It’s Game Time! Aspiring Leadership Through Encouragement and Connection

ID: WMA2026_530

Track:

Words have profound power; they can lift someone up or tear someone down. Jan Spence shares how pursuing her lifelong dream of playing professional football led to an unexpected opportunity to inspire change through encouraging words and simple actions. Through her Cheer Leadership® approach, Jan shows how encouragement empowers teams to aspire beyond limitations, strengthen connections, and collaborate in meaningful ways.

Session Information

Format: Regular session/panel (roundtable, single speaker, etc.)

Uniqueness: A former professional female football player shares Cheer Leadership® tools that turn encouragement into actionable leadership strategies to strengthen engagement, collaboration, and organizational culture.

Objectives:

After this session, attendees will be able to:

1. Implement practical ways to encourage and connect with team members, volunteers, and community stakeholders.
2. Discover and apply Cheer Leadership® skills to strengthen collaboration and increase engagement within their organizations.
3. Create a plan to connect with colleagues and stakeholders in distinctive ways that inspire commitment and support a shared mission.

Engagement: Jan delivers a high-energy, interactive keynote designed to keep audiences fully engaged—no boring slideshows. Through humor, storytelling, and guided audience participation, attendees will reflect on real workplace situations, share insights with those around them, and practice simple encouragement strategies they can apply immediately. Participants leave with practical Cheer Leadership® tools and a clear plan to strengthen connections, engage teams and volunteers, and create a more collaborative, inspired workplace culture.

Relationship to Theme:

Audience

Audiences: Curators/Scientists/Historians Development and Membership Officers Events Planning Facilities Management Personnel Marketing & Communications (Including Social Media) Registrars, Collections Managers Technology 

Professional Level: All levels 

Scalability: The principles of Cheer Leadership® are universal and adaptable across organizations of all sizes. Whether leading a small team, managing volunteers, or guiding a large staff, the strategies focus on intentional encouragement, clear communication, and meaningful connection. These practical tools help leaders strengthen collaboration, increase engagement, and foster cultures where people feel valued and motivated to contribute to a shared mission.

Participants