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Pharmacy Leadership Forum’s Annual Retreat was held at the Alabama 4H
Development Camp near Columbiana, AL on August 11-13, 2003. Nineteen
HSOP second year students were in attendance, plus 11 faculty members
and residents.
Dr. Bob Smith, who directs the group and is also head of the Pharmacy
Practice Department at HSOP, started the organization in 1999. This is
the fifth year the group has come together for a retreat before the
start of the school year. According to Dr. Smith, it’s a time of fun and
relaxation but also a chance to focus intently on the principals of
leadership.
What are leadership building activities, you might ask? Well, for
this group, they received Stephen Covey’s complete “Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People” program, along with a 2 hour stint on a
low-ropes team building course. By the way, Dr. Smith reports that the
students really enjoyed the low ropes course, as well as learning about
the power of trust and cooperation as it relates to leadership. Another
fun activity aimed at friendly competition was a miniature golf team
tournament. Besides the social nature of having all meals together, the
group also enjoyed swimming, playing basketball and cards. Dr. Smith
reported he saw students using the canoes on the lake “before it became
too dark each evening.” Overall, Dr. Smith judged the enthusiasm for the
retreat to be quite positive. He reported, “One student said she wished
it had been one day longer.”
When asked what he thought the students took away from the retreat,
Dr. Smith replied, “I think the major message should be that they
control their lives and their lives should be balanced. We talked a lot
about priorities in life and making sure they schedule their priorities
rather than prioritizing their schedules.” Interpersonal relationships
was also a theme. Dr. Smith says they covered three of the seven habits
in this area: 1) Think Win-Win, 2) Seek first to understand, then be
understood, and 3) always look for a third alternative or synergize. But
ultimately, Dr. Smith thinks participation in the Pharmacy Leadership
Forum should enable students to lead their own lives as well as
fostering participation in leadership endeavors within their respective
communities and professional lives. He says that PLF participants have
expressed great appreciation to him for the opportunities provided
through this program, and this sense of appreciation has contributed
positively to student morale. He also sees evidence that the knowledge
learned by PLF participants has spilled over into each student's
leadership activities within the School, thus enhancing the
effectiveness of these organizations.
Please check out the fun photos from the Retreat by
clicking on the menu item to the left.
Click
here to visit the Pharmacy Leadership Forum’s webpage.