Animal Welfare Professionals

Hi all!

I'm not sure if I placed this under the correct topic, but I'll go ahead and shoot my shot here first.

I am new to a leadership role at a small municipal shelter. I am very interested in taking a course(s) to help me hone in on my leadership skills. We do have a small staff, but I want to be able to lead them all appropriately, respectfully, and professionally.

I'm the new kid on the block at the shelter and I definitely see some serious imbalances with how some staff are treated compared to others. I'm sure this isn't going to be an easy thing to fix, but I want to try to make a difference for the staff, which in turn, I think, reflects on the shelter pets that we care for each day. 

So, has anyone taken any good leadership courses, read any good leadership books, etc.? I don't care the cost as I really want to make this work.

#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

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Liz Gonzalez
Operations Coordinator
Jeffersonville Animal Shelter
IN
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Liz, 

I cannot speak highly enough about this program https://www.pacific.edu/education/professional-development/certificate-programs/animal-shelter-management

It addresses everything that will arise in a shelter management position and one of the very first sections of the program is on leadership.  I believe they also have that section of the class as a separate course that can be taken. One of my favorite books they had us read was The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus. Which sounds a bit quirky but was absolutely perfect!

Congratulations and best of luck in your new position! You are proactive so I'm sure you will do well!

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Kristen Lewis
Director of Donor Relations and Reporting
Charleston Animal Society
SC
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Hi Liz,

Caveat - I'm not in leadership myself.

I liked the book "Managing to Change the World," by The Management Center, which is about management basics, specifically for nonprofits. A previous HR professional gave it to all of our managers a few years ago. This is the revised edition of the book I read:
Our Book - The Management Center

This is tangentially relevant, but I also loved this online project management course and think the content would be relevant to you as the leader of a small organization. They talk about stakeholder engagement, team building, project planning, etc.
Project Management Fundamentals | University of the District of Columbia (ed2go.com)

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James Pawlowicz
Humane Rescue Alliance
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Hi, Liz:

We have a leadership course on Maddie's University that may be a good start: Effective Leadership in Animal Welfare. We also have a number of on-demand presentations on leadership and organizational management, such as this one: Creating a Culture of Change in Your Organization. You can find the entire list of learning around this topic in the Maddie's University catalog here.

We also have a very extensive leadership coming out soon, by the end of the year. If you would like me to let you know when that debuts, just let me know! 

Erika

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Erika Shaffer
Instructional Designer
Maddie's Fund
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