It’s a new year, and with it comes a new slate of opportunities to build skills, refine leadership qualities, and expand networks. Thanks to the Flint & Genesee Group, area employers and professionals don’t have to look far to get started.
“The greatest investment we can make is in ourselves,” said Brianna Mosier, executive director of Flint & Genesee Education & Talent, a division of the Flint & Genesee Group that focuses on talent attraction, retention, and development. “With the ever-changing business landscape, building skills and meaningful connections is key in learning how to adapt and remain competitive in this dynamic environment.”
Mosier recommends three options for supporting your team’s professional growth in 2024.
Attend a training or two.
Each year, Flint & Genesee Education & Talent hosts a variety of training sessions covering everything from emotional intelligence and marketing to cybersecurity and grant writing.
The lineup for the first quarter of this year, available at FlintandGenesee.org/training, kicks off Feb. 13 with “Using Internships to Draw Top Talent to Your Organization.” Other sessions include “What’s Trending in Social Media” (Feb. 29), “Tapping into Your Emotional Intelligence” (March 27), and “Building the Foundation: Diversity in the Workplace, Self-Awareness, and Implicit Bias” (March 19).
According to Mosier, many of these courses are available to be facilitated exclusively for an individual organization – a beneficial option for employers wanting to train a larger group all at once.
Additionally, several trainings are available through the Flint & Genesee Business Bridge, an initiative of the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, also a division of the Flint & Genesee Group, that aims to strengthen BIPOC-owned businesses. Professionals can expect trainings on a quarterly basis, starting with “Responding to RFPs Part II” (Feb. 7).
Become a stronger leader.
Leadership Flint & Genesee – formerly known as Lead Now – will kick off its 11th year this fall, with applications opening June 1. Over the course of eight months, participants will receive one-on-one coaching and attend monthly training sessions focused on creating a vision, developing followership, implementing said vision, and achieving results.
An important component of Leadership Flint & Genesee is its community impact project, which allows the cohort members to put what they’ve learned into real-world practice.
According to Mosier, this is a great opportunity for both current and emerging professionals – as well as employers looking to beef up their team’s leadership capacity. “We’ve had many organizations sponsor an employee each year. They recognize the importance of encouraging employee growth and see how that impacts their bottom line.”
Build connections.
In a given year, the Group’s Flint & Genesee Chamber division hosts dozens of networking opportunities, including its monthly Chamber Luncheon, Connect Over Coffee, After Hours Wine Down, and the Hot Dogs & Hot Rods member appreciation event.
What’s more, the Chamber offers several committees that members can plug into. This includes the African American Advisory Committee, Young Professionals, Sales Lead Roundtable, Women’s Leadership Committee, and Disability Works.
“Don’t underestimate the power of a strong, broad network,” said Mosier, who serves as the organization’s liaison for the Young Professionals. “The more relationships you build, the better positioned you are to find mentors and mentees, future clients and partners, and people you can turn to for advice and brainstorming.”