Leadership Lab, a program created and cultivated by the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, is designed to create individual development and relationship building for emerging leaders. Leaders who choose to apply to Leadership Lab are interested in increasing their lead and influence within their organizations or businesses.

A five-month program, Leadership Lab features four full-day workshops and four half-day coaching sessions, focusing on self-awareness, social awareness, style and leadership, and influence. Leaders from diverse organizations of Greater Richmond are split into small groups to meet with professional coaches for leadership discussion and to craft a personal vision. By the conclusion of Leadership Lab, participants are equipped with the self-confidence and tools necessary to effectively develop personally and professionally.

“The Chamber’s RVA Leadership Lab, produced in partnership with the Luck Companies, is unique in that it focuses on emotional development and self-awareness as key components to becoming a more effective leader and influencer in the workplace and in life. Over the course of the five-month program, participants craft a vision of who they want to be, where they want to go, and how they want to get there, a plan that grows and evolves even after they graduate,” says Richard Wintsch, director of leadership and community development for the Greater Richmond Chamber. “The combination of group learning and coaching works well for mid-career professionals and complements the offerings of more regionally focused leadership programs like Leadership Metro Richmond and LEAD Virginia.” Armed with the belief that leadership is not something one can achieve alone, the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Luck Companies to develop Leadership Lab and its team-based curriculum. Qualified applicants must be career-driven with a strong focus on professional development with at least eight years of work experience and be in a management role within their company. Leadership Lab also requests the corporations, organizations, or associations of applicants to be supportive of the program.

“The Luck Companies is committed to making a positive difference in the world through value-based leadership,” says Tom Epperson, leadership development manager for Luck Companies. “We believe that leadership development can make a significant positive impact on the lives of others, which is why partnering on the Chamber’s RVA Leadership Lab makes good sense for us.”

With an inaugural class of 20 members, the first Leadership Lab class recruited skilled facilitators and coaches and coaches of Luck Companies alongside community leaders such as Christy Coleman of The American Civil War Center, John Fernandez of Day Star Desserts, Charlie Luck of Luck Companies, and Tom Silvestri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The 2013 class of Leadership Lab has just been announced and will commence in January 2013 and run through early May.