A Commonwealth Leadership
TM
Alliance Program
SPARK | The Details Guiding Priniciples TRUST
What is SPARK? A student-led membership organization practicing principled business leadership. Spark is a program of the Commonwealth Leadership ™ Alliance, designed for community and technical college students to help them launch for career paths.
TEAMWORK
CURIOSITY
CARE
All students completing the Spark program are conferred with the Principled Business Leadership Foundations certification.
We believe trust is the foundation of all relationships We believe working together enables us to achieve more than what can be achieved by an individual We believe excellence is attained through diligence and continuous learning We believe everyone should be treated with dignity and respect
Leadership Methodology Principled Business Leadership Foundations This foundational certification designed for members at a 2-year insitution creates a foundation for the tenets of principled business leadership.
CLARITY
ANALYSIS
ACTION
in discovering opportunities and outlining problems. in gathering and analyzing relevant information and data. in making decisions and modeling outcomes and contingencies.
clabusiness.org
Professional Pathways Students are guided through 4 pathways. The pathways are flexible and can be adjusted based upon the student’s individual academic path and calendar; however, the core program is mainly designed to be experienced within a cohort along four academic terms. After completing the pathways, each student will have achieved the Principled Business Leadership Foundations Certification. By completing the pathways, the result will be the final draft of each student’s “Personal Blueprint,” which provides each student insight into different aspects of their personal and professional lives: subjects they know well, subjects they enjoy, how they see the world, how they view their ability to make a difference. The Stages are completed through a variety of activities and events – these activities are outlined and developed by Commonwealth LeadershipTM Alliance and delivered locally (either through an advisor, through a CLA-wide event, or through self-paced on-line courses).
KNOW YOURSELF
BUILD YOUR TEAM
FIND YOUR PATH
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
Clarify personal values and alignment with actions; identify leadership style and tendencies. Activities include: Building your resume, Building a Healthy Mind, Managing Stress, Managing Time, and Growing in personal accountability and responsibility
Build meaningful personal and professional relationships; Consider how personal leadership style and tendencies fit within a team. Activities include: Building trust, creating your personal Board of Directors, Understanding the foundations of Servant Leadership, Understanding Diversity and Inclusion
Explore the activities and actions you are interested in and do well. Grow in understanding how your interests and skills can guide your career decisions. Activities include: Building job search (or job transition) essentials, Clarifying your values, Creating a career map, Understanding workplace culture, Understanding the basic of personal financial management and credit scores
Servant Leadership is a practice. Learn how the CAA methodology can be applied to any personal or professional opportunity. Apply the use of Commonwealth Leadership’sTM “Core6TM” skills, which are identified as critical for thriving personally and professionally. Activities include: Understanding ethical decision making, Understanding mentoring and coaching, Creating your Personal Blueprint (Brining it all together --- Spark Guiding Principles, the Spark Leadership Methodology (Clarify-Analyze-Act), and Personal Values and Interests).
The Howell + Wendroff Professional Center
Advising At least one person to serve as an advisor. Basic responsibilities include: 1. Guiding the group through learning activities and projects 2. Guiding the group by also serving as the “coach/mentor” to the students and chapter leaders 3. Guide the group through each academic term’s “group project” – which is the planning and execution of a campus/community-wide event or activity
Ideally, a few advisors would be available to the students, perhaps sharing duties (and considering the number of students involved) Advisor(s) will have a “facilitator guide” to help with organizational and educational guidance
Student Membership Student groups, called “chapters,” are named “Spark,” followed by the School Name (e.g., “Spark Richard Bland”). Chapter must be officially recognized by their host institutions and must have an advisor who is affiliated with the host institution. Commitment: 3-5 hours/month; 4-6 meetings each academic term; dues/fees are $35 member/term + local due/fees that are set by the local chapter. The $35 Organizational Fee covers the cost of program development, the cost of additional leadership development resources, and the cost of each student’s access to the Birkman Survey, which will provide insight for each student as they progress through each membership stage.
Spark Design
Coaching 2-5 Students per mentor. Basic responsibilities include: 1. Guiding a student through learning activities and projects specifically needing a coach/mentor (one-on-one activity) 2. Coaches will be asked to “check in” with their mentees at least once an academic term and will be provided with a guidebook for how to provide guidance in concert with the 4 stages of Spark membership
Colors: Gold
White
Grey
Charcoal
Symbol: The Bull
3. Can be virtual.
clabusiness.org
What is Commonwealth TM Leadership Alliance? The Commonwealth Leadership Alliance is a community of like-minded organizations and people who value ethical leadership concepts and the practices of Servant Leadership. The Mission of the CLA is to provide aspiring business leaders with the tools to be successful in their professional and personal lives through participation in learning events & activities, shared experiences, and access to the global business community.
CLA | The History In the fall of 2015, the Board of Directors of the Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, Inc., asked a group of alumni business leaders to research workplace skills and competencies. The group was charged with developing a list of professional practices and ‘soft skills’ that are most valued in the workplace. This group applied the research from employer surveys and developed a model for leadership development for aspiring business professionals. The first meeting of this group was held in Richmond, Virginia, in the winter of 2016 and was originally established as the Commerce Leadership Alliance and later renamed to the Commonwealth Leadership Alliance.
The Howell + Wendroff Professional Center clabusiness.org