After a year of pausing our signature adult, community leadership program, The Leadership Kitsap Class of 2022 began their leadership journey in person, with an overnight retreat at the Seabeck Conference Center on September 10 and 11, 2021. Day one focused on leadership development and day two on becoming a team.
Doug Berger, Senior Vice President and founding partner of The Cascade Group at Morgan Stanley, and Leadership Kitsap’s Founding President, kicked off the retreat with the inspiring history of Leadership Kitsap and reflection on servant leadership. Prior to the Retreat, class members took the StrengthsFinders 2.0 and Jung Typology assessments as a self-awareness exercise to identify their top five strengths and preferences for dealing with and relating to people, processing information, and making decisions. The morning included a debrief of the assessment results led by Lowell Sweet (LK04) and an introduction of Leadership Kitsap’s core curriculum Positive Leadership led by Dedra Miller (LK15).
Most of the afternoon was dedicated to Orangreenia, a diversity simulation exercise led by Sarah Chamberlin (LK20) and Ashley Oaksmith (LK16), followed by a discussion facilitated by Certified Diversity and Process Improvement Professional Jennifer Yeaman (LK11). Themes of identity, culture, and power were discussed and how the simulation experience paralleled experiences in our community. The evening was capped off with a “fireside chat” led by Jeffrey Menge (LK17) to discover more about each other’s leadership journeys.
The second day of the retreat, was focused on team projects. Project Co-Chairs Michael Collins (LK20) and Jenny Higgs (LK20), reviewed project guidelines, processes, and expectations. Several past projects were highlighted. The teams were then given the opportunity to brainstorm project possibilities and bounce ideas off each other and Board mentors. Everyone left the retreat feeling inspired, energized, and ready to serve!
Thank you to our two-day professional development retreat sponsors Silverdale Chamber of Commerce and Town & Country Markets.