by President & CEO, Kris Valerio Shock

I'm not a fan of New Year's resolutions. I am however inspired by the sheer potential a new year brings. There's something about the passage of the bustling holiday season and transition to a new year. It seems to beg for reflection and reprioritizing.

When I think of 365 days stretched out ahead, I am deeply inspired by the sheer potential of Leadership Anne Arundel. LAA is the nexus of leadership in Anne Arundel County. As we approach 30 years of Flagship and more than 20 years of Neighborhood Leadership Academy, LAA is more than 1500 graduates strong. Many of these graduates are currently in key leadership positions across our county. Some have retired from their professional careers with a depth of insight and experience to offer. Tapping into the collective resource of the LAA community of past, present, and future community leaders is an awesome opportunity for the year ahead.

Key drivers of potential are structure and ownership. We provide the structure and the network. You bring the sense of ownership.

Over the last several years, LAA has developed an organizational structure to tap into the vast network of community leaders throughout Anne Arundel County. A couple of years ago we invested in an online community platform to make connecting to your classmates and the broader LAA community easy and rewarding. Standing LAA committees offer deeper connection and relationship development with alumni.

Last year we launched a process for LAA grads to champion Alumni Development Events on key topics that face our community; and recently we kicked off the LAA Lifetime Members Club to gather and learn from the most invested LAA alumni. Moving forward, the possibilities of how we leverage the collective experience and wisdom of our most effective and successful leaders are quite endless. 

If you seek greater possibilities in the coming year, I challenge you to take ownership of your LAA experience. Wherever you find yourself on your leadership journey, there are countless opportunities to leverage the LAA network and structure to expand your impact in the coming year.

We saved you a spot!

Did you know all LAA graduates already have a profile page in the online community? Claiming your profile in the community is the first step to owning your LAA experience and tapping into the full potential of LAA in the New Year.

Here are a few simple steps to drive connection in the New Year:

·      Sign into the LAA Online Community (Need Help? Contact Us)

·      Update your profile: Add your current community engagement and a profile photo

·      Hop on the next LAA101 virtual meetup to learn more about the structure in place to drive opportunity in the New Year.

Let’s realize the full potential of the Leadership Anne Arundel community together in 2022!

Photo by Kimberly Valerio @moonshadowh27