Learning to Lead 1 & 2 (2-part course) 

Any manager willing to develop the necessary skills can learn to lead others effectively. What qualifies as “great leadership” canv ary depending on the specifics of the situation and people involved. Part 1 of this course provides an introduction to leadership theories, definitions , and the characteristics of effective leaders. In Part 2 we focus on application of leadership best practices, specifically motivation and employee engagement from the leader’s perspective.

Managing Organizational Change

Change is the norm in today’s organizations. The increasing complexity of technology, the global marketplace, customer expectations ,and vigorous competition all drive continuous and accelerating change. Unfortunately, the “people side” of change is often ignored, misunderstood or mismanaged, resulting in confusion, low morale, reduced productivity and job burnout (stress).This impact on the emotional wellbeing of an organization’s human resources can also effect the bottom line. The organization and its employees’ chances for successfully managing change depend upon first understanding the change process itself and its emotional impact on people.

Thinking about Thinking (Critically) Every day we make decisions. In the workplace and in our private lives we act on information (incoming and what we already know), to determine our actions, and by extension, affect those around us. Should we revise a certain policy? Should we begin a formal approach to managing poor performance? Who should do what work? When an organization fosters an awareness of the role of thought in healthy functioning, healthy high performance is the natural result. Coaching is easier and more frequent, decisions are made with greater confidence and clarity, and work seems more enjoyable. The key is an understanding of how our thinking affects our performance.

Help Me Help You: The Coaching Relationship

Planned people development, or coaching, should be high on the priority list for all leaders. A formal coaching policy and procedure are not required. Rather, a coaching philosophy should be part of the manager’s normal routine. Whether a person wants to advance in their career to increasingly responsible positions or not, they must continue to learn & grow to improve their performance and keep pace with development in their field. We will see that managing the performance of those who report to us is not a once-a-year event, but an ongoing process—and it can be richly rewarding!

Love ‘Em or They’ll Leave You: Increasing Employee Engagement 

Understanding the key motivational factors of employee engagement impacts the bottom line. When managers “get” what employees need in order to succeed on the job, and begin adapting their behavior, processes and programs around these key motivators, the workplaces changes for the better. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not all about money. It’s about making sure your employees have an opportunity to do what they do best every day, taking an active role in developing individuals, and clearly communicating expectations. This course uses assessment, grounded research, and practical solutions to raise the level of engagement in your organization.

Teams that Work

Teams are becoming the norm in today's workplace. In this course, you'll learn the components of a successful team and the stages of its development. You'll come away with a framework for leveraging individual dynamics in a team context and how to promote collaboration, cohesion, and accountability. You’ll discover how to lead teams that are high-performing and self- directed through mastering principles of communication, delegation, and trust.

Bench Press: Managing Team Strengths

This highly interactive course increases the leader’s ability to build a strong team where individual’s have an opportunity to do wha they do best every day. When the workplace is designed around strengths maximization everyone wins: individuals feel empowered, managers see the team achieving goals, and organizations experience net gains. A strengths-based culture allows people to thrive as they become active participants in the organization’s success.

Performance Management Essentials

To effectively manage performance requires the ability to establish goals, clearly communicate expectations, and maintain ongoing rapport with direct reports. Performance management goes beyond the annual appraisal to build a collaborative, continuous performance process that increases buy-in and engagement while holding employees accountable for meeting mutually agreed on objectives.

Real Smarts: Leveraging Emotional Intelligence

Researchers say that emotional intelligence is even more important than intellectual intelligence. Daniel Goleman defines emotional intelligence (EQ) as “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions well, in ourselves and in our relationships.” People with high EQ cope well with their own emotions, and they notice, and respond appropriately to the emotions of other people. The good news is that emotional intelligence can be developed and nurtured, which is the basis of this course.

 Push Me – Pull You: Understanding Persuasion and Influence

In both our personal and professional lives, the ability to influence attitudes and communicate persuasively plays a decisive role in one's sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and level of success. We make regular attempts to influence others; in turn, others make regular attempts to influence us. But, despite the importance of persuasion, few people have had formal training on the topic. With the stakes so high, it’s important to understand both sides of the persuasion issue. This means that we must not only learn strategies for being more persuasive, but also how to recognize why these strategies work, and how to manage them when they are applied to us.

Mastering Messages: Workplace Communication Essentials

We often think of communication as the words we say, but many factors are involved in the communication process. The critical factor of communicating is not the message sent, but how the message is received. Communication is the lifeline of an organization. It connects employees at all levels, and allows different parts of a business to work together effectively. Managers maintain this lifeline by their involvement in the communication process. This class examines the specifics of organizational and interpersonal communication, and the importance of developing effective listening skills.

Managing Your Mouth

If we don’t pay attention to the words that come out of our mouths and focus on saying things the right way at the right time, we’ll open the floodgates of rumor, innuendo and other misinterpretations of the subject. There are both positive and negative aspects to managing your mouth: the positive focuses on how to say things the right way at the right time.The negative focuses on learning to control what we say to avoid embarrassment, controversy, and the terrible taste of shoe leather. Managing what you say will increase the likelihood that you’ll get what you want, help you avoid misunderstandings and hurt feelings, and creates a positive reputation for you. By applying the principles of managing your mouth you will begin to examine the way you communicate and start thinking before you speak.

Writing Well at Work

Communication happens faster now than ever before. Technology allows us to send memos immediately, to distribute a report and share it throughout a network, to upload our thoughts onto a website in a matter of minutes. Most employees are creating their own written communication and send it at the touch of a key, or more frequently now, using generative AI to write for them. Yet with the benefits of instant communication come many hazards and risks. Emails are forwarded to unintended parties, memos get sent to customers with inaccurate information, uninspiring information is shared  in a report, message sare inconsistent, unprofessional and unpersuasive. This workshop focuses on practical tips for all levels of communicators.

Jerks at Work

Some people call them "difficult." But whatever you call them, one thing is certain: they drive you crazy. What can you do about them? While you can't make the many more likable, you can learn to communicate with them more effectively—and possibly, get them to change the way they interact with you. It's a matter of knowing how to deal with people at their worst. Of course, some people will always be beyond your ability to reach; such people let you practice the skills you'll need at another time, to preserve a more valuable relationship.

Customer Experience Optimization 

Developing business relationships and creating a positive image for ourselves with coworkers and clients is a needed skill in today’s business environment. The image we present—and the underlying character we cultivate—greatly influences our success in the workplace.This course guides participants through the sometimes murky world of customer relationship management and business etiquette, and offers practical tools for handling today’s complex business environment. Through self-assessment, group discussion and relevant exercises you will learn to act with professionalism and tact in a variety of workplace situations.

Project Management 101: A Course for Non-Project Managers

This course provides an overview of the terminology, processes and phases of a project to create a level playing field for employees asked to participate on a project team. Participants from varied backgrounds will find practical tools to help them understand the complexities of project management in a relevant, fun way. They will learn about planning, scheduling, budgeting, monitoring and controlling projects and how to avoid scope creep and other barriers to project success.

Good Choice! Decision Making for Individuals and Teams

Critical thinking and creative solutions to problems can significantly improve the bottom line. Today’s decision makers must use a variety of thinking styles, methodologies and creative processes to discover the right solution at the right time. In this course, you develop your skills as a critical thinker and problem solver, and how teams can work collaboratively to make better decisions. You learn to understand and leverage your personal thinking preferences using tools and techniques based on the latest thinking.