with prior academic preparation in leadership theory and research, that training often falls short in equipping them for the practical challenges of leadership (Channing, 2022). Furthermore, community colleges bring together employees from a variety of backgrounds. “Unlike traditional development routes of graduate programs, 38% of the community college leaders have never held a faculty role and 67% come from outside of higher education” (Martin, 2021, p. 13).

For this reason, Moraine Valley Community College introduced a program to strengthen employee leadership skills while also standardizing leadership training for managers. The Leading with Impact: Skills Series Program prepares faculty and staff to lead within their roles and provides a roadmap for other colleges seeking formalized leadership development.

Leading With Impact

Moraine Valley launched Leading with Impact in spring 2025. The program equips employees across the college to become effective leaders who model healthy leadership habits, no matter their service area. While the training is recommended for all supervisors, any employee is permitted to enroll in the program, which spans a calendar year and is divided into three parts:

• Part 1: Crafting your leadership story
• Part 2: Enhancing your portfolio
• Part 3: Manager’s toolkit unlocked (for supervisors only) 

The series is facilitated by Dr. Deidre Walker, Moraine Valley’s Employee Training and Development Manager. Walker has worked in higher education for 20 years. “I have been in every area, but what I’ve always loved was being able to help those who help others,” she shared. Walker explained that anyone can participate in Leading with Impact, including faculty and staff who have been with the college for a while as well as those who are brand new. She especially recommends the program for managers who are new to Moraine Valley.

Program training includes in-person sessions and presentations led by campus facilitators on topics ranging from leadership styles and effective communication to team building and career development. Cohorts also hear from college leaders, including directors and members of the college’s Executive Leadership Team, during informal coffee conversations. Concurrently, cohorts participate in online modules and discussion forums, examining difficult topics such as change and crisis management, delegation, time management, and motivation.

Leading with Impact merged two existing leadership training programs that were halted with the advent of the pandemic. The program “spawned from the belief that anybody can be a leader,” Walker said. By combining previous training through the Vernon O. Crawley Leadership Academy with the college’s Supervisory Skills training, the new offering opened the door for anyone on campus to learn effective leadership skills and strategies.

Leading Toward Innovation

Research suggests that “suitable leadership is an important factor that can encourage employees to pursue innovative work behavior, which can offer the organization a competitive edge” (Yeap, 2024, p. 9625). Standardizing leadership training for incoming managers and existing employees has the potential to empower the college as a force for innovation.

Richie Morales, Assistant Dean of Academic Advising and New Student Orientation, began at Moraine Valley in January 2025 and completed Leading with Impact in December. He shared this of his experience:

In my 20 years in higher education, I can honestly say I’ve never been a part of anything like this. The Leading with Impact training is intentional, interactive, and creates meaningful connections around leadership at all levels. I really appreciated the story sharing — it helped me navigate campus much more smoothly.

Leading as Storytelling

The stories shared in Leading with Impact are integral to the series and serve as a reminder of the grassroots nature of leadership within a community college. “I'm thankful that Moraine Valley has a lot of people who are willing to open up and share their stories,” said Walker. “They share the good times and the bad times, because bad times bring growth.”

This practice is rooted in research. Data show that leaders sharing past learning, including shortcomings, increases team psychological safety without negatively impacting their reputations (Cable, 2022). Glenn Carpenter, Visual Media Coordinator in Marketing and Communications, mentioned that Leading with Impact gave him the opportunity to assess his own challenges. “These classes helped me to understand my character assets and liabilities along with my team’s needs and how to better serve them,” he said.

Jessica Contreras, Director of Counseling and Holistic Student Support, also reflected on this aspect of the training. “It was incredibly valuable to hear from current campus leaders about their experiences and strategies. Their insights reinforced that leadership is something you are constantly developing and that growth comes from being open to learning,” she noted.

Leading as a Nonmanager

Leading with Impact focuses on developing leaders at all levels. Matt Grotto, Videographer and Producer in Marketing and Communications, has been at the college for nearly 12 years and, while not a manager, benefited from the program. “Leading with Impact helped bring me out of my shell and feel comfortable speaking up,” he explained. “Leading isn’t measured by how much you can get done in a day. It’s about providing clear goals, effective communication, advocating for others so they can do their best work, celebrating successes, and learning from mistakes.”

Walker knows that the series is not one-size-fits-all. “I do pivot. I look at who’s in the room, and I try to understand why they signed up for the program,” she explained. Each year brings a new cohort with varied needs. Still, the goal of the program remains the same: to develop leaders in every area of the college.

References

Cable, D. (2022, July 14). How to build confidence about showing vulnerability: The best leaders inspire trust by sharing their mistakes. Harvard Business Review.

Channing, J. (2022). How do Community College Leaders Learn Leadership? A mixed methods study on leadership learning experiences? Education Leadership Review, 23(1), 201-220. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1379982.pdf

Martin III, Q. (2021). Preparing the next generation of community college leaders: The role of community college leadership programs. The Community College Enterprise, 27(2), 9-19. https://home.schoolcraft.edu/cce/27.2.9-19.pdf

Yeap, S. B. (2024). Did ethical leadership help to increase academic staff’s innovative work behavior? The mediating role of intrinsic motivation and proactive personality. Current Psychology, 43(11), 9625-9637.

Lead image: Dr. Deidre Walker facilitates the spring 2026 Leading with Impact cohort.

Madisson Younglove is Assistant Director, Communications, at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois.

Opinions expressed in Member Spotlight are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.