Leadership Development Program | Montgomery College, Maryland

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MC LEADS Students together outside on a hill

What is MC LEADS?

Montgomery College Learn, Empower, Act, Discover and Serve is a leadership development program designed especially for Montgomery College students on the Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campuses. This 10 week leadership program utilizes the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, which was created specifically for college students who seek to lead in a more socially responsible way and who want to learn to work effectively with others to create social change over their lifetime (Higher Education Research Institute [HERI], 1996).

Goals of the Social Change Model

To enhance student learning and development and to increase each participants’ knowledge of self and leadership competence
- Self-knowledge: understanding talents, values, and interests
- Leadership capacity: capacity to mobilize yourself and others to serve and work collaboratively
To facilitate positive social change at Montgomery College and in the community
Undertake actions that will help the college/community function more effectively and humanely

The Seven Critical Values of the Social Change Model of Leadership

Value 1: Consciousness of Self

Awareness of the beliefs, values, attitudes, and emotions that motivate one to take action. This is the key to being able to develop consciousness of others.

Value 2: Congruence

Thinking, feeling, and behaving with consistency, genuineness, authenticity, and honesty towards others; actions are consistent with most deeply-held beliefs and convictions; interdependent with Consciousness of Self.

Value 3: Commitment

The psychic energy that motivates the individual to serve and that drives the collective effort; implies passion, intensity, and duration, and is directed toward both the group activity as well as its intended outcomes; requires knowledge of self.

Value 4: Collaboration

To work with others in a common effort; constitutes the cornerstone value of the group leadership effort because it empowers self and others through trust; leadership as a group process; encourages group to transcend individual goals, interests and behaviors; vital that group members explore differences in individual values, ideas, affiliations, visions and identities.

Value 5: Common Purpose

To work with shared aims and values; facilitates the group’s ability to engage in collective analysis of issues at hand and the task to be undertaken; best achieved when all members of the group share in the vision and participate actively in articulating the purpose and goals of the activity.

Value 6: Controversy with Civility

Recognizes two fundamental realities of any creative group effort: that differences in viewpoint are inevitable, and that such differences must be aired openly, but with civility. Civility implies respect for others, a willingness to hear each other’s views, and the exercise of restraint in criticizing the views and actions of others. Requires trust amongst the group members; conflicts need to be resolved but also integrated into the common purpose.

Value 7: Citizenship

The process whereby an individual and the collaborative group become responsibly connected to the community and the society through the leadership development activity. To be a good citizen is to work for positive change on the behalf of others and the community. The practice of good citizenship should and needs to happen at every level of the model.

Change (*The Eighth C)

The ability to adapt to environments and situations that are constantly evolving, while maintaining the core functions of the group. Change is the value “hub” which gives meaning to the 7 C’s and is the ultimate goal of the creative process of leadership – to make a better world and a better society for self and others.

Benefits: Earn Micro-credentials at MC

Micro-credentials are a digital certification that indicate a demonstrated competency in a specific skill. To earn the Leadership badge, students need to demonstrate competency or accomplished level score between 15 to 25 in the following competency areas:

Assessing individual and collective strengths, weaknesses, as capacities to achieve the desired goal
Reflecting on how one’s leadership affects process and outcomes and adjusting as appropriate
Engaging diverse or competing perspectives
Articulating a vision and strategy
Organizing, prioritizing, and delegating work, roles and responsibilities
Reviewing outcomes and assessing implications for future plans

When is the Program Offered?

Mandatory Orientation/Info Session begins the week of September 20. The program begins the week of September 20th, 2021.

Germantown: Tuesdays, 2–4 p.m.
Rockville: Wednesdays, 2–4 p.m.
Takoma Park/Silver Spring: Thursdays, 2–4 p.m.

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible to participate you must:

Be a current Montgomery College student during the semester you are applying for the program
Be enrolled in a minimum of 1 credit hour
Commit to attending all sessions with designated cohort

How can I apply?

Application will open on August 2, 2021 and will close September 13, 2021 at 5pm. Complete the MC LEADS Applicationnew window.

* if you have trouble accessing the form please email shawn.sanders@montgomerycollege.edu.