Ed O'Malley - Kansas Leadership Center
Posted by Jim Wayman on Feb 14, 2017
Our Rotary Club meeting was packed with guests from Leadership Emporia, who came to hear Ed O'Malley, who is the President and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center. Ed has Emporia ties with his father working for the Emporia Gazette, and Ed who attended ESU in his freshman year. The Kansas Leadership Center was started ten years ago, funded by the Kansas Health Foundation. Its role is to build the leadership capacity of the whole state. The Emporia community has really jumped aboard with seven certified facilitators who work with those in Leadership Emporia, making it the highest number of certified facilitators and distinguishing it among leadership programs in Kansas. Emporia State University has embedded leadership curriculum from the Kansas Leadership Center in instruction of students, enabling every student at ESU to learn leadership principles. There are nine ESU faculty members who are certified facilitators. No other community in Kansas has embraced the leadership program like Emporia. A few points from Ed O'Malley on leadership:
- Leadership is an activity, not a position.
- One doesn't have to have a particular title to lead.
- Leadership is different from authority. It is mobilizing people to solve tough problems.
- Anyone can lead.
- Leadership is an energy that is attractive.
- Leadership has a clear purpose.
- Leadership is risky.
- Leadership starts with you and me.
For more information, go to Kansas Leadership Center.