Leadership matters. This is obviously true for every single aspect of our society. But it takes time, experience, knowledge, and a connection to the community to become a strong leader. This is exactly the goal of Leadership615: to engage our community’s emerging leaders and provide them with the tools to grow into strong leaders in Nashville’s Jewish community.
Strong leaders must understand our community. They need to learn about how Nashville’s Jewish organizations serve our community, their achievements, challenges, and leaders. They need to learn who Jewish Nashville is.
Good leaders need context. Jewish Nashville doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It is part of a much greater Jewish community in America, Israel, and the world. Trends and changes that we see in Nashville happen in other communities, and we can only learn and develop if we have a bird's-eye view of the entire Jewish community.
Good leaders need to know to earn the trust of their community, especially in times of change. The community is composed of people who have their own varied passions and opinions (we are Jewish, after all). Our leaders need to help unify our community, make sure everyone feels included, heard and understood.
Good leaders need a safe space to raise questions, to express doubt, and to speak their mind. Through healthy discussion, debate, and active listening, they are able to grow and feel connected to the community. This process enables them to discover for themselves why they want to take on an important role in the community.
These are the strong leaders our community deserves to have. And thanks to the generous support of Dr. Mark Goldfarb, this was the Federation’s vision, when Leadership 615 was conceived three years ago. We are proud of the connections we created with so many of our smart and talented fellows and are excited to see them helping Jewish Nashville grow. And now we begin preparing for another Leadership615 cohort.
Our program is open to mid-career professionals in the Nashville Jewish community who are ready to take their leadership skills to the next level. It is a six-month program, which includes a monthly session and a discussion meeting.
The application for Cohort III is now open! The deadline is September 1st, and an information session will take place on August 13th.
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