“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things.
He is the one that gets people to do the greatest things.”

- Ronald Reagan
(60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, 1975)

When you take stock of your organization, I am sure you can easily identify leaders among your staff and volunteers who are doing significant things that make your community thrive. This year, I encourage you to work alongside LeadingAge Texas in recognizing and building up your organization’s leaders (existing and rising).

2016 Awards Program
Extended Nomination Deadline: January 19

 Our Awards Program gives you an opportunity to acknowledge your staff and volunteers for the outstanding jobs they do in making your community stand out among others in your area. This year, we have broadened our categories allowing you the opportunity to nominate virtually any one of your staff that deserves some appreciation. Not only is this appreciation nice for the recipient, but also it may motivate others to do some exceptional things. I know I always come away from our awards luncheon more inspired by the marvelous accomplishments of members’ staff and volunteers. The deadline is coming up, so don’t delay in getting in your nominations!

2016 Leadership Conference
February 15-17 | Horseshoe Bay
DARING TO DRIVE FORWARD: An Executive Team Road Trip

Next month, we are stepping out of our familiar rustic setting in New Braunfels to kick back at a picturesque lakeside retreat in Horseshoe Bay for our annual Leadership Conference. With renowned speaker, Bill Zipp, as this year’s conference facilitator and with engaging sessions in a peer-centered environment, this all-inclusive, three-day leadership retreat will help make sure you and your entire team are Daring to Drive Forward and set to arrive at your organization’s optimal destination.

Join us as we navigate through practical topics—like the Habits of Effective Executive Teams and When Talk Gets Tough—to program your leadership team’s GPS in a purposeful direction.

Register by January 22 to secure your space and your discounted registration rate!

2016-17 Leadership Institute
Accepting Applications in Mid-February

The 2016-17 Leadership Institute will open for applications in mid-February. This leadership program is a proven success and has trained scores of outstanding present and future leaders in our field. You know there are people in your staff who are looking for opportunities to improve their knowledge and advance their career. What better place to look for the future leadership of aging services than within your staff? Experience has shown us that virtually every person who has graduated from the Leadership Institute has been promoted at least once and many have moved to executive leadership positions within their organizations.

The application process will open soon, as the next installment of the program will begin in June. So, stay tuned to your inbox and www.leadingagetexas.org for more information on the upcoming LeadingAge Texas Leadership Institute. I urge you to encourage at least one individual from your organization to apply for this program.

Along with the abovementioned Ronald Reagan quote fresh in your mind, I’d like to draw your attention to another quote from famed business writer Orrin Woodward: “Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar."

So, whether it is by acknowledging great staff and volunteers, or by involving staff in leadership training, LeadingAge Texas wants to walk with you in inspiring others to raise their expectations about their own leadership, service, and commitment to Senior Texans.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes to All,

George Linial, CAE, CASP
President & CEO, LeadingAge Texas