As we face unprecedented economic challenges in the state and the industry, we at Oregon ON are keeping our focus on the people we serve and the need to serve through performance, achievement and impact.

Oregon ON is pleased to present the second year of LEAD ON (Leadership – Excellence – Achievement and Development), part of “Delivering Results, Developing Leaders”  — our exciting nine month leadership program designed to take on some of the toughest challenges facing the housing industry, and provide participants with tools to put to immediate use to take them on and achieve results! For more on the graduating class of 2011, click here.

“Four of my employees participated in the first LEAD ON session and I am very impressed with the results. What I like about the program is that it gives participants an opportunity to work on challenges that they are facing in their daily work, and then it provides tools and training on how to meet those challenges. I highly recommend LEAD ON to my colleagues – both individuals and organizations get great return on this investment.” Dee Walsh, Executive Director, REACH

This highly successful initiative is modeled after NeighborWorks America’s “Achieving Excellence” program at Harvard, using the challenge-based, performance-driven design of Doug Smith. Participants undertake solving a “Performance Challenge” (a tangible challenge that is affecting their organization right now) that will stretch them personally and professionally. Peer group support and one-on-one coaching sessions address the challenges that come with leadership and help participants achieve results.  At the end of nine months participants will clearly know what success looks like and be able to measure their accomplishments.

“LEAD ON has provided a wonderful opportunity for me to grow as a leader. With the support of a coach and a peer group, I’m working to achieve a performance-based challenge by this fall, which is very exciting.” Maggie Reilly, Program Manager, CASA of Oregon

2012 LEAD ON will begin January 23-24, 2012.  Fourteen LEAD ON participants from Oregon ON Voting and Affiliate Member organizations, local and state governments, and other housing industry staff have been selected to participate in round two of this highly successful initiative.

2012 Participants

• Ashley Blake, Northwest Housing Alternatives
• John Fisher, Community Frameworks
• Laura Fritz, NeighborImpact
• Barrett Ebright Karnes, REACH CDC
• Kim McCarty, Portland Housing Bureau
• Gail Monahan, Housing Development Center
• Cyndi Natalello, PCRI
• Brooks Nelson, REACH CDC
• Felicia Poe, Home Forward
• Michelle Puggarana, Portland Housing Center
• Laura Recko, REACH CDC
• David Sheern, Portland Housing Bureau
• Marsha Zimmerman, Cascadia BHC
• A participant from NeighborWorks Alaska, TBA.

Some examples of past Performance Challenges:

• Substantially increase the portfolio occupancy rate to a sustained rate of 95%;
• Move a high mission program from “cash negative” to “cash positive”;
• Establish significant early wins against a new organization-wide business model that substantially broadens the historic mission to new lines of business;
• Increase shelter capacity by 20% and increase the number of participants exiting shelter to a stable, safe housing from 45% per year to 55% per year;
• Increase constructions projects managed by minority contractors to 25%.

This “Performance Challenge” approach has been used for nearly 250 leaders in the CDC world through Achieving Excellence and NeighborWorks America.

“The work is hard and can be tough, but through the leadership and communication with my coach, my focus on the performance challenge has been sharp and has produced some substantial results that support our equity goals at PHB.” Nate McCoy, Portland Housing Bureau

Tuition-Oregon ON Members: $3,500
Tuition-Non-Members: $3,750

Timeline:

Application Due 5:00 PM: November 18, 2011
Applicants Notified: December 8, 2011
Payment Due:  December 30, 2011 = in full or ½
February 15, 2012: = balance due
Kick Off Session: January 23-24, 2012
“Salem Meeting”: February 27*
Peer Group #2: May 11*
Peer Group #3: July 27*
Peer Group #4 & Graduation: October 5*
* Tentative Dates

Questions? Call us at 503-223-4041.