WestWater Research Senior Associate Cassidy White recently graduated from Water Education Colorado’s Water Leaders program. Over seven months, she learned alongside 19 other emerging and established water professionals from across Colorado. The program challenges participants to grow as leaders and prepares Colorado’s next generation of water managers to take on the state’s toughest water challenges.
Starting with Self-Awareness
The Water Leaders program opened with a deep look inward. Through a series of personality and leadership assessments, Cassidy explored her natural strengths, her communication style, and how she prefers to work within a team. Just as important, she learned how those preferences differ from others’ and how to bridge the gap.
One lesson stood out: a good leader is not good at everything. Strong leaders play to their strengths and build teams that complement them. This approach fits Cassidy’s preferred management style: mentoring colleagues and helping her team grow toward a shared goal.
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
The Water Leaders program was deeply rooted in an understanding of emotional intelligence. When asked to describe leaders they admire, the cohort rarely named technical skills or subject-matter intelligence. Instead, they listed qualities like kindness, patience, support, and strong listening skills. Participants came to realize that effective leadership centers around emotional intelligence and an ability to manage yourself and the relationships around you.
Other key lessons Cassidy took from the program include:
- Know your North Star. Leaders should understand their purpose and what drives them. For Cassidy, it’s seeing water resources in the West managed to support both healthy ecosystems and economies.
- Manage your energy. A burnt-out leader serves no one. Delegate where it makes sense and make time to recharge.
- Communicate for your audience. Practice active listening and adapt to how each person you interact with prefers to receive information.
Looking Ahead
Cassidy enjoyed learning from classmates, coaches, and mentors throughout the program, and she ultimately sees the program as a starting point, not a finish line. She plans to apply these skills with her team, clients, and broader network as she works to address water market challenges across the West.
“The Water Leaders program had a profound impact on me, both in how I understand myself and in how I use that understanding to connect with others and collaborate more effectively. Just as water is dynamic, working in water requires its managers be able to adapt to new and changing situations in order to best address ever evolving water challenges. I look forward to applying lessons from the program to do just that.”
Congratulations, Cassidy!
About Water Leaders and Water Education Colorado
Water Education Colorado (WEco) works to ensure Coloradans are informed on water issues and equipped to make smart water management decisions through education. Its work includes publications such as Fresh Water News and Headwaters Magazine, watershed tours, workshops, and leadership programs.
Water Leaders is WEco’s leadership development program for Colorado’s water community. Since 2006, it has trained more than 300 water professionals. The curriculum covers leadership style, team building, conflict navigation, change management, and energy management, all grounded in emotional intelligence to enable participants to design their leadership legacy.
