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About Us
Overview
The Leading Institute is the only organization that specializes in leadership and management development in the community development and urban planning fields.

The Leading Institute is an innovative set of programming to improve professional practice in the fields that work to revitalize, enhance or maintain communities in the United States. We serve people who work in community development-including those who work in community development corporations, neighborhood associations, foundations and similar groups. We also serve planning professionals. These include urban planners, historic preservationists, civil engineers, land use lawyers, architects, economic development specialists and of course community development professionals.

Since 2003, Leading from the Middle, our keystone program, has helped nearly 40 professionals become more effective leaders, managers and planners. Leading from the Middle Fellows have learned to recognize their own powers to lead and discovered new and better ways to manage conflicts, lead groups, communicate strategically and balance talk and action. Executive Class, launched in 2005, shows executives and top directors how to better motivate staff and build capacity in their organizations. In 2006, we are expanding our services with workshops and technical assistance.

Leadership and Management for Community Development and Urban Planning

Community development and urban planning professionals work on difficult, slippery and hard to define problems. They work in dynamic environments that change rapidly in the wake of new people, technologies, and economic and environmental conditions.

Through The Leading Institute, you can learn new ways to help groups, organizations and communities adjust quickly to change and get the most benefit out of the wealth of available (though often unrecognized) resources.

We teach and embody three principles that we believe are best suited for our clients: collaborative leadership, values-based management, and reflective practice.

Collaborative leadership is the practice of engaging other people respectfully and equally, and promoting collaboration over competition. Collaborative leaders also believe that anyone can be a leader, regardless of his or her position. In today's communities and organizations, where powers are distributed widely, traditional top-down leadership is ineffective and inefficient. Sometimes the top-down model just creates more problems.

Values-based management is a way to make decisions based on the hierarchy of values in groups and communities. Values are the ground rules for our actions. Every decision we make ultimately reflects our values. Yet, too often, we either ignore them, or treat them all as equal. We teach effective ways to understand and work with values, so you can make better decisions under the stress of change.

Reflective practice helps you think more deeply about difficult issues, so you can find new and better resolutions. Reflective practitioners also develop the confidence and skills to work around their own areas of weakness.

Collaborative leadership, values-based management and reflective practice are especially well-suited for diverse and dynamic environments.

Not just training

We provide training AND development. What's the difference? Training teaches skills. That is, you learn how to do something. Development helps learners find new ways to think and behave. That is, you learn new ways to approach and resolve problems. New tools are only as effective as the person wielding them. Through TLI's training and development programs, you get skills, knowledge-and support.
© 2008 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey