Barron: DINAMICS OF LEADERSHIP

DYNAMICS OF LEADERSHIP

CHARLES BARRON SHOWS THE WAY

Reprinted from May 1995 issue of Class Magazine

http://www.dynamicleadership.com/f_main.html

Dynamics of Leadership, Inc.

26 Court Street, Suite 2403

Brooklyn, New York 11242

E-mail: cbdynamics@igc.apc.org

With 25 years experience in social activism and community development, Charles Barron, international leadership trainer and lecturer, fuses his past with an inspired new vision for the future. As president and CEO of Dynamics of Leadership, Inc., Barron provides a comprehensive leadership training program addressing the needs of the 21st century. Since 1988, the Brooklyn-based organization has presented its program to nearly 450 institutions, training over 50,000 participants from across the country. Through lectures, seminars and workshops which place great emphasis on practical application and skill development, Dynamics of Leadership teaches effective communication, conflict resolution and leadership skills for a multicultural world.

With a fluctuating economy and fierce competition, American workers are experiencing corporate downsizing and restructuring at astounding rates. The effects, in many cases, are devastating. "It is time that we [African Americans] work toward our collective liberation." notes Barron. In order to accomplish this, we must develop our skills - skills that will empower and enable us to do whatever we choose, whether it's to become self-employed, evoke social change, to become more marketable in the private sector or simply to grow personally."

Thousands of Dynamics of Leadership participants agree that the corporation offers effective tactics for reducing the "anxious class" phenomenon - a new term coined by Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich who said in an article in The New York Times that this is a class "consisting of millions of Americans who can no longer count on having jobs next year or next month and whose wages have stagnated or lost ground due to inflation."

We further state that the science of Visionary Leadership is a unique component of Leadership Science. It is one that utilizes applied leadership skills and the proactive leadership scientific method to mobilize human and material resources for turning visions into reality. Simply put, Visionary Leadership Scientists see a situation for what it is with their biological eyes, and simultaneously see it futuristically for all it could be in their mind's eye. Visionary Leadership Science transforms the present human condition into to unlimited future possibilities. For the Visionary Leadership Scientist, the future is now.

Dynamics of Leadership seminars involve a concentration on five major skills: organization, conflict resolution, team building and critical communication/analytical skills. "The most unique quality about Dynamics of Leadership," says Aminata Njeri, executive administrator and seminar facilitator, "is [that] what we do is what we teach. We are a prime example of what vision, motivation and applied skills can achieve. We took this idea, starting out in a room no bigger than a closet, and built on it, until it developed into what it is today. This is not a job for us, it's a mission."

Dynamics of Leadership has a two-fold mission, one internal, the other external. In 1993, an in-house Training Academy was established where participants could systematically engage in workshops that tested and enhanced their abilities. During tits first year of operation, it attracted over 350 participants to its monthly seminars. Outside activities of the company include nationwide lectures and seminars held at universities, religious institutions, correctional facilities and youth organizations, among other venues.

A former member of the Harlem chapter of the Black Panther Party, Barron is not a stranger to standing on the frontline. His active participation in the Black United Front in the '60's and the African People's Christian Organization, in addition to his childhood days growing up on Manhattan's lower East Side, have given him an enhanced perspective on problems specific to the African American community.

Dynamics of Leadership teaches, in part, that leaders are not necessarily born, as the old adage implies, but that everyone has leadership potential. Given the current condition of many urban neighborhoods, faced with mounting violence, drug abuse and poverty, Barron recognizes the need for secondary leadership: "We need more secondary leaders... leaders that may not be as identifiable or charismatic as leaders of the past, but leaders that are able to facilitate a process, facilitate empowerment and work toward a common objective."

As we approach the 21st century, Barron presents several solid formulas for beating the odds:

"We must become interested in job creation, not job seeking;

ownership, not consumerism ...

We must begin to think investment, think entrepreneur and leadership."

Dynamics of Leadership works to inspire change so that African American economic power works toward the good and the ability of the community, not to its detriment. Barron spends much of his time lecturing and consulting with colleges and universities.

Much importance is placed on cultivating young minds that are poised toward the world of job career and responsibility. "Colleges," notes Barron, "are more than a little interested in our ideas on preparing young people for the 21st century." With the help of his wife, Inez Barron, the company's vice president, Dynamics of Leadership moves steadfastly at pace that even they could not have foreseen. The response to their hands-on method of training has been extremely positive.

"There are many motivational and educational speakers out there today," explains Charles Barron, "but few are actually giving people the dynamics they need to incorporate those ideals in their daily lives. At Dynamics of Leadership, we not only inspire and motivate, we show you how to take action by providing the necessary information and application skills to achieve an end result."

The long-range vision for Dynamics of Leadership is to expand into the international market. Despite some statistical indicators to the contrary,

Barron asserts "we are not headed for a devastating future. Obstacles are only stepping stones. ... I am very hopeful for the future of our people. He adds, "As we enter the 21st century, we must develop new leadership capable of giving guidance, inspiration and a new vision in a new time."

-Karen Chilton

Copyright 1995

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