Three Days • Instructor Led
Over the three days participants will engage in intensive and interactive sessions that will explore the essential skill set for effective management of staff, resources, time, and productivity. Each session will provide direct instruction by an experienced instructor with a background in supervision and management. In addition, the sessions will provide the opportunity for participants to share their experiences, concerns, and questions to draw upon the instructor’s and group’s collective knowledge base. At the end of the Leadership Institute, participants will have a sound foundation in the Essentials for Supervisors.
Audience
The Leadership Institute is a three-day program that has been developed to address the needs of:
- employees who have been recently promoted into management or supervisory roles; and,
- experienced supervisors who want to brush up on their supervisory skills.
Objectives
- Organize for better time management as a leader
- Define leadership
- Assess personal leadership style
- Evaluate employee performance appraisals
- Develop insights in motivation factors
- Overview the communication process
- Explore aspects of effective team building
- Learn effective conflict resolution skills
- Achieve successful change management abilities
Course Outline
Lesson 1: Defining Leadership
The focus of this session is on the daily concerns of supervision and to gain better understanding of the leadership role including:
- Providing leadership and direction
- Managing or supervising others to ensure productivity
- Taking responsibility for the performance of staff
Lesson 2: Leadership Styles
This session examines the styles of leadership and provide participants the opportunity to self-assess their particular style. Other objectives include:
- Identify how people prefer to interact
- Increase participant’s self-awareness
- Increase understanding of employees
- Identify leadership styles and when to switch styles
Lesson 3: Employee Performance
Participants will examine how to evaluate performance on an on-going basis, set realistic performance objectives, and conduct effective appraisal conferences. The session also covers the necessity of quality performance improvement plans, how to analyze individual performance, and provide feedback in ways that produce results and not resentment. Topics also include:
- Defining the performance appraisal process
- Elements of the performance appraisal
- The performance appraisal conferences
- The ‘difficult’ performance appraisal
Lesson 4: Motivation
During this session, participants will develop insights into how people are motivated and explore ways the supervisor can influence employees’ performance. Participants will also examine:
- What is peak performance?
- Work habits of effective workers
- Techniques for providing motivation
Lesson 5: Team Building
Building the skills to function effectively as a team is often overlooked in the work environment. Yet building a positive and productive team is one of the most important aspects of a supervisor’s role.
Participants will explore:
- Individual learning styles
- Definition of a team
- Developing inter-personal relationships
- Understand team dynamics
Lesson 6: Time Management for Leaders
Successful and productive supervisors all have a common characteristic: the ability to manage time well. This session provides time management techniques as well as:
- Planning, organizing and implementing tasks and activities
- Minimizing interruptions, paperwork, email and meetings
- Delegating – when, who, and how
Lesson 7: Communication
This session will provide an overview of the communication process and the importance of communicating clearly and concisely. Other topics include:
- Verbal and nonverbal communication
- Effective questioning and listening skills
- Conducting effective meetings
- Understanding group dynamics
- The subtlety of body language
Lesson 8: Conflict Resolution
Conflict, differing opinions, and difficult people are all part of the workplace. Supervisors need to accept such as a reality, but in this session the participants will study how to control their response to conflict and find resolution to difficult issues and situations. Topics will include:
- Assessing your attitude
- Managing your emotions
- Managing difficult people
- Conflict management strategies
- Building positive relationships
Lesson 9: Change Management
Change is an inevitable part of doing business and a way of life. Knowing how to intentionally and successfully manage change is a prerequisite for anyone in a supervisory capacity. Participants will examine:
- The definition and components of change
- The process of managing change
- Employee reaction to change