There's nothing like being in the embrace of the great outdoors to stoke an appetite, so Scholars needed no encouragement to tuck into the buffet at the New England Outdoor Center's new event center.

After dinner, Adam Fortier-Brown, the 2015 Mitchell Scholar from Gardiner Area High School, a UMaine graduate, a current first-year student at Maine Law, and a senior consultant at Deloitte, delivered a talk on leadership. Among his main takeaways for Scholars was this kernel: “There is not one type of leadership that works. It is about being authentically you. In every leadership style, this framework will help you set a vision, organize your teams, and go out and accomplish your goals.”

A key step in leading oneself or a team involves committing to a goal — and understanding the power and utility of different goals. Big Picture Goals, said Fortier-Brown (above in the buffalo-plaid shirt), are the ultimate “pie in the sky goals that you want to accomplish." Milestone Goals are the intermediate, medium-term goals that represent major steps along the journey to the Big Picture Goal, and Steppingstone Goals are short-term goals that you set to help achieve incremental progress toward Milestone Goals.

To bring teams along on the journey, good leaders will be able to articulate the importance and meaning of goals at different intervals, he said. “It helps to align your goals with the goals of others so that people have inherent desires to collaborate and work towards shared prosperity.”

Another hallmark of good leadership is being inclusive. “Your plans may change, you may hit speed bumps, or find yourself in difficult circumstances. This is part of the journey,” he said. “That’s why it’s important to forgive others and yourself when things don’t go according to plan.”

When inevitable setbacks happen, Fortier-Brown recommended seeking support from friends, family, mentors, and even the Mitchell Institute to help get back on track. “Find ways to tap into the strengths and lived experiences of others,” he said. “Our differences are what inspire some of our most creative ideas.”

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