Ed O’Malley gave the keynote address at the NCRPC/NCKCN Banquet.
Kansas Leadership Center President and CEO Ed O’Malley was the featured speaker at the NCRPC-NCKCN Banquet on November 9 at Life’s Finer Moments Lodge just south of Clay Center.
NCRPC joins with affiliate North Central Kansas Community Network Co. (NCKCN) to host the event every other year in various locations around the region. This year’s format was a noon luncheon.
O’Malley shared the history of the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) and discussed the role of leadership in communities.
“The key to a healthy community is the presence of leadership,” O’Malley said.
A concise definition of leadership he shared was mobilizing others to solve tough problems. Making progress, he says, will require working across factions and engaging unusual voices.
“Engaging those who usually aren’t at the table adds energy into the process,” O’Malley said.
He also challenged those attending to think differently about their communities. “Instead of thinking about what concerns you most, how about what is your greatest aspiration?” O’Malley said.
He shared that many Kansans will receive KLC training this year and they would like help to reach more people to continue efforts to transform the civic culture of the state.
O’Malley closed with information about Leadership Transformation Grants and that the KLC can be a resource for local leadership programs. The KLC Leadership Transformation Grant Program provides scholarships to civically engaged organizations from the business, education, faith, government, and nonprofit sectors across Kansas to participate in leadership programs. For more information about KLC, visit kansasleadershipcenter.org.
This article appeared in the November 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.
