Big Sky Big Leadership: Leadership 14  

A statewide leadership class offered in Custer County in Partnership of MCAEDC 

“The resource that holds the greatest value and future potential for any community is its people.” 

Leadership Miles City has been active since its inception in 2005 by identifying, recruiting, and 

developing emerging community and business leaders. Modeled after other leadership programs operating successfully in communities in Montana and across the U.S., Leadership 14 allows individuals to learn more about community and regional business and industry resources one day a month for a nine-month period while growing in leadership.  

Program Goals:  

  • Identify and build efficacy of emerging leaders. 
  • Increase participants awareness of community needs and resources.  
  • Develop social capital among participants. 

The Program’s Desired Outcomes Are:  

  • Identify, educate and motivate emerging leaders to serve. 
  • Increase awareness and understanding of the county’s needs and resources. 
  • Develop social capital among class participants. 

Participant’s Perspective: 

  • Learn - Broaden your understanding and appreciation of issues and opportunities within Miles City and Custer County and how you can personally and professionally benefit from being involved. 
  • Engage - Experience our county through innovative, fun, interactive sessions at various venues throughout the county. 
  • Develop - Challenge yourself as an individual to enhance your overall leadership skills. 
  • Connect - Establish relationships with a diverse group of people you otherwise might not have met to develop friendships and working partnerships. 
  • Act - Make a difference. Develop a personal commitment to become involved with projects and organizations in your community. 

Program Components: 

  • Leadership Skill Development – This is the fundamental part of the program.  Leaders must increase their own capacity to successfully deal with growing complex issues.  Sessions will use interactive techniques to engage participants in various topics including leadership styles, personality types, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, understanding generations and conflict management. 
  • Community Experience: The community experience gives participants the opportunity to learn about their local community resources and issues. Each session provides either an on-site visit to a location, guest speaker or a panel to present critical information on a topic.  Topics include transportation, communication, community service, tourism, culture, energy, education, agriculture, healthcare, social services, local government, businesses, and entrepreneurship.   
  • Group Project - The third core component is the group project. Participants are challenged to plan, implement, and evaluate a project that benefits the community and engages all participants. The project's purpose is to utilize the skills learned and reflect on knowledge gained through the community experiences to create a project that positively impacts the community. 

Who Qualifies: 

 Leadership Miles City is a competitive process open to all folks who want to learn more about the community and attain leadership skills. All are invited to apply.  

Tentative Program Calendar:  

Those selected for the program attend daylong seminars from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The 

program runs from September- May. Each topic day will be held at various locations in and around Miles City and may include a combination of discussion and learning on leadership topics, a community tour, and wrap up.  Lunch will be provided with time for connection and discussion.  

The program concludes with a dinner and reception in May as part of the final session. Certificates will also be awarded the following year once the student has completed the final assignment of working with the Leadership Committee to organize one of the class days. 

A full schedule of times, places, skills development workshops and other details will be sent to 

all successful candidates. Dates are the 3rd Thursday of the month, except in May, the reception will be the week after Bucking Horse Sale.  

 

Tentative Dates Below Location TBD:  

Date 2024-2025 

Leadership Topic  

Community Experience  

September 19 

Effective Leadership  

  

Energy 

 

October 17 

Real Colors Personality Types  

  

Agriculture 

November 21 

Communication & Project Work Session  

  

Education 

December 19  

Effective Meetings & Volunteer Engagement  

  

 Tourism and Culture 

January 16 

Diversity, Inclusion & Generations  

  

Transportation and Communication 

February 20 

Emotional Intelligence   

Healthcare and Social Services   

March 20 

Conflict Management  

Government: Federal, State and Local   

April 17 

Strategic Leadership & Group Dynamics  

  

Business & Entrepreneurship   

May 22  

Mindfulness, Group Project Presentations & Celebration   

  

  Community Service Organizations

Tuition: 

  • $175 Per Student (Include full tuition and Colors Assessment). 
  • 2 Half Scholarships may be available. 

Commitments:  

  • Attendance of all classes, unless otherwise discussed.  
  • Commitment to serving on the committee to plan the next round of Leadership 14.  
  • Commitment to serving on community boards of Miles City.  
  • Class size limited to maximum of 20 due to space requirements.  

Applications: 

If you wish to make application and feel you meet all the commitments of the program, please 

fill out the enclosed application form and send it to the address below by September 9th, 2024.  

  • Note: We can take applications up to first class date if openings are available. Please contact us in this case. 

MSU Extension Custer County  

1010 Main Street  

Miles City, MT 59301 

custer@montana.edu 

Please Make Checks Payable to: MCAEDC 

 

Online 2024 Application