Shreveport teaching employees how to become good leaders | Business

The city of Shreveport has begun its 4th Leadership Academy, a program that allows employees to learn how to handle bigger roles and more responsibilities when an opportunity arises. The academy runs for six-months.

City officials want to train future leaders by exposing them to a series of management and leadership classes. The sessions are conducted by internal and external professionals who share their expertise and experience with more than 30 high-performing employees selected from all city departments.

Employees attend two 4-hour courses per month and cover such relevant topics as ethics, public speaking, customer service, budgeting, team building and best practices for managers and supervisors.

``We believe it is critical to take an organized approach to succession planning for the City of Shreveport,’’ Mayor Cedric Glover said. ``We have some talented and dedicated employees but we have to provide the foundation they need to compete for the opportunities that inevitably come along.

``Most great companies include outstanding leaders and executives who came up through the ranks and were properly rewarded for their loyalty and service. We see that same strategy being deployed within the City of Shreveport as well.’’

The class text book is ``Good to Great’’ by Jim Collins. The course concludes with a graduation ceremony in the spring.

To date, 91 employees have completed the academy.