Initiatives designed to develop and promote a culture of leadership in homeland security in the Maryland-National Capital Region (NCR) are scarce; the focus has shifted towards crisis management in terms of tactical and operations considerations rather than promoting strategic thinking and shared collaboration.

To best meet the complex and evolving demands of homeland security requires a shift in the way strategic leadership development is approached. Understanding the distinctions between management and leadership is critical.  To achieve a culture of strategic leadership and shared collaboration in the Maryland – National Capital Region, we must work on building trust and establishing relationships.

Create an environment of interdisciplinary, interjurisdictional collaboration among stakeholder leadership that will provide the structure needed to bolster strategic thinking and shared collaboration, while fostering creativity and innovation to address the many response complexities facing their organizations and the broader homeland security enterprise.

The primary mission of MDERS is to support interdisciplinary, interjurisdictional response in the
Maryland-NCR through strategic planning, capability development, information sharing, training, exercises, and equipment acquisition. As such, MDERS is in a unique position to spearhead a virtual seminar series that addresses a wide array of topics, highlighting leadership skills that are relevant and important for homeland security enterprise leaders.

Led by acknowledged leaders in the fields of public safety and homeland security, this seminar series will apply abstract leadership concepts into your everyday practice.

To achieve shared collaboration, we must work on building trust and establishing relationships. The goal of the Innovative Leadership Exploration and Development (i.LEAD) Program is to create an environment where stakeholders can engage with one another and share ideas all the while providing the structure needed to clarify ambiguity, lower volatility, reduce uncertainty, and mitigate complexity concerns. In doing so, it is the hope that it leads to interdisciplinary, interjurisdictional cooperation among stakeholders and their leadership. Similarly, it is the intent that this program will also provide the structure needed to bolster strategic thinking and shared collaboration at all organizational levels now and into the future.

Program Objectives

• • Enhance strategic, critical thinking skills to recognize and analyze local/regional issues and explore innovative ways to address those issues.

• • Foster shared collaboration and promote long lasting partnerships.

• • Explore strategies for success in a dynamic work environment.

Please stay tuned for more information on the development and implementation of the I.LEAD Program!