Leadership programs refresh the pipeline

Ladership is an elusive concept. I have been teaching the government and politics sessions of Leadership New Hampshire and Leadership Manchester for about 35 years, and ask each session the following questions:

How many people do you see in leadership positions who you don’t think are leaders?

How many leaders do you see who are not in leadership positions? Why?

Gens. George Patton and Dwight Eisenhower. Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and George H. W. Bush. Govs. John Sununu, Chris Sununu and John Lynch. Sens. John McCain, Warren Rudman, Jeanne Shaheen and Judd Gregg.

Very different people, in very different roles, but all considered leaders by many. These people had very different styles.

Think about the features of all these people. Enthusiasm and seriousness, thoughtfulness, eloquence, rising to the occasion in crises, diligent attention to drafting important legislation and steering it to passage — all are situations which elevate people to leadership.

All of these matters are considered by participants in the leadership programs that are an important part of New Hampshire.

Leadership Manchester was started by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce in 1986. Under the leadership of President Thomas Schwieger, it emulated a program started in Rhode Island.

Leadership New Hampshire was a recommendation of the Commission on the Twenty-First Century commissioned by Gov. Judd Gregg.

These programs have exposed thousands of emerging leaders to intense training in the issues facing the state for almost 40 years. Today, there are many regional leadership programs as well as the statewide program.

One of the reasons for highlighting these at this time is the occasion of the retirement of the distinguished head of Leadership New Hampshire.

Dr. Stephen Reno assumed the role as head of Leadership New Hampshire after he retired as chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire. Having Steve Reno head this program was somewhat analogous to having a huge V-8 engine in a go-cart! Yet, he wanted the job due to his dedication to developing leaders.

The program affords about 35 participants each year to intense sessions focused on a single issue, with presentations about history, government and politics, health care, culture, economic development, arts and other issues. Participants are drawn from across the state.

Since the early 1990s when Leadership New Hampshire started under Cotton Cleveland, each class has been encouraged to get involved and help solve those issues. While not all members will run for office, they are challenged to consider doing so.

With Reno’s retirement, a committee is seeking the new leader. Originally sponsored jointly by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Business and Industry Association, the program seeks to bring business leaders, civic leaders and nonprofit leaders together to understand the challenges faced by each group and find common ground.

The next leader of Leadership New Hampshire will have to be careful to run a program that seeks to inform, but not indoctrinate, the participants, so they are better able to make up their own minds on what is best for the state.

At the same time the program is seeking a new leader, it is seeking to fill its next class with people anxious to know more about New Hampshire and how to contribute to it. If you know of a person who would benefit from and contribute to the class being selected, please urge him or her to apply. If you think of someone who would be a good candidate to lead the program, suggest him or her to the search committee. More information can be found at leadershipnh.com.

In the meantime, and getting back to the initial theme of this column — what is leadership — everyone in the state should take time to consider the contributions made to New Hampshire by Dr. Stephen Reno, and his wife, Kit, as chancellor of the University System, as volunteers in Manchester’s North End, as Seacoast residents, as citizens and as head of Leadership New Hampshire. Their lives have been evidence enough of what leadership means, and we all should take time to thank them for their contributions.

That is leadership, New Hampshire!

Brad Cook is a Manchester attorney. The views expressed in this column are his own. He can be reached at bradfordcook01@gmail.com.