Georgia Tech’s Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program is now accepting nominations for the fourth semester of the Institute’s undergraduate leadership development program—Leading Edge.  Undergraduates who participate in Leading Edge will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a trained leadership coach to explore their leadership potential and develop leadership skills.

At Georgia Tech, we know that leadership is something you “do”! Leading Edge is a program for intentional and focused “doing” of leadership.

“Leading Edge gives students a platform to learn about and practice leadership. Why this program? Because it is intentional. Many of the leadership situations that students find themselves in are hit or miss and often just focused on getting a task accomplished,” Wes Wynens, director of the LEAD Program, said. “Through careful feedback from trained leadership coaches and feedback from faculty and peers, students will gain insight into their leadership competencies and apply new insights to a leadership action plan.”

Students will then use that action plan to identify opportunities to practice what they’ve learned in on- and off- campus leadership roles. “The real magic of the program is that students put their plans into practice through the lens of specific leadership competencies. The leadership coach and the student then talk about the outcomes of the ‘leadership experiment’ and how they can grow their leadership capacity. This creates a double loop between practice and feedback. Through this double loop of learning we can accelerate the leadership development of our students,” Wynens said.

Alexei Nikonovich-Kahn, a fourth-year business administration major in the Denning Technology and Management Program and a returning Leading Edge participant reflected on his experience in one-on-one leadership coaching, stating, “Unlike other programs that teach a philosophy, Leading Edge focuses on reflection and strength building of the individual. Leading Edge is not a simulation, a workshop, or a class. It is a series of coached individuals improving their self awareness and fostering their strengths.”

Dave Anderson, one of Leading Edge’s returning leadership coaches and a mechanical engineering doctoral student, shares similar insights from a coaching perspective, saying “I think its easy to think of leadership in a more traditional role of a leader as someone who is top-down…but really my job as a leadership coach is to help them come up with insights on their own and maximize their leadership potential.”

How can students participate in Leading Edge?

There are 95 spots available for undergraduates in the Spring 2015 session of Leading Edge. If your student is honest, persistent, and dedicated to their own personal development and growth, encourage them to seek a nomination and then apply!

Interested students will need to contact an advisor, faculty, or staff member for a nomination. All nominations must be submitted through the LEAD Program’s website – leadership.gatech.edu. Nominations will be accepted until October 27, 2014 and applications are due on November 7, 2014.

Please contact Leading Edge staff at leadingedge@gatech.edu with any questions.