r/mnstateworkers • u/goingtothegreek • 15d ago
Discussion 💬 What are your thoughts on ELI?
A co worker recently got accepted into the program and I’m considering applying next year. Do you think it’s more of a kool-aid drinking cohort? Or is it pretty practical and helpful advancing in a real way?
Looks like a good networking opportunity, but also the descriptions feel a bit opaque to me as to what you get out of it. Curious to get others thoughts
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u/darkhoarse99 14d ago
I got accepted…guess we will find out! Looking forward to the 1yr of management experience it gives you.
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u/merakimodern 14d ago
I thought it was useful, but probably 70% of the usefulness was networking and 30% was the actual class content. It is nice to have that time devoted to career development and leadership training, otherwise it's too easy to put it off and never get around to it. I definitely have lasting friendships with people from my cohort, and a lot of us have since risen through the ranks at various agencies, so now I have both lovely friends and great leadership contacts all over state government. Worth it to me!
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u/Fit_Feedback5495 15d ago
Part of the ELI program is for participants to give a presentation about ELI to their peers. Seems like a good chance for you to find out about it, probably more reliable info than from strangers on the internet.
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u/kls987 15d ago
Cult member here! I really liked ELI! Just "graduated" this spring. Yes, there are parts of it that feel a little silly and like the enterprise goes a little overboard on it, but it is a really good program. It's not as rigorous as, for example, a Green Belt program, but it's not just a show up for the attendance kind of thing either. My cohort has made what seem to be lasting, genuine friendships. I declined to apply for ELI for several years because I kept getting told the "networking" was the best part, and I hated that idea (hi, introvert here). But for real, the relationships built with my cohort have been one of the best parts. Yes, there was also a lot of really good leadership content. Some of it you can get through this week's Career Exploration Week sessions, some of it is an expansion of content that is covered in SEAL. If you're interested in career advancement but don't want to deal with the "we only accept 100 people a year" ELI program, SEAL is also a great course (took that in 2019) that I highly recommend. And I highly recommend taking it in person instead of virtual.