December 30, 2014 - Yosemite National Park hosted the third session of the Yosemite Leadership Academy during the week of December 1st. The weeklong training session was the third of the four modules which comprise the leadership academy curriculum. 

Members of this class, which includes over 35 members of the park’s middle management, are learning how to expand their capacity to lead people, lead change, focus on core leadership skills, and enhance overall strategic performance. There will be one more session, set for March, prior to the completion of the program. 

The Yosemite Leadership Academy is based on the core competencies of the Senior Executive Service. It is designed to build and empower leaders in the multiple dimensions that are now required for success in public sector employment. The four major emphasis areas are personal leadership, leading people, leading organizations, and leading for results. 

The third week of the program specifically focused on leading organizations, with special emphasis on an introduction to systems thinking.  Emphasis areas included distinguishing conventional from systems thinking, learning and applying basic systems thinking language and tools, embedding systems thinking in a framework for achieving sustainable breakthrough change, and developing students’ ability to address a chronic, complex problem within the organization.  

The program was designed by Pamela Wilhelms, an internationally recognized organizational coach and consultant and co-founder of Sol Sustainability Consortium. The content for the Yosemite course was organized with the input from Yosemite's executive leadership team. This leadership initiative is a component of Yosemite's 2020 strategic vision to improve workforce development.  

Submitted by Kari Cobb, Public Affairs Officer