Leaders Are Born … And Made !
Leaders Are Born … And Made !
By Robin Shepherd
Robin Shepherd is a journalist and marketing executive . She also advocates for non-profits dedicated to social justice and environmental conservation . She is a resident of Morgan Hill and mother of two children .
With the exception of raising my two children , leadership has never been my M . O . As a marketing consultant and freelance journalist , I ’ ve always worked behind the scenes . Launching other people ’ s products , ghostwriting other people ’ s books and speeches , being the interviewer rather than the interviewee . I equate leadership with being in the spotlight . . . which is something I like to avoid .
Then I met Liza Garibaldi , graduate of a program offered by a non-profit organization known as Leadership Morgan Hill , and she inspired me to take a chance on leadership . If she had taken a hard sell approach , I probably would have run the other way . Instead , she spoke of making some meaningful connections with people and organizations around Morgan Hill and finding avenues where she could use her talents to get involved and give back to the community .
Her comments made me realize how few people and how little I knew about Morgan Hill after living here for several years . I ’ d been so busy commuting ‘ over the hill ’ for my work that I hadn ’ t developed any connection yet to being a Morgan Hill resident .
And so it was with some hesitation that I applied to Leadership Morgan Hill and was accepted into the Class of 2014 . I ’ m just a few months into the program now , and I must say it has already changed my perspective on Morgan Hill , community involvement , and leadership , for the better . Every year , Leadership Morgan Hill selects about 20 people from a pool of applicants , and takes them through a 9-month program that not only connects them with Morgan Hill ’ s government , business , education and non-profit sectors , but it provides interactive training in leadership skills . You can ’ t hide out in this program ; everyone jumps in and gets involved . It ’ s downright contagious .
Each month , our class has a chance to meet the movers and shakers of Morgan Hill . We spent a day with Morgan Hill ’ s city government who talked about the city ’ s goals , fiscal standing , accomplishments and challenges as well as opportunities for community involvement .
Thanks to the presentation made by Cal Fire , our class learned about the PulsePoint app . This downloadable mobile phone application empowers everyday citizens to provide life-saving assistance to victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest ( SCA ). Want to help save lives ? There ’ s an app for that .
We also spent a day with Morgan Hill educators . Our class split into groups and visited different schools for a tour , but before we left , we were given a fictional family profile and asked to evaluate the schools in light of their suitability to the needs of this fictional family . It was a great exercise that led us to realize what a rich set of options Morgan Hill families have to ensure their children get a good education .
Morgan Hill residents are fortunate that local history has been preserved through the efforts of many over time . We had a taste of local history when the Morgan Hill Historical Society gave us a tour of Villa Mar Monte , the ranch built by Hiram Morgan Hill and his wife Diana Murphy Hill in 1884 . While we sipped tea and snacked on light bites prepared by Morgan Hill ’ s Catered by Diana , we were challenged to a Morgan Hill history trivia quiz put together by Leadership Morgan Hill graduate Marty Cheek , and then learned about Morgan Hill ’ s ag roots from local legend Andy Mariani , owner of Andi ’ s Orchard .
Now in case you think we spend all our time in learning mode , I should mention that as a class , we ’ ve been tasked to develop a project that reflects what we ’ ve learned and gives back in some way to Morgan Hill . We put our heads together and decided to create a video that celebrates Morgan Hill as a great place to live , work and play .
Imagine 20 people – including a police officer , a geologist , healthcare professionals , experts in banking , financial and insurance , IT professionals , a librarian , people involved in non-profit organizations and other fields – coming together during their spare time and collaborating on a project that will be reviewed by Morgan Hill civic and community leaders when it ’ s completed this coming fall . What quickly becomes clear is that there are as many leadership styles as there are people willing to try their hand at it . And that ’ s a good thing .
Our leadership skills are being put to the test , and fruits of our labors will be in the spotlight come September . We started out like an awkward teenager – I guess you could call it controlled chaos . But with a little time , we ’ re learning from each other and applying our budding leadership skills .
Stay tuned – I think Leadership Morgan Hill ’ s Class of 2014 has all the makings of a lean , mean community-building machine .
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