Leading Lakers
Leadership Development Program
Leading Lakers is Grand Valley State University’s leadership development program for faculty and staff. It is designed to support leadership development and growth around the eight employee core competencies. This is a multi-tiered program, with each tier building on the previous offering; therefore, each tier is a pre-requisite to advance and participate in the next offering.
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Timeline
The Leading Lakers curriculum previewed to campus on October 25, 2023. The first cohort of Activate began November 8, 2023, with the second session of Activate beginning in March 2024. The inaugural cohort of Accelerate began in May 2024.
After the initial implementation, Activate cohorts continue to begin at regular intervals, with one offering in fall and one in winter each year. Accelerate is a 10-month program engagement with new cohorts beginning each year in May.
Tier System
There are currently three tiers of programming in the Leading Lakers curriculum: Activate, Accelerate and Amplify.
Activate (Tier 1)
Activate (tier 1) will build a shared baseline of skills and knowledge on topics that will prepare leaders for roles with direct reports. This includes leaders with direct reports that are new to the institution, internal leaders who have obtained new roles with direct reports, or leaders that wish to grow their leadership skills and prepare them for future roles with direct reports.
Accelerate (Tier 2)
Accelerate (tier 2) will take a deeper look at leadership skills and knowledge through the lens of the core competencies and leverage experiential learning outcomes.
Amplify (Tier 3)
Amplify (tier 3) will focus on executive leadership in roles with a title of Director and above, who have completed Activate and Accelerate. This tier is in development and will launch once the initial tiers have been well established and are being delivered consistently and sustainably.
Participation
Starting in 2024, cohorts for Activate (Tier 1) began being offered regularly throughout the year. The first cohort of Accelerate (Tier 2) began in May 2024. All interested in participating in the tiered leadership program must first complete Activate.
The Talent Management team plans to offer all Leading Lakers programming regularly to provide ample opportunities for interested participants to engage in programming in the future. Please monitor the HR newsletter and communications that will include future registration opportunities. You may also check this page regularly for future session offerings.
We strongly encourage interested participants to join us at the Leadership Roundtable events, posted in Workday, where we discuss a variety of leadership topics and share announcements and reminders about program offerings.
"Leading Lakers: Activate" Faculty Unit Head Session
We are thrilled to introduce a dedicated faculty unit head session of Leading Lakers: Activate.
Activate is a leadership development program that establishes a shared foundation for leadership excellence at GVSU. Our facilitation partners at AG Collaborative will engage participants in two full days of dynamic, in-person training, followed by an opportunity to engage in six meetings (one per month) of a small group accountability pod (4-5 unit heads) designed to maintain momentum, support growth, and foster new connections with fellow faculty leaders on campus.
Activate is suited for those seeking to grow as leaders, regardless of the number of years already engaged in leading others. This faculty unit head Activate cohort will take place on Tuesday May 13, 2025 in the Alumni House, Perry Dining Room on the Allendale Campus and Tuesday May 20, 2025 in the Center for Interdisciplinary Health (DCIH), Room 102, from 9:00am-4:00pm with an hour break for lunch. Pod meetings will take place once a month from June through November, and will be scheduled by each pod group based on the availability of the group members. Full participation in both days of programming and monthly pod sessions is essential for successful completion of the Activate program.
To facilitate program preparation, interested unit heads need to submit their registration form by April 11, 2025.
Leading Lakers: Activate Faculty Unit Head Registration Form
"Leading Lakers: Activate" Upcoming Cohort Schedule
The next cohort of Leading Lakers: Activate will begin fall 2025. All individuals interested in engaging in the leadership programming must start by completing this foundational tier 1 program, Activate.
Date, time, and location details will be forthcoming.
All regular, full-time employees (AP, PSS, Faculty, MGS, POAM, COAM, Security Staff) are eligible and encouraged to submit an interest form. The Activate program is open to any employee who has an interest in growing as a leader regardless of supervisory status. Current leaders with direct reports are strongly encouraged to submit their interest to participate.