Building a Community of Leaders

Leadership Tracy Program

What is leadership? Why do we need leaders?

Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. John Maxwell defines leadership as: “Influence; nothing more, nothing less”. Anyone can develop leadership ability, and because we are living in an era where society is looking for someone to “lead” them on the right path, we all should be developing ourselves into leaders to serve the community.

This year, the Tracy Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with several community partners will be launching the first ever, Leadership Tracy program. What is Leadership Tracy? Leadership Tracy is a 6 month program that will educate participants about the following key areas within Tracy: Local Government, Business/Economics, Health & Human Services, Education, Public Safety, and Environment/Agriculture. The goal of Leadership Tracy is to expand the leadership skills for  business owners and residents by providing them with the opportunity to participate in interactive exercises that will increase their knowledge and influence in the community. Participants will have access to influential leaders in Tracy and will be able to make connections with other members who are impacting the community. The Tracy Chamber’s vision with Leadership Tracy is to build a community of leaders who are well informed and willing to serve others.

Tracy has great leaders. We don’t have to look too far to find them. Our city was founded by great leaders who all had a vision to create wealth and prosperity for its residents and businesses. The problem I see is that many of our leaders are looking to “pass on the torch” to a new generation of leaders and the challenge lies in the fact that many organizations have not been training or fostering their members to want to take the next leap and lead. As a society, we are responsible for recognizing that it will take a community of leaders to take us to the next level and without leaders, we will not go far.

Our community is in need of leaders to serve and grow many areas such as local government, business, non-profit groups, educational foundations, sports/recreation leagues, etc. With the Leadership Tracy program, the Chamber hopes to help foster the leadership we need to fulfill the critical needs of the community. If you are interested in learning more about Tracy as well as learning about yourself and your own capabilities as a leader, I encourage you to consider participating in the Leadership Tracy Program. The deadline to apply for Leadership Tracy is Friday, May 22nd. Applications are available on the Tracy Chamber of Commerce website.

I am excited for the opportunity to help build leaders for Tracy through this new program. This program would not be possible without the support of our partners and I would like to thank them for being a part of the program: City of Tracy, Tracy Unified School District, Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, Tracy Police, & Tracy Fire Departments, Grand Theatre Center for the Arts and Tracy City Center Association.

Are you ready to be the next leader?

-Sofia Valenzuela, CEO, Tracy Chamber of Commerce