Eric Evans, assistant county manager of Edgecombe County, shared his views on leadership with a group of Edgecombe Community College faculty and staff recently.

He presented his leadership philosophy to members of the Edgecombe Leadership Initiative (ELI) during a luncheon/seminar on April 18. ELI is an institute for selected faculty and staff who are interested in improving their knowledge of the community college system and of the operations and functions of the community college.

Participants were required to read “The 360 Degree Leader” by John C. Maxwell. Evans emphasized Maxwell’s concept of “leading from the middle,” “leading right where you are,” and stressed that leaders must realize that respect is a two-way street.

“Eric did an exceptional job leading the 360 discussion,” said J. Lynn Cale, associate vice president of instruction. “He has a very easygoing yet dynamic presentation style, and he conveyed the essence of what Maxwell articulated in his book. He involved all the participants in the dialogue, and the lively discussion was a credit to his presentation style. We’ll definitely ask Eric to return to speak to future cohorts.”

ELI is a two-year institute that features workshops and seminars during the first year and an internship within a division of the college during the second year. All full-time faculty and staff are eligible to apply.

This group marks the third ELI cohort. The April 18 session was the capstone activity for this cohort.