ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine is leading the way to build leadership capacity across Maine. Through the Maine Business School and Graduate School of Business Build a Better Maine Program, the university is grooming emerging leaders for success by offering an accelerated leadership development program.
The accelerated program consists of four sessions running over four months and targets Maine business leaders across functional boundaries and industries.
Jason Harkins, PhD, is the executive dean of UMaine's business school. Harkins said the program is designed to build leadership capacity in organizations and individuals across the state with the aim to prepare them to lead and develop a skilled labor force to compete in Maine’s future economy.
“I think that this is just the beginning of a way that the University of Maine and Maine Business School can go about enhancing the incredible work and knowledge that is being produced here and connecting with the business community to advance Maine, the region, and the nation's goal of training the workforce of tomorrow,” Harkins said.
The Collaborative Build a Better Maine Program gives hands-on experience to the next generation of Maine's business leaders.
The small group of eight to 12 participants, allows for participants to tackle real issues and propose solutions to each other's business challenges.
Bruce Hall is director of agroecology for Wyman’s of Maine. Hall said the program is giving him access to a network of experts who are guiding him from a granular-focused way while examining overall operation of the farms to see the “big picture” and find ways to increase productivity and efficient operations.
“I think this is working tremendously well,” Hall said.
Hall is one of the 10 participants in this first round of the Build a Better Maine Program.
Those taking part are coached by University of Maine graduate business school professors, who are broadly engaged in Maine’s economies.
Each participant is required to deliver a real-work project from his or her respective organizations, and another participant is assigned as a mentor to support a successful outcome of the project.
Participants work interchangeably as leaders and mentors as they work collaboratively to tackle real issues each business faces.
Gavin Robinson, vice president of community relations for Bangor Savings Bank, is among the participants in the 2023 Build a Better Maine Program.
“How can we have an innovative and empowered workforce?” Robinson asked.
He and other participants are tasked with proposing ideas to address these central items developing Maine’s skilled workforce in their respective organization.
“'Empowering' and 'intentional' are two words that struck me in the first two symposiums,” Robinson said.
Robinson said the program has great value in creating innovative leadership which requires a “diverse leadership approach and having different viewpoints.”
“What’s really useful is that diverse backgrounds coming together, having different viewpoints of issues in projects we might be facing is very valuable and helpful,” Robinson indicated.
Having been sensitized to diversity and different viewpoints helps executives at Bangor Savings craft appropriate strategies for retention and training of the workforce. These elements are key to building communities and delivering excellent customer service.
“Our work isn’t just in a bank or an LL Bean or an IDEX or some of the other companies participating. We also participate in our community. The leadership skills that we are learning in Build a Better Maine contribute not just to the growth of our company but to Maine overall,” Robinson explained.
The 2023 Build a Better Maine Program is halfway through, and the business school is already reaching out to potential “emerging leaders” to participate in 2024.
“I've seen only positive developments in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the way the university has integrated itself into the state and the state's vision for moving into the future,” Harkins said.
Administrators of the program hope to build a growing alumni network as an extension to the program that will provide a valuable resource pool to program participants.