La formation HEELD continue de grandir et d'évoluer

Part of leadership is evolving and maturing over time.

 

That’s the case for the Hoosier Energy Executive Leadership Development (HEELD) program, which displayed its latest evolution in 2024 as an 11-person class became the sixth to graduate, bringing the total number over the past 14 years to 70.

 

Those who completed the 2024 class were Miranda Hostetter and Britt Miller of Utilities District of Western Indiana (UDWI), Kevin Kastensmidt of Clark County REMC, Ron Barnhart of Southeastern Indiana REMC and Hoosier Energy’s Amanda Sheehe, Tommy Harrison, Justin Rice, Erica Steinfeldt, Josh Flick, Chad Mertz and Hannah Knutson.

 

The program started in 2011 in conjunction with Indiana University and Professor Carl Briggs.

 

The first three classes maintained that connection, taking place every three years. At that time, HEELD classes were designed for Hoosier Energy employees, while member cooperative employees participated in a separate program titled Cooperative Accelerated Leadership Development.

 

Beginning in 2019, those two groups came together in one class, which was still facilitated by IU.

 

After a pause for COVID-19, the class resumed in 2022, independent from Indiana University for the first time, although still tapping into many of the same key aspects.

 

However, in 2024 the decision was made to shift from a primarily academic approach.

 

“This time we used more practical experience from people who have been in diverse situations,” said Hoosier Energy Senior Manager of Human Resources Jon Bobbitt, who along with Chief Administrative Officer Chris Blunk coordinated the program. “I don’t think anybody was necessarily disappointed in what we had done in years past. I think it was just more that we needed to change it and liven it up, and I feel like we did that.”

 

To do so, they called on Shelley Klingerman, founder and president of the Stiletto Agency with more than two decades of experience in marketing, brand awareness and project management. She put her vast network of resources to work to find some of the most interesting and unusual speakers for the class.

 

“The concept was really about bringing in very diverse perspectives of leadership and looking across the board at what a leader needs and what are some of the tools that they need,” Klingerman said. “Maybe it’s kind of a jack of all trades, sometimes a master of none, but how do we look out and see who does the best at what and bring those perspectives in?

 

“Storytelling is always what resonates the most with people, and it’s interesting to see what they remember and how they apply it.”

 

Participants agreed.

 

“I appreciated the diverse perspectives the speakers brought to the table,” Hoosier Energy’s Hannah Knutson said. “We had a former Navy Seal, a former FBI agent, brothers who founded their own company, married former CIA agents and so many more. Seeing leadership from each of their experiences highlighted how leadership isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.”

 

It was hard for participants to pick a favorite, but UDWI’s Hostetter was drawn to Cara Silletto, the President and Chief Retention Officer for Magnet Culture.

 

“There was such an array of different perspectives and topics to view leadership from that I would have never gotten exposed to any other way,” Hostetter said. “I feel like I got the most out of Cara Silletto’s presentation. Her viewpoints and data on generations and employees was very interesting and useful in thinking about myself in a leadership role and how I want to lead my team.”

 

Not only were there plenty of speakers, but the cohort visited Midcontinent Independent System Operators (MISO) in Indianapolis, held discussions and broke into teams for a final project.

 

“I loved interacting with others from different co-ops and different (Hoosier) departments,” Hostetter said. “I gained a lot of industry knowledge by being on a team with so many different backgrounds.”

 

The mixture of the teams was crucial to adding a different point of view for the participants.

 

“It opened up some dialogue, and it’s always helpful to see something from someone else’s perspective,” Klingerman said.

 

Final projects had a quick turnaround time with the added twist that each team had to have another team present on their behalf, another element in developing leadership.

 

“The program is designed to put you under a little bit of pressure and learn how to come up with results in a condensed time,” Bobbitt said. “I remember feeling like I needed more time when I went through it in 2017.

 

“I firmly believe we don’t really improve ourselves unless we’re put in difficult situations, so that’s what this is designed to do.”

 

The next chance to see those designs play out will likely be in 2026, and discussions about what to keep and how to tweak the program are already underway.

 

“We definitely identified some topics that we would like to add in,” Klingerman said. “As they work up to doing their final presentations, we’d also like to work in more chances for them to get in front of the room and practice public speaking.

 

“The class was intensive, and I will admit that it might have been like drinking from a fire hose, but when you’re in leadership, that’s kind of how things come at you.”