PITTSBURGH – The main purpose of Leadership Academy is to introduce leadership concepts that attendees can employ in both their personal and professional lives. This year’s content highlighted the development of a set of personal values, identifying your individual leadership style, preparing and delivering effective presentations, recognizing different styles of communication, and how to use all of these to build teamwork and navigate conflict.
Hosted at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, attendees were invited to “level up” their leadership skills through six stages of instruction presented in the format of a video game. The facilitation team consisted of staff and volunteers who guided the players through the various levels, and helped the attendees to identify key take-aways for each topic. During each level, opportunities arose to earn “doubloons” for notable participation, which they could trade for prizes to be bought in the “in-game store.” Throughout the levels, the attendees also participated in “mini-games”, pausing to practice the skills they had just learned.
The attendees walked away with new skill sets, and new perspectives, eager to bring this new knowledge to their chapters, teams, and workspaces. In addition to the formal programming, active members enjoyed social spaces intended to allow them to interact with members from other regions.
Grace Stampfel (‘26) from Lambda Gamma Chapter at Clemson University said, “I really loved learning about the different behavioral tendencies that we all swing toward and the best ways to approach them in a team environment.” This content from level six, she said, will help her build a sense of community and teamwork in her chapter at Clemson University.
Adding to that, Robert Coogle (‘25) said “Leadership Academy has given me the tools to guide, mentor, and teach my brothers so that we, as a team, can be successful as leaders in anything our hands find to do.” He is excited to bring back everything he learned to Theta Zeta Chapter at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, one of the new chapters installed this year.
Alumni enjoyed the diverse educational groups, and getting to build and share their knowledge of the profession. Saul Manzano (Chi, ‘21), Southwest Regional Director, shared, “I learned a lot this weekend and I plan to apply this new knowledge to facilitating in my region”. Blane Donahue (Zeta Gamma, ‘18), Theta Tau’s Brotherhood Director, summed up the weekend in Pittsburgh well, saying, “Leadership is a constantly evolving discipline that you need, and all the different people and cultures you interact with help to build on your leadership style. At Leadership Academy, you have that here, so not only do you grow as a leader, but you help other brothers grow too.”
