Purpose

Many Chambers of Commerce, Cooperative Extension or local governments host leadership development programs to expand the base of leadership for their community. Community-based Leadership Development programs can have an immense impact in many areas of community life. Participants in the program should see personal growth benefits, business and organizations may see benefits of involvement through improved employee working relationships and productivity, and local government may benefit from increased resident involvement as volunteers and on committees, all resulting from participation in a leadership program. The level of impact in any of these areas, however, is determined by the design of the program to reach a specific intended outcome. Knowing the stakeholder’s priority desired outcomes from the program is the first step to selecting curriculum and designing the most effective leadership program for the community it serves. This assessment will allow stakeholders to identify and rank the leadership skills and knowledge outcomes for a community-based leadership development program. 

Who Should Use this Assessment

This assessment is designed to assist the curriculum oversight team working with any community-based leadership development program. It is recommended for any entity overseeing the development and delivery of community-based leadership development programs. 

How to Use this Assessment

This assessment is a tool to gather prioritized feedback from people who have interest or investment in the leadership program. It is recommended that the leadership program planners identify the people whose feedback will be most connected to the future of the program. These stakeholders may include sponsors, local employers, elected officials, non-profit leadership, Chamber of Commerce members, civic groups, as well as leadership program presenters, hosts, and alumni. A guide to identifying stakeholders is available through Blueprint Kentucky to assist you: Mapping Local Networks to Reach Stakeholders and Mobilize Resources.

When distributing the Community Leadership Priorities Assessment, it is recommended to create a cover letter or introductory email detailing the local leadership program, why this assessment is important, and how and when people can return the assessment.

Interpreting and Using the Results

The compiled results from this survey will give the local leadership planners a prioritization of leadership skills and topics most relevant to the stakeholders. The priorities should guide the selection of materials, activities and lesson content for integration into the local program to meet the identified priorities. Finding the right program emphasis may include how the learning is sequenced, adding or editing modules for specific priorities, or even designing separate programs to highlight and expand skill building for specific outcomes. For interpretation of the community results and assistance with identifying program resources, contact Blueprint Kentucky.

Community Leadership Priorities Assessment

Name of Community Leadership Program: ______________________________________________

Community-based leadership programs can have multiple levels of impact. This questionnaire assesses leadership at four levels of focus: individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community. Take a moment to identify what you believe is most important for your county/community leadership program to focus on as they design and deliver programming.

INSTRUCTIONS: Please prioritize each category by number using 1 as the highest priority, 2 as second, etc.

1. What are the most important skills or knowledge outcomes the leadership program should address for individual leadership development?
   1. Increased Knowledge and Understanding of Self:
      • ____ Communication (listening and speaking skills)
      • ____ Personal leadership approaches (understanding self/who you are as a leader)
      • ____ Managing self (awareness of personal assumptions, minimizing conflict, temper, etc.)
      • ____ Openness (perspective analysis and increased receptivity to ideas)
      • ____ Personal collaboration skills (attitudes on power, diversity, communication, control)
      • ____ Critical reflection and self-improvement (tools for understanding self and self- improvement processes)
      • ____ Other (please be specific) ________________________________________
2. What outcome areas to support groups (interpersonal skill development) are most important for the program to address?
   1. Interpersonal Leadership Skills:
      • ____ Building trust with others (group cohesion, interpersonal credibility mapping)
      • ____ Group problem identification and analysis (team analysis)
      • ____ Group decision making processes
      • ____ Designing productive teams/groups (structure and function of a group)
      • ____ Facilitating effective meetings (core facilitation skills)
      • ____ Conflict reduction/resolution
      • ____ Collaboration skills (power sharing, inclusion, communication, control)
      • ____ Guiding change initiatives (design and implementation strategies)
      • ____ Other (please be specific) ________________________________________
3. What outcome areas to support organizations in the community are most important for the program to address?
   1. Organization Priority Outcomes:
      • ____ Strengthened social and professional networks within the organization (improved internal organizational relationships)
      • ____ Improved collaboration within the organization (collaboration, inter-organizational team work)
      • ____ Expanded business/business relations (finding synergy between corporations/organizations)
      • ____ Improved collaboration with other organizations (inter-agency partnerships)
      • ____ Enhanced community relationships (expand and deepen connections across community)
      • ____ Increased active commitment/investment in the local community (company and employees)
      • ____ Other (please be specific) ________________________________________
4. What outcome areas to support civic leadership (community focused) are most important for the program to address?
   1. Community level leadership skills including:
      • ____ Understanding community systems and culture
      • ____ Public speaking
      • ____ Collaboration skills
      • ____ Community systems change approaches
      • ____ Social action strategies
      • ____ Social/organizational networking
      • ____ Other (please be specific) ________________________________________
5. Of the areas of focus rated above, which of the areas do you feel are the overall most important for the leadership program to focus on?
   • ____ Individual skills
   • ____ Organizational skill building
   • ____ Interpersonal skills
   • ____ Community level skill building
6. Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About this Assessment

This assessment draws heavily from these publications:

Kenneth E. Pigg (1999). Community Leadership and Community Theory: A Practical Synthesis. Journal of the Community Development Society, 30:2, 196-212. DOI: 10.1080/15575339909489721

Pigg, K., Gasteyer, S., Martin, K., Apaliyah, G., & Keating, K. (2015). Community effects of leadership development education: Citizen empowerment for civic engagement. West Virginia University Press.

Assessment developed by Daniel Kahl, Blueprint Kentucky Associate Director and Associate Professor, Department of Community and Leadership Development.