Flagler County visionaries hope to form local leadership center

Nov. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- Patrick Williams, Ed.D., of ®Coaching the Global Village and Colleen Conklin, a Flagler County School Board member, recently attended the first Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) Global Gathering in Wichita, Kansas. The gathering was the brainchild of Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) President and CEO, Ed O’Malley. The event brought together leadership practitioners from 13 countries, 17 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to explore and learn from each other about implementing leadership coaching in communities across the world. According to Williams, “Attendees experienced an energetic sharing of ideas, including how civic and community leadership can help build healthy communities.”

Williams and Conklin hope to encourage the concept of leadership development in Flagler County and to eventually develop a Florida Leadership Center in Flagler County similar to the Kansas center that hosted the recent global conference. This gathering was the first step to achieve their mutual goal.

William is a Master Certified Coach, (MCC) and is the founder and president of Institute for Life Coach Training, as well as a founder of ®Coaching the Global Village (CGV). CGV has a mission to utilize professional coaching techniques to empower communities around the world to develop sustainable solutions for pressing human and societal needs. He has seen the power of leadership coaching first hand and truly believes in its value to the health of communities everywhere.

Conklin, an active member of the Flagler County School Board and CEO of Bradshaw Strategic Planning & Educational Consulting, embraces empowerment of those who seek to create positive change not only in their own backyard, but also across the continents. “We believe we have a moral responsibility to help tap into the full potential of the world’s youth and all those who work with them,” says Conklin.

Both Flagler visionaries came away from the gathering inspired and invigorated to promote leadership coaching in Florida. At the KLC gathering, they observed the desire for leadership for the common good from all corners of the world. After listening to stories of the challenges faced by others, especially those coming from oppressed cultures where violence and poverty is common, they know there is much to be gained and to learn. They are determined to bring the value of coaching for leadership development to the forefront locally.

According to O’Malley, the event demonstrated “…the hunger …for authentic leadership for the common good. The biggest barriers to exercising leadership are human, not cultural.” This is exactly the energy that both Conklin and Williams hope to bring to Flagler County and all of Florida.

Connect with Williams and Conklin through Facebook or LinkedIn where you can learn more about their passion for leadership coaching. They welcome the input of the local community. Visit www.coachingtheglobalvillage.org for more information.