That, or they're pondering the political dimensions of association leadership. Or coming to grips with how good leaders make tough, ethical choices. Or seeking to understand the difference between transformational communication and mere talk. When we surveyed the Leadership MAR task force members, we found that they all had either helped found or participated in such programs in their communities. Nominations are solicited from the membership at large, and the focus is on emerging leaders, as opposed to association junkies or has-beens.
Care is taken to balance gender, ethnicity, geography, and real estate specialty.
Leadership MAR is a yearlong program, requiring both a time commitment and a financial commitment on the part of participants. Taking part in Leadership MAR should carry an element of prestige, and every effort is made to provide abundant public recognition for participants, including a high-profile graduation ceremony at the MAR annual convention. Also, we provide ongoing reinforcement and encouragement through personal notes, phone calls, and letters from past and current MAR leaders. A goal of the program is to quickly plug Leadership MAR graduates into leadership positions on association committees, with working groups, and on the board of directors so that graduates may immediately put to work the skills they've developed. The program includes a mix of classroom instruction, discussion groups, team exercises and games, classic movies, and reading assignments.