History of LI

In the early nineteen-eighties, the leadership of the Iowa Manufacturers Association (IMA) made several far-reaching decisions to broaden the reach of their group of large manufacturing members. Following a comprehensive study in January 1984, they changed their name to the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI), and expanded their outreach and service. Another consequential initiative was the creation of Leadership Iowa.

At the time Leadership Iowa was created (1982) there were only three other statewide leadership development programs in the country. The one nearest to Iowa – Leadership Kansas – served as the model for the initial structure of Leadership Iowa. Ironically, this was the same year that several locally focused leadership development programs were launched in Iowa, including those in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.

 

The first leadership Iowa class (1982-83) was recruited by IMA board members and included eight sessions which generally started at noon on Fridays and concluded at noon on Saturdays. The meetings were, by design, spread throughout the state to emphasize the importance of a statewide leadership outlook.

A fundamental founding principle of Leadership Iowa was to educate and motivate new leaders for Iowa, regardless of their profession.  Skeptical participants found that IMA, and later ABI, were serious in maintaining a broad focus for the program. Class members were sought from all sectors: business, education, farming, labor, nonprofits, and government at all levels. The exposure to a diverse group of emerging leaders who had different careers, different interests and different points of view proved to be a valuable learning process for all participants. They began to understand the common interests that public and private sectors shared, and how their teamwork would prove beneficial for the future development and success of Iowa and its communities.

Actual leadership instructional concepts were not emphasized in the curriculum, although during the early years, special guest speakers and some exercises provided an opportunity to explore these concepts. But the purpose of Leadership Iowa was to help identify men and women who had demonstrated leadership skills and potential, and to motivate and excite them to make use those talents even more.

From the start, Leadership Iowa operated with an “issues awareness” curriculum. Sessions focused on economic development, health care, education, government services, environment, recreation and other issues.  Learning didn’t stop in the classroom.  After-dinner sessions and social gatherings lead to even more discussions (and hopefully, understanding) of issues facing Iowa.

ABI had no trouble filling the second Leadership Iowa class (1983-84).  In fact, it soon became apparent that a formal application and evaluation process had to be created to select a class of about 25 from the large number of applications.  In just a few years, Leadership Iowa became a valuable source of information for other leadership development programs.

A key next key step in the evolution of the program was to formalize a board of directors and to include graduates, both as board members and chairs. It proved to be a valuable way not only to set policies for the program, but to keep alumni involved.

The early popularity and success of Leadership Iowa prompted ABI to add another outreach program, “Business Horizons,” in 1984. The annual summer event was designed to help high school students better understand free enterprise, business careers and the business community in Iowa. Some graduates of Leadership Iowa helped launch this new educational program.

The vision, commitment, and support of the executives at IMA and its successor, ABI, cannot be overstated. Now, 26 years and some 800 graduates after its founding, Leadership Iowa is making a difference for Iowa. Friendships and contacts made through Leadership Iowa have lead to solutions for our problems and inspiration for the state’s future.

Today, with the applications growing and the class number at 40, the program still thrives due to the creative design and impact it has had on more than 800 graduates who continue to support the program with their time, dues and endorsement, and the support of ABI and its members.