Jackson chamber leadership program adds productive development education

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce is changing course with its leadership program, according to a recent report by Marybeth Niederkorn.

Director Brian Gerau announced the name of the program is changing to Jackson Leadership and Development, and the program now will include more of a focus on developing businesses internally. Gerau said this was a result of feedback from Leadership Jackson graduates of past years.

The Jackson chamber has organized a leadership program for some 10 years, so it’s worth examining the program. Usually 25 or so people participated every year.

For this year’s class series, Gerau said he reached out to Jeff and Tracey Glenn of GlennView Strategies in Cape Girardeau to provide some professional development.

“We’ll do some professional-development courses in the morning before we kick off the leadership tours,” Gerau was quoted as saying in Niederkorn’s article, adding the courses incorporate the John C. Maxwell approach and will involve training on communication, delegation and several other key topics to help business leaders be successful.

“There are great lessons to be learned,” Gerau said.

Gerau, who is a graduate of Leadership Jackson, Leadership Missouri and Leadership Columbia, said he’s a firm believer in networking, building relationships and learning about the community you live and work in.

Leadership programs in Jackson and Cape Girardeau make the region a smarter and more-connected place. Congratulations to Gerau and the Jackson chamber for regularly reassessing the program.