JOG the Web: Leadership Development Conference 2023
This past Wednesday, 11/1/2023, we hosted our annual Leadership Development Conference (LDC) at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, OH. Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) has been providing a place for our students to learn about how to become inspiring leaders since the LDC’s inception. This year, famed Ohio State University and Youngstown State University coach Jim Tressel gave an inspiring speech on how to be an equitable leader to both others and oneself.
“It all comes back to one thing, living life with an attitude of gratitude” – Jim Tressel
The quote above was how Mr. Tressel began his speech, and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. As Tressel took the stage he began with simple words of gratitude and self-worth. Mr. Tressel was able to portray how our students could use easy steps to be successful both at work and in life. He showed this through his 4 steps to success.
If you take nothing else away from today just remember these 4 steps to success.” – Jim Tressel
1. Dream: Create a blueprint and goals of what you are aspiring for and don’t be afraid to dream.
2. Work: The key to making a dream a reality is creating a solid work ethic.
3. Handle Success/Adversity: Don’t get complacent and don’t lose hope. The key is that our hiccups are small. Learn to stay humble and to rebound.
4. Believe: You must believe in yourself. It all starts with you. Don’t believe the haters, you can do it!
In addition to an outstanding keynote presentation, our students also participated in three breakout sessions hosted by Old Navy JOG partners, Michelle Hawkins and Kayla VanZant, JOG Career Specialist, Monique Jones and esteemed speaker, Maurice Martin. Each breakout session presenter(s) was able to connect with our students on a personal level. Old Navy talked about how to use leadership skills through an interview process and how to utilize these skills through life, Monique held an interactive session on working on “Yes, I can” attitudes, direction, and reflections, and Maurice held a discussion, inviting students to engage in meaningful conversations. He even encouraged students to say “that was for me” when something resonated with them.
Old Navy representatives at the 2023 Leadership Development Conference
All in all, this year’s LDC was a resounding success! Students were able to walk away with more ideas of what being a leader is and how they can be themselves. We are very thankful for the lessons our students received and we are excited to see them grow within their leadership skills.
