Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Christopher Leonard, Administrative Supervisor for the City of Fort Lauderdale. You can connect with him via LinkedIn
Based on my positive experience with higher education, I knew I would seek the opportunity to return to the classroom after obtaining professional experience; to give back to others as my professors had done for me. I was fortunate to have teachers and professionals that cared enough along the way to offer professional development opportunities and guidance. My career started when I went into direct service as a case manager, working with vulnerable groups. I found great reward in working directly with clients and families to assist with their needs. Following this experience, I had the opportunity to become an administrative grant manager. In this position, I was able to help people through monitoring and compliance of direct service programs. It allowed me to continue to work with the agencies that provide direct services. In doing so, I became more aware of positions that could provide employment opportunities, volunteer opportunities, or elected leadership positions to help advance one’s career in public service.
This past Spring, I was given the opportunity to take my experience back to the classroom. Based on my extensive experience related to case management, I was offered a position to teach the principals of case management to over 20 students in an associates level program. This was an extremely exciting endeavor, partly because I understand the value of proper case management and the importance it plays in serving the community, but also because this was my opportunity to share my experience with others. I have found a new way to help people, by teaching students the skills to become a case manager and provide service in an ethical and effective manner. It is so incredibly important to share our knowledge, especially as an investment in the next generation of leaders. I have since been offered to teach multiple sections of case management and related classes such as crisis intervention and aging. I am excited to continue to offer my knowledge and experience to help others in this capacity.
I encourage everyone to consider opportunities to lead by learning, listening, and teaching. How can you leverage your experience to empower others?