Free leadership retreat offers vital skills

-- Jc Drobac

More than a dozen Metropolitan State University students took up the challenge to grow and achieve leadership potential at the Metro Alliance Leadership Retreat, May 13-15.

This second annual leadership retreat, held at Camp Friendship in Annandale, was sponsored by Student Life and Leadership Development Office with funding from the Student Activity Fees Advisory Committee, and cosponsored by the Student Senates at both Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC) and Metropolitan State University. It was open and free to all students of Metro Alliance schools: MCTC, Metropolitan State University, Century College, Anoka-Ramsey and Hennepin Technical College.

The retreat’s stated purpose is to encourage and promote leadership experiences throughout the Metro Alliance community. It cultivates personal awareness of leadership skills and issues, vital aspects of everyday life.

Melanie Hartman and Jermaine Davis, High Impact Training consultants, set the retreat’s leadership goals: Help each participant clarify an exciting vision for their workplace or personal life and strategize on how to achieve that vision. Participants learned how to lead with integrity, promote healthy team collaboration, communicate needs, and continue to expand goals and reach high levels of leadership success.

Mary Pettiford, a Metropolitan State University student signed up to “get more confidence and specific ideas on how to lead.” She says she achieved those goals. “With every person I deal with, I’ll motivate them and inspire them to be leaders, too.”

High Impact Team exercises stressed listening, creative problem-solving, and self-insight for improving awareness and empathy for others. Classroom dialogue and outside physical challenges developed boundaries, trust and the need for teamwork.

The physical challenges were the finale to the retreat’s events. The nylon rope “spider web,” the “cargo net,” and the “giant’s ladder” challenged individuals and teams of two to scurry beneath, scale 40 feet upward, or traverse across them, while harnessed for safety. These exercises tested teammates’ trust in one another, necessary for completion. Participants were encouraged to set individual and team goals for different exercises, but to reach beyond their comfort level.

Office Manager for Student Life and Development and Student Senate Phil Fuehrer, said “The retreat structure is still in its infancy, so aspects are improving and there’s room for future growth.” Added Fuehrer, “We’d like to see Metro State students being leaders from this—leaders with prestige.” In future retreats, he hopes better promotion will increase attendance and reach out more to Metro Alliance students.

The retreat had 18-20 attendees last year, some from Century College. This year’s retreat had only 14 students, all from Metropolitan State University. Fuehrer explained the possible reasons for this year’s decreased attendance. The retreat’s mid-May date may have been inconvenient for students finishing up classes and unavailable in summer. Also, the retreat’s training team couldn’t be secured early enough this year to allow for sufficient time to promote it.

Director of Student Life and Leadership Development YeeLeng Hang, hopes more students will attend future retreats. He believes “leadership is a tool” and is helpful to student’s success. He sees the retreat as a starting place rather than an end result to learning leadership skills. “What you put in is what you’ll get out,” said Hang.

Nestor Amarillo, a Metropolitan State University theater student, felt his time was well spent. “I thought it was going to be an annoying leadership retreat, but I was very surprised. I really liked it. The presenters had a very refreshing and modern view of leadership. And a director is mainly a leader, so in this area I’ll be utilizing these skills.”

Fuehrer believes the leadership retreats advantage Metro Alliance students by “…creating managerial skills. The bulk of students are furthering their education because they want a higher-level position. [This can] motivate and inspire them. The more you’re able to do that, the further your career is going to go.”

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