The Leadership Training Seminars
Mandatory attendance for rising sophomores and rising juniors!

Location: The Mitchell College of Business on the campus of The University of South Alabama.
Date: TBA
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Leadership Training Seminars are mandatory for every Bedsole Scholar.  Both seminars are held on the same day, usually the last Saturday in May or first Saturday in June.  Depending on the holiday weekend. All of the Programs offered are for the benefit of J.L. Bedsole Scholars and Alumni by helping to develop leadership skills, networking opportunities, career exploration and resume experience; not attending them is to the detriment of Bedsole Scholars. Some of the following programs are required while others are optional but highly encouraged.

Leadership Training Seminars include: 

Seminar One: The Leadership of Self: The theme of Seminar I is Leading Self. Bedsole Scholars are required to attend Seminar One at the end of their freshmen year in college. It is geared to preparing Bedsole Scholars for college by increasing their capacity for personal and professional success, community problem solving, to prioritize tasks and to handle challenges with confidence and efficiency.

Objective: To prepare J.L. Bedsole Scholars for college by increasing their insight into who they are and how they can take advantage of opportunities for personal growth and achievement during their college experience.

Session 1: The Whole Person Concept Addresses Self Awareness and Learning, and Value Alignment.

• How Skills, Interests, Personality, Family, Values, Goals, and Other Factors Help Make Us Who We Are (Highlands Framework)
• Personal Assessment ( Keirsey Temperament Sorter, Myers-Briggs or Related Assessment)

Session 2: The Concept of Professional Leadership and Self Addresses Vision, Planning and Implementation.

• Vision and Goal Setting: Critical Leadership Dimensions
• Roles Played by Personal Responsibility and Accountability
• How to be an Effective Follower

Session 3: The Change Agent Concept Addresses Health and Well Being, Personal Conduct, Professionalism, and Embracing Change.

• How Change Is Essential to Personal and Group Growth
• Understanding the Change Process
• Essentials of Implementing Change: Character, Authenticity, Risk-
• Taking, Personal Commitment, Ethics
• Critical Differences in Changing Self and Changing Others
  

Seminar Two: The Leadership of Others: Seminar One’s theme is Leading Others. Bedsole Scholars finishing their second year (sophomore year) in college are required to attend Seminar Two at the end of their sophomore year in college. Seminar Two is geared to preparing Bedsole Scholars for leadership roles beyond college by helping them to develop the competencies needed to accomplish goals in a team driven environment, to challenge them to think outside the box and to become better communicators who inspire others to achieve success.

Objective: To prepare J.L. Bedsole Scholars to effectively assume leadership roles by developing competencies needed to accomplish goals through the influence of others, both during and after their college experience.

Session 1: Leadership Styles Addresses Influencing Others and Respect for Others, Mentoring.

• Behaviors of Effective Leaders You’ve Observed
• The Elements of Leadership: Task and Relationship Behaviors
• Autocratic, Life Cycle, and Servant Leadership contrasted
• Assessing Your Personal Leadership Style (Ohio State, Lead,Transformational Leadership or Similar Assessment)

Session 2 Communication: A Critical Leadership Skill Addresses Influencing Others, Communication and Diversity Management.

• The Communication-Leadership Link
• One Way vs Two Way Leadership Communication
• Leadership: How to Listen Effectively

Session 3: Team Building Skills for Leaders Addresses Team Building, Respect for Others, Thinking Outside the Box.

• Characteristics of Effective Teams
• Process and Maintenance Team Roles within a Team
• Steps a Leader Can Take to Build a High Performance Team

J.L. Bedsole Scholars Leadership Seminars Instructional Team consists of faculty from the Mitchell College of Business, all of whom have had considerable experience in working with practicing leaders as well as students.

Dr. Jeanne Maes, Professor of Management. Dr. Maes has had extensive experience as a consultant and teacher, her specialties being communication, change, conflict resolution, intercultural communication and diversity. She instructs courses in Organizational Behavior and Organizational Communication at the MCOB. Her workshops and seminars have presented to organizations such as the Alabama Banking School and Weyerheauser. She has received the outstanding teacher award in the MCOB.

Dr. Bill Gillis, Associate Professor of Management. Dr. Gillis' teaching areas are Management Theory and Practice, Business Policy, Strategic Issues in Family Businesses and Organizational Theory and Change.  An active consultant/trainer, he recently taught in the USA Medical Center's Leadership Development Academy and Airbus Management Institute. His research articles have appeared in Leadership Quarterly and other leading management publications.  

Dr. Sonya Clark.  Dr. Clark is the director of the Mitchell College of Business' Professional Readiness Engagement Program - PREP, a new student-support initiative that facilitates the delivery of quality experiential activities and advanced educational opportunities.  Her teaching experience includes Professional Communication. Organizational Communication, Small Group Communication, and Performance Studies. Her publications focus on training and learning and appear in journals such as The Learning Organization, Journal of Academic Administration in Higher Education, and the Journal of Education for Business.

All Bedsole Scholars are required to attend Leadership Training as scheduled. For more information, please consult our Leadership Development page and the Online Freshmen Handbook. You can also email or call The J.L. Bedsole Scholars Program office. The number is (251) 432-3369, and the email address is info@jlbedsolefoundation.org.