In 2014, twenty-five developing leaders from all walks of IT life at Cornell participated in a year-long Emerging Leaders Program. Read about the themes and objectives of the program. We asked the IT community emerging leaders to share their thoughts on leadership in one sentence. Here are their responses.

One of the leadership skills is to be self-aware but not self-absorbed; to motivate but not dictate; to be empathetic but not sympathetic. The experience in ELP has enlightened me to the fact that leadership skills can be learned and instilled in time...

Dora Abdullah, Infrastructure Team Lead, COECIS IT Service Group

Great leaders don’t just hear people, they listen to them.

Gary Chaika, Senior Database Administrator, CIT

ELP show us the tools to improve our leadership skills, challenges us to use them, and share the experience with others that are doing the same.

Steve Gallow, End User Support Team Lead, COECIS IT Service Group

Inspiring team members to see and believe in the visions and directives really helps motivate the team towards making meaningful contributions.

Philip Halcomb, Desktop Engineering Tech Lead, CIT

Exercising influence requires me to acknowledge and leverage sources of power.

Ellen Hartman, Technical Writer, CIT Communications

The ELP training provided a solid reminder that any person can learn and practice the skills of leadership; that in practice leadership will inevitably call for a willingness to collaborate, to step beyond the comfort of our usual boundaries and frames of reference, to create broader conversations that are the necessary first step on the path to delivering the best solutions for Cornell. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity.

Kenton Hensley, Business Analyst, Planning and Program Management, Office of the CIO

This program is unlike any other leadership development program I've ever taken. It is such a fulfilling, deep experience and really pulls you out of your comfort zone on a regular basis. You absolutely get out of it what you put in - put in the work, put in the time and it will absolutely change who you are and how you lead.

Tom Horton, Senior Systems Administrator, Facilities Services

Leadership is essential no matter what your job or title is.

Gail Howser, Office Systems Specialist IV, Law School

The Emerging Leaders Program builds strong leadership skills which are crucial for the success of the IT@Cornell goal we are all striving for.

Darryle Lee, Assistant Director, IT Support Services Veterinary Medicine Information Technology

The Emerging Leaders program has created a peer network that will be key to our success as leaders.

Mary E. Miller, Assistant Director of Information Technology, College of Human Ecology

A leader has to look inward, define and translate a vision, and then get out of the way and let people put it into practice.

Rob Parker, Associate Director for Web & Database Management, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management

“A leader's most powerful ally is his or her own example.” - John Wooden

Al Sarhangi, Studio Operations Manager, Johnson School

Managers achieve goals with organizational resources. Leaders inspire and motivate.

Ron Seccia, Manager, CIT Support

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” —John F. Kennedy

Andy Spaccio, Service Area Manager, North/Geneva Computer Support Group, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Leadership: Relationships are at the core.

Elaine Van Etten, IT Support Associate, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research

Photo credit: Luise Yacono Left to right: Tom Horton, Glenn Larratt, Jeff Christen, Andrew Spaccio, Stephanie Herrick, Darryle Lee, Brian Lowe, Mary Miller, Geoff Hollister, Gail Howser, Dora Abdullah, Mike Hojnowski, Robin Parker, Al Sarhangi, Gary Chaika, Phil Halcomb, Ellen Hartman, Steve Gallow, Mike Baker, Elaine VanEtten, Kenton Hensley, Ron Seccia, Butch Labreque Not shown: Marek Przezdziecki, Chris O'Brien