Davidson County Register of Deeds Karen Johnson recently completed the Local Government Leadership Program (LGLP) hosted by the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership, an agency of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service.

Each year, LGLP invites local government leaders to participate in opportunities to connect with each other, expand their leadership capacity, and learn about new and innovative leadership practices and approaches.

“The demands of leadership change almost daily, so for me, a learning experience like this one was powerful,” Johnson said. “LGLP also gave me an invaluable chance to talk with other local officials about how we all are dealing with these unprecedented times.”

The city and county officials who attended this multi-day program in Knoxville were invited by UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) and UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS), sister agencies of the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership. Each attendee received a leadership assessment profile offering insight into their individual leadership strengths and approaches.

The program also consisted of team building activities and multiple small-group sessions to explore and discuss leadership strategies, best practices, and innovative approaches. Additionally, the program included sessions on ways to build an ethical culture, applying Lean practices in the public sector, and sharing a personal leadership philosophy.

LGLP began over two decades ago with the goal of cultivating proactive government leaders and is designed to provide these leaders with knowledge and tools to help guide their cities and counties into the future.