Leadership Development

Big Sky, Big Leadership, Broadwater County

“Leadership has helped me to understand that leaders come in all different shapes and sizes and approaches. I have learned that I don’t need to change my nature in order to lead, many quiet and introspective examples of leaders.” -Big Sky Big Leadership Graduate, Class of 2024

Program Overview

Big Sky, Big Leadership is a statewide community leadership initiative developed by MSU Extension. Rural communities face significant challenges that range from struggling economic conditions to changing demographics to qualify of life. These complex issues cannot be easily solved and require innovative leaders to look and think in new ways. This program works to address the need for community leaders and help develop leadership skills and improve awareness of local issues.

In the fall of 2021, Big Sky, Big Leadership (BSBL) launched in Broadwater County. As of 2025, 49 people have successfully completed the program in the county.

Program Components

Leadership Skill Development – This is the fundamental part of the program. Leaders must increase their own capacity to successfully deal with growing complex issues. Sessions will use interactive techniques to engage participants in a variety of topics including leadership styles, personality types, emotional intelligence, communication, understanding generations and conflict management.
Community Experience – The community experience provides participants with the opportunity to increase their awareness and understanding of the local community resources and issues. Each session provides either an on-site visit to a location, guest speaker or a panel to present critical information on a topic. Topics include agriculture, local government, county growth, education, manufacturing, natural resources and mining.
Group Project - The third core component is the group project. Participants are challenged to plan, implement and evaluate a project that benefits the community and engages all participants. The purpose of the project is to utilize the skills learned and to reflect on knowledge gained through the community experiences to create a project that positively impacts the community.

Program Logistics

For the 2025-2026 year, the program will start Friday, September 12 in Townsend includes nine monthly sessions running from September through May. The program will take place on the second Friday of every month at locations across Broadwater County including Townsend, Radersburg, Toston, Wheatland and Silos/Winston. Each session will run approximately from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

2025-2025 Application Packet or Online Application