Everything you need to know about DKG Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders but were Afraid to Ask!

Have you ever wondered just what DKG Ignite is? Or why we call it DKG Ignite?

Have you considered applying to attend the 2024 DKG Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders program? Or has another DKG member suggested that you apply? Or why you should apply? Or when the application will be available?

Do you wonder if you “qualify” to attend?

Do you wonder about what the “cost” of the program is? Or what do you have to do instead? Or how do you pay it back?

Are you curious about what goes on during the week of the program? Or what you can expect to “get” from attending the program?

Have you ever wondered where a leader comes from? Or if you can grow a leader?

Would you like to meet some ladies who have attended the previous Leadership Management Seminars? Are you attending the International Convention in New Orleans in July?

If you answered yes to at least one of the above questions, then we invite you to the Takeaway Session #3 “Why You Should Apply”, facilitated by the 2020-2022 Golden Gift Fund Committee on Thursday, July 14, 3:30 - 3:50 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

You never know until you ask….

Combine or Not

A proposed amendment submitted by Jóna Benediktsdóttir, chair of the Golden Gift Fund (GGF) Committee, would allow the work of the Golden Gift Fund Committee to be merged with the work of the Leadership Development Committee. The proposal is available at  https://www.dkg.org/DKGMember/Resources/2022_proposed_amendments.aspx.

The tasks of the GGF Committee have been very well defined in three main areas: 

• to encourage members to apply for the leadership seminar, DKG Ignite; 
• to choose participants from the applications;  
• to develop and oversee the schedule of the seminar in collaboration with Mc Combs University in Austin. 

The Leadership Development Committee (LDC) can easily do these tasks, but combining the committees has both pros and cons. The main benefit might be that all of the Society’s leadership training would be in the hands of one committee that could create more continuity. Also, if given the task of organizing the DGK Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders seminar, the LDC could develop more insight into the newest trends in leadership training in general and can take advantage of this knowledge in organizing all leadership training for the Society. 

The proposed amendment would also save money as fewer committees would work for the Society. 

The main disadvantage of the merger is that fewer women will then participate in international committee work for the Society, which could increase the likelihood of more centralization and fewer views being expressed. 

The women on the GGF committee shared many points of view both for and against the proposed merger. Ultimately, the right forum for this debate will be the international convention, where all members attending can discuss the proposal and take a stand.  

DKG: Leaders Empowering Leaders Program

DKG Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders takeaway sessions were well attended at both the Portland and the San Antonio Conferences with full rooms of interested members attending each. Interest in the seminar came from some who have attended, some who are part of the 2022 class, and many who were interested in attending in the future.

The attendees selected for the 2020 DKG Ignite will finally get to Austin for their program in the summer of 2022. The delays have been because of the pandemic. The next class will be applying to attend in 2024.

In Portland, committee members Lisa Olson and Carmen Wendt emphasized that the radical changes in the field of leadership are addressed in DKG Ignite. Although it is fewer days than in the past, the seminar is strongly focused and structured to be engaging and challenging.

In San Antonio, Strategic Outreach Director Phyllis Hickey shared the role the seminar plays in building connections among leaders in the Society. She also discussed the changes made to the application process, which now includes a video from the applicant. All presenters agreed that participants strengthen the Society by using the skills they learn as well as by sharing their knowledge with others in their state organizations.

Although the name and parameters of the program have changed from the original Golden Gift Leadership Management Seminar, the focus and purpose have remained the same. The intensive leadership/management development that DKG Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders attendees receive through the McCombs School of Business builds leaders at all levels of the Society. 

DKG Ignite Leaders Empowering Leaders

DKG Ignite Leaders Empowering Leaders a new application! As the Golden Gift Fund Committee looks at the evolution of the LMS leadership training experience, it is only natural to regard the current application. We are pleased to offer members a simplified application designed to showcase the applicant in new, more modern ways. The redesigned application focuses on one’s accomplishments and more on opportunities to share who “the real you” with a written narrative and a video recording.  The committee seeks to know more about you, the real person applying for this unique experience! This new application process also strives to be more interactive, too. You can find the applicaiton on the DKG website under the apply/submit tab!

A NEW DESIGN

Through the years the Leadership Management Seminar, now known as DKG: Ignite, has taken on several redesigns. In the beginning years, the seminar was held each year, but cost constraints limited it to being held as a pre- or post-convention seminar, as it is today. The length and extra activities have varied over time while the curriculum has not reflected changing trends in the field. Through studying the overall program and the cost of maintaining the program as it is, the 2018-2020 Golden Gift Fund Committee’s findings show the program is not sustainable for the future without major changes.

The committee has discussed ways to maintain the quality of the program and provide for sustainability. These considerations include:

• Focus on members active in leadership roles or pursuing leadership roles
• Reduce the program from two weeks to one
• Remove activities that do not support the program
• Recuse the number of participants from 30 to 20
• Include short evening sessions that focus on the Society and/or participant well-being
• Provide a curriculum designed for 21^st Century leader.  One that …
• provides insight into new ways of exercising leadership
• utilizes effective strategies to address the extraordinary demands placed on leaders today
• supports ethics, values and principles.

The committee believes these changes will enhance and enrich the training for our future leaders.