Jody Abbott, senior vice president/COO of North Kansas City Hospital, Feb. 13 addressed the second graduation of the Doniphan Leadership Institute held at William Jewell College. She said that one of the most important lessons good leaders must internalize is the difference between simply gaining power over others and using authority to improve their organization and its operation.

“I call it the gift of power,” she stressed. “It’s gaining the ability to have impact, and it’s truly a gift. Too often, power is used to get something for oneself. But what is power if it cannot be used to help others?”

Abbott provided the keynote address for the second graduation of the Doniphan Leadership Institute, a development program for Clay County and the Greater Kansas City area. Other speakers included Jim Hampton, executive director of the Clay County Economic Development Council; Todd Long, director of Leadership Training and Development for the Pryor Center; and Matt Brillhart, director of Community Leadership Programs at the Pryor Center. Long and Chris Sizemore, director of Business Development for the EDC, presented the Doniphan Fellow Recipients with their diplomas.

The Clay County Economic Development Council and the Pryor Center for Leadership Development founded the Doniphan Leadership Institute in 2007. The program provides an intense, six-month executive training program on leadership development and vision for both business and the greater community of metropolitan Kansas City.

The 18 recent graduates faced classroom instruction and experiential learning activities, including group sessions at the William Jewell Tucker Leadership Laboratory. Classroom highlights included 360-Degree feedback with personal professional consultation, Servant Leadership and interaction with veteran leaders in the metropolitan area.

Doniphan Fellow recipients were Heather Beheler, Children’s Mercy Hospital; Jody Buchman, Cerner Corporation; Sarah Fields, North Kansas City Hospital; Matt Foresman, North Kansas City Hospital; Curt Fowler, Liberty Public Schools; Scott Gage, Children’s Mercy Hospital; Derek Gjovig, the Salvation Army; Michael Kaullen, Clay County; Greg Kindle, Kansas City Power & Light; Steve McDonald, Geiger Ready Mix; Vern Middleton, Citizen’s Bank; Gina Peoples, Lawson Bank; Tehsin Syed, Cerner Corporation; Scott Taylor, Enterprise Bank; Karl Walters, Clay County; Scott Wingerson, City of Gladstone; David Womak, the Salvation Army; and Tom Raines, Hallmark Cards.

The third session of the Doniphan Leadership Institute began in January, while the fourth session is scheduled to begin in September.