Institute for Leadership Education, Advancement, and Development, Inc. (I-LEAD)

http://i-leadusa.org

I-LEAD’s work is based on the fundamental insight that community leaders need three interrelated core capacities to succeed in their work:

• First, interpersonal communications and relations. These skills range from listening ability to the ability to broadcast a message to a larger audience.
• Second, they must be effective in their actions. They must be able to envision ambitious results, assess current realities, and use the power of existing systems to realize their visions.
• Third, leaders must have a deep understanding of existing complex systems, particularly those involving the public institutions of government, and the private institutions of the marketplace.

At bottom, I-LEAD seeks to help community leaders look within themselves and work with one another to develop the core leadership skills that will help their communities truly succeed. I-LEAD seeks to help people build the capacities to help themselves through their own leadership. To use a metaphor from the health-care field, I-LEAD does not seek to eliminate diseases or to ameliorate symptoms with band-aids, but rather to work toward creating long-term community wellness and health through leadership development.