Grassroots Leadership Development: Leveraging Employee Expertise

A model on a grassroots volunteer-led internal leadership development program, using resource deficiency as the impetus will be presented. This positive casual amplification model presents how university systems could grow their own leaders, using the following steps: 1. Initial system-wide cohort-based training in leadership and management that builds a select base of employees with similar terminology and theoretical underpinnings; 2. Encouraging cohorts to start their own programs, leveraging the strengths of faculty and staff; 3. Snowballing efforts with each additional program opening up to non-cohort related employees, as well as seeking out volunteers for needs assessed topics and trainings; 4. Having volunteers use their networks to find sponsors for each program. Need for champions and additional considerations will be discussed.