Leadership classes are set to conclude in May.

The professor-taught five-week course is intended to help field leaders develop their communication skills and learn how to better motivate and effectively interact with members of their teams. 

Several foremen enrolled in the course, which takes place in the Business Office, have said it has offered them a new perspective and encouraged them to value patience and open-mindedness. It also prepared them to understand and engage better with different personality types, they said.

Participants praised instructor Steve Webber’s teaching acumen; the Aurora University faculty member specializes in leadership studies. They also said the 90-minute, weekly sessions were the right length to maintain focus on the material.

Why do you recommend the course?

“We discussed different topics and real-life scenarios. We studied effective leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, and compared their leadership style to some of our own practices. The focus is on being able to communicate with everybody. Communication goes a long way to getting things done right. It’s also beneficial to learn about the challenges your colleagues from different departments face. Sometimes you think you’re the only one and hearing other experiences similar to your own is helpful. It’s a fun, team-building experience.”

— Communications Foreman Jorge Guerrero

“Steve was great. He reinforced that everyone needs to be engaged in a different manner. You need to treat people how they want to be treated. One of the take-homes was focusing on the end result. His examples made it clear about the importance of having a vision if you want to energize people. There’s more to come, but I’m happy the Belt brought him in to broaden our horizons. I credit President Mike Grace with living his vision of being better tomorrow than you are today.” 

— Procurement Foreman Stan Urbanski