Happenings

Aspiring Leaders offers a well-rounded approach to leadership training with virtual learning, mentorship

This is the second installment in our Aspiring Leaders series, in which we highlight the inaugural class of this pilot leadership program.

One of the most important lessons anyone in a leadership position learns is that success is a team effort. This holds true for each of the Aspiring Leaders participants as they gain resources through lectures and workshops and are paired with a mentor to help them apply their new knowledge.

The inaugural class of Aspiring Leaders, a program focused on training Palmetto GBA employees for leadership roles within the company, participated in virtual learning sessions as a group, allowing associates to network and learn from one another.

Accountant II Hunter Jones found the virtual session focused on identifying personal needs to be the most insightful.

“Learning my own leadership style and how to connect with others through that leadership style has been the biggest takeaway,” Jones said of the knowledge she gained from that course.

Even associates who have a background in eLearning and training were impressed by the information offered in the virtual courses.

“I'm not easily impressed by a lot of training courses, and they've offered us several training courses that I thought were spectacular,” said Bess Crawford-Dawson, eLearning Designer/Developer. “We had training on goal-setting for your department and how to look at your department on a team level ─ all the way up to the big picture of how your team fits into the company overall.”

A female mentor reviews documents with her male menteeEach Aspiring Leaders participant also is paired with a mentor who helps guide them through the program and apply the knowledge and skills they’ve learned.

Keri Ann Hyde, now a Medical Review Supervisor, did not know her mentor, Medical Review Director Lendi Watkins, prior to participating in Aspiring Leaders.

“It was very intimidating at first,” Hyde said. “I only knew she was the director of the contract I’d been working on.”

That intimidation soon became admiration as Hyde’s mentorship took off.

“I’ve learned a lot from Lendi, especially what makes different types of leaders effective,” she said. “I’ve learned it’s important to be authentic and to bring something different to the table.”

Jones, on the other hand, made a connection with her mentor, Reimbursement Director Donna Salais, prior to Aspiring Leaders.

“Her leadership style is very open, and I chose her as my mentor because I want to emulate that,” Jones said. “I want to have that open mindset that she has.”

Application Development Director Scott Burkholder is another mentor who was requested by a participant.

“Venu Gopal Boppa reached out to me about being his mentor for the program,” Burkholder said. “He and I have worked together for a long time.”

Boppa, a Medicare Programming Analyst, also has been working with Application Development Manager Derek Roberts to get the most out of his experience with Aspiring Leaders.

“We equipped him with the tools he needed to take on more responsibility on a project and tackle more customer-facing assignments,” Burkholder said. “You learn leadership either through personal experience or professional development classes. Aspiring Leaders offers that conceptual information to help prepare employees for management roles.”