Gustavus Adolphus College Associate Vice President of Human Resources Julie Kline recently received Chief Learning Officer Magazine’s Learning in Practice Gold Award in the Talent Management category in recognition of her leadership program titled “Emerging Leaders.” The program is designed to help employees reach their highest potential through direct leadership training.
The Chief Learning Officer Magazine, a nationally recognized publication, serves the advancement of the business community across the country by providing various resources and research to improve the education and training of employees. The Learning in Practice Awards have been given to top leaders in this field for initiative and achievement in employee development since 2003. Kline’s program is recognized alongside work from Kroff Inc., Virgin America, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.
A new addition to the College’s human resources department, Kline brings extensive experience as a human resources and operations executive with many different companies. After first leaving the corporate world for a role at Hamline University, Kline found a new home at Gustavus this July and is striving to improve the reach and effectiveness of human resources in the higher education setting.
The “Emerging Leaders” program is one of the first steps in the department’s efforts to help the Gustavus faculty and staff continue to grow professionally. After designing the program and leading it for over 30 organizations across the United States, Kline hopes to see similar experiences for the College’s community not only this spring, but for many years to come.
“At the completion of the training, employees have described the program as a life-changing experience,” Kline said. “Members gain new tools for leadership and develop new understandings of themselves and are able to apply them to both their personal and professional lives.”
After selecting high-potential employees from across all departments of the College, Kline will lead the group through a series of four workshops and connect each member to a mentor from a different Gustavus department. The first session focuses on the understanding of oneself and the establishment of trust between the various employees in order to create a base for strong leadership. In the next meeting, the group engages in workshops led by business personnel from Fortune 500 companies to develop skills and acumen to create applicable and practical ideas for each employee’s individual role at the College. At the third workshop, time is dedicated to creating teams of support within the group. At the fourth and final series, the group combines all the skills and insights developed over the last couple months to create goals for their individual and departmental work on campus.
“The program is more than just becoming better peers,” Kline said. “We are looking to create powerful partnerships on this campus that depend on trust and respect and that foster accountability and growth in the most productive way for each individual employee.”
To learn more about the Department of Human Resources and the team’s mission for employee development across campus, visit the office website.
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