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FutureWorks Academy

FutureWorks Academy 1.0 aims to strengthen the culture of trust, creativity, and strategic thinking

The FutureWorks Academy 1.0 is a two-semester-long leadership development program open to all full-time faculty, staff, and administrators. Each year, a new class of no more than 20 participants is selected from across the Blinn College District. Sessions meet one Friday afternoon per month September-November and January-April.

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If you would like to be a part of FutureWorks Class XI, please e-mail us at futureworks@blinn.edu for an application.

The underlying leadership principle of FutureWorks is that “you can lead from any chair in the room.” Using readings from The Leadership Challenge, participants consider how to apply the skills and principles of The Leadership Challenge to their work at Blinn. Over the duration of the program, FutureWorks fellows learn about Blinn, its priorities, and how it operates from members of the Executive Council and other administrators throughout the College District. In addition to strengthening leadership skills, sessions focus on identifying individual strengths, teambuilding, defining a vision, creativity, and communication.

At the time of application, each FutureWorks applicant identifies an issue that he or she believes presents an opportunity for change and development at Blinn. Each Fellow shares the nature of the specific problem and possible solutions with the class. No more than three projects are chosen for full development. Each Fellow then joins at least one project team. At the final meeting, these proposals are presented to the Executive Council for further consideration and action.

How do Senior Fellows describe the benefits of their FutureWorks experience?

“I had a chance to meet people I would never have met or even had known existed.”

“A real benefit was getting to know people from all over Blinn - from different campuses as well as faculty, staff, and administrators.”

“The opportunity to see issues from multiple perspectives was fantastic.”

“Excellent networking with fantastic people.”

“Allowed me to learn about myself as well as everyone on my team.”

FutureWorks Academy 2.0 provides additional opportunities to lead by example, demonstrate Blinn’s core values, and enhance the working environment.

This continuation is a one-semester-long course that focuses on the final chapter in The Leadership Challenge—Encourage the Heart. How do we encourage ourselves and others to do our best work and show appreciation for the work that has been done? Each long semester (fall and spring), a cohort of no more than 12 participants is selected from across the College District. Participants must have previously completed FutureWorks 1.0.

Our second resource for FutureWorks 2.0 is The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.

What makes FutureWorks Academy 2.0 different from 1.0?

Bottom line up front, FutureWorks 2.0 will be much less instruction-based than FutureWorks 1.0 and more experience-based. Instead of “Instructor” or “Facilitator,” participants will have "Coaches.” Although we’ll provide some instruction, most of your class time will be devoted to small group discussions, application exercises, and reflection. Because you’ll be trying out these new ideas live between sessions, you’ll have time to share what worked and didn’t work in your discussions; practice new concepts in the application exercises; and spend a portion of each class in quiet reflection to journal or just think about what you are learning, how you are using this information, and the impact you are having.