The City of Menlo Park will start its eighth employee leadership academy in late January. Sixteen employees will attend, representing every city department and many different levels of the organization. This eighth cohort includes parking enforcement officers, permit technicians, librarians, engineers, planners and recreation coordinators. Nearly 100 employees have participated over the years. More than 95 percent agree that it “greatly” enhanced their leadership skills and connections to others in the organization. Over 25 percent of participants have used their experience to advance through promotional opportunities. The theme of the academy is “leaders at all levels” and it is not designed as a supervisory training program. City staff, including past participants, facilitates the academy, which includes units on mental models, situational leadership, conflict management, groupthink, leading change and innovation. Participants are required to create a final project that will make some kind of improvement in their department or the organization as a whole. The six-session academy meets every other Friday and ends with a graduation event April 7.