Customized Professional Training Solutions

from
THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT
Seattle, Washington
(206) 772-9277

Strategic Leadership Effectiveness

Our Leadership Program focuses on helping you build a self-evolving organization. With these principles and practices you will counteract low productivity and procrastination, boost morale and drive, and build a strong work ethic without creating more stress. The end result is a healthy, motivated, cooperative working environment and team.

This comprehensive program is customized for your requirements. You may want to implement this program immediately. Yet you probably don't want just "off the shelf" generic type materials. Instead you would want them designed for your specific organizational needs. To begin the process of fitting the program to your organization, we provide you with a survey which effectively elicits the highest needs of your people.

All training programs are built in a modular format. The value of the modular structure is that the seminar is easily tailored to your specific requirements. There are times when taking modules from separate trainings and blending them is beneficial. Your people may be great already in some aspects of a proposed course. If so, that module can be replaced with content from other programs. We tailor our programs so that they really fit your desired requirements.

We provide follow-up with people who go through our programs to make certain that: 1. they are using the principles and strategies they learned during the sessions, and 2. the results can be tracked and measured. This guarantees that you'll get high value for the investment you make in your people.

Organizational effectiveness isn't an accident. To manage the rapidly changing environment of today, professional development is essential. The path to creating an exceptional organization is through executives, managers and employees operating at peak performance levels. When everyone within your organization knows and applies best practices, your chances for achieving the targeted results grows exponentially.

Our Guarantee :
If at the end of any session we provide, you think you have not received high value for your investment, we will waive our fees and the session will be free . We work at providing only excellent quality training and products to assist you in achieving your goals. We stand behind everything we do with this unconditional guarantee.

Purpose of This Training

This program is designed to assist individuals desiring to develop proven skill sets of the most proactive leaders. This program incorporates strategies beneficial to increasing an individuals' abilities at self-leadership, as well as best practices in effective leadership of team members. This training is a synthesis of research on what it takes to become a world-class leader.

Twenty years ago, the University of London conducted a research study to determine primary characteristics of top achievers in the fields of medicine and psychology, the arts, business, and athletics. They found most were just average in many ways--except in a few key traits. These men and women had the ability to highly influence themselves and others to take action, learn from their successes and mistakes, stay inspired to keep on task until their desired goal was achieved, and manage conflict (both internal and external) quickly and decisively.

This highly interactive program provides comprehensive strategies used by exceptional leaders, and is structured for maximum learning effectiveness. People learn best by a combination of seeing, hearing and doing. Therefore, participants will experience a carefully designed combination of:

Program Approach

This leadership program is an integration of strategies for applying proven leadership principles and practices more effectively, communicating with influence and accuracy, and motivating others to create a winning team. These skills and values blend together in counteracting low productivity and increasing proactiveness. This training doesn't just give what to do, it delivers the how to do it and the reasons why these strategies work.

The outcome will be an enhancement of leadership abilities and professional relationships in the work environment. This will be achieved through clarifying the managers understanding and applications of effectiveness skill-sets, and teaching them proactive models which give them more options for managing situations encountered. For a management team to achieve a higher level of production and employee satisfaction, new models and the principles associated with consultative partnering will be developed.

Through skillful application of the principles and practices learned in the 12 modules, both managers and team members at all levels who go through the program, can greatly increase their professional effectiveness. This training provides insightful applications of the traits and skills documented to be of highest value to exceptional leaders and performers.

Throughout this leadership program are the themes of values driven leadership, partnering within the team, managing conflict, communicating openly and clearly, and strategies for building effective relationships with employees and with clients. This will be approached directly through lecture, exercises and group discussions so continuity is maintained.

The above themes will be on-goingly tied to your organizations vision, mission and goals so participants have a yardstick to measure if they are off or on-track. Through tying the principles, skills and attitudes to your organization's mission statement, individuals will have a reminder that assists in reinforcing and applying the concepts.

Goals & Objectives of
the Leadership Program:

1. The Leader's Vision & Commitment

Vision is supported by goals and is driven by the values of the individual and the organization. Without having an inspiring vision, there is no sustained commitment to a course of action or current goals. Leadership in its best form is assisting others to find solutions, whether assisting individuals in the team or clients being served. Uncovering desired goals and driving values through effective evaluation and communication is an absolute must. To not have this skill at ones fingertips means you will lose good people and lessen client satisfaction. Part of leadership is uncovering peoples passion and link it to the mission, vision and desired goals. It's helping employees to distinguish between "means" and "ends" goals and values to stimulate the highest levels of motivation and performance. Through this, good leaders know how to drive out fears and resistance while boosting trust, cooperation and proactiveness in others.

2. Strategic Distinctions Between Leading & Managing

Being able to use effective leadership strategies will separate mediocre performance and team work from those who achieve excellence. Learning the mental and behavioral patterns of highly successful leaders, and how to adapt them to your management style can make a significant difference. Stepping-up to the leadership challenge, while moving between the "hats" of leadership and management is an absolute must for professional effectiveness. Implementing change strategies, and growing a culture which fosters the best management and employees have to give is crucial. There are two key traits of great leaders--they have the ability to discern when to be task focused, and when to be relationship focused. The ability to evaluate what is needed with both the people and the work must be highly developed and ongoingly refined. Self-responsibility leads to a personal connection with best principles and practices. This then takes the leader and the team ever closer to achieving desired goals and producing significant bottom-line results.

3. Becoming a Great Communicator

All business revolves around interpersonal relationships--leader to employee, employee to employee, or employee to client. The purpose of this module is to provide breakthrough strategies for leaders, which enables them to evolve themselves and their people to higher levels of communication, motivation and performance. Knowing how to use both the verbal and non-verbal sides of communication for persuasion, clarity and motivation makes a major difference in leadership effectiveness. Great communication also means gaining skills at self-management. Often, outer relationships are a mirror of the resources a person has within that they draw upon, and how they communicate within themselves. Learning how to "read" people better, and communicating in the way they best understand, allows you to give and get messages with less mis-communications and more clarity. This is a significant part of creating a thriving relationship.

4. Creating a Passionate Driving Force for the Team

Eliciting professional passions and linking them to ones work triggers high productivity and enthusiasm for the people and tasks. Leaders who learn to draw out their employee's passion will stimulate higher levels of productivity and higher satisfaction for the employee. This process breathes new life into the organization. Part of a leader's process is being able to assist their people in moving beyond the "it's just my job" attitude. Learning the attitudes and behaviors which rapidly grow this energetic and positive environment is not accidental. The best leaders grew these abilities, and the secrets to making this happen can now be incorporated into professional practices. When the team implements these high-performance strategies, the organization benefits from receiving both a higher level of productivity and an exceptional quality of work being done. Staying on-track so your team achieves both, then generates higher levels of satisfaction for the employees and for the clients being served. This builds a collaborative partnership between leader, employees and clients so that all win.

5. Being Assertive Without Being Offensive

It's essential to discern between assertiveness and aggressiveness. Knowing how to make a point while not offending or pushing "hot buttons" of the person you are interacting with is a must. Understanding personal patterns of behavior and the tonal and body messages being sent is a foundation for building strong relationships. Part of being assertive means having the ability to not become flustered under pressure through maintaining personal control of ones own internal triggers. Learning to be assertive without being aggressive includes understanding personal power--what it is, where it comes from, and how to use it confidently. Part of this process is learning to side-step defensiveness while maintaining on-track discussions. It's also keeping focused on key points without becoming side-tracked in an emotionally charged situation. Leading effectively also includes having the ability to say "no" without feeling guilty or stimulating hostility in employees or clients, through mastering the 4 steps to asserting while maintaining rapport with others.

6. Managing the Rapids of Change & Transition

It used to be that change would occur and then things would settle down over time to the new way. This is no longer true in today's rapidly changing environment. It is more akin to never ending white water. Instead of paddling in a river that is relatively stable with occasional rapids, the never ending white water rapids of change have set in. Being able to manage multiple priorities is essential. Knowing that before a project can even be fully completed the outcome for it may change. Understanding the #1 fear that triggers resistance to doing things differently allows the effective leader to understand how to manage the core phases of change. Knowing methods for getting the job done, while instituting changes in the process, while at the same time managing employees discomfort and frustration is a big job. Learning a step-wise process to turn an issue into an action-plan will make any manager's job easier and more productive. Great leaders realize change is to be expected and is healthy. They learn to embrace it, while having a framework for managing the white water turbulence it brings.

7. Exceptional Planning Tactics for Project Management

To be effective at getting the numerous tasks done in the normal routine, while planning, coordinating and managing one or more projects simultaneously, requires a high degree of skill. To make the assumption that "it'll all work out" is naive at best. Designing a project or work flow so it moves on schedule is a challenge to the best of project managers. Knowing how to plan for contingencies is an often undone part of the process which in many situations makes the difference between success and failure. Inside of the plan and contingencies is the process of promoting buy-in to the work needing to be done. Through learning how to get others to participate and live up to their commitments, the project can move from beginning to completion with less stress and more support from all involved. Being able to overview the process in the initial planning stages so that potential bottle-necks are anticipated will make the process move more smoothly. Learning the lay-out for The Effectiveness Planning System will simplify and speed-up the entire process of planning, implementation, tracking, follow-through, closure and feedback for any project.

8. Partnering--Pathways of Proactiveness

This training is for any person who deals directly with others. Being a consultative partner, no matter what role one plays in the business loop, is a requirement for a 21st century business to succeed. Every contact with an employee or client can help or hurt your organization. Establishing and maintaining great communication and service excellence is the pathway to success. This module incorporates strategic elements essential to leadership style flexibility so satisfying, long-term partner type relationships are built. Partnering type leaders know how to make every contact an "interpersonal marketing" opportunity--building alliance and goodwill. They've learned methods for creating synergy within their team which encourages each member to take proprietary interest in both desired results and organizational culture. Knowing how to apply the Framework of Personal Effectiveness can launch individuals and the team into new levels of effectiveness. This framework model allows the leader and people to rapidly overcome blocks in interactions, because they can immediately evaluate where they've become stuck and know what's needed to proactively move beyond the obstacle.

9. Beyond Team-Building

Teaming involves coaching. Getting people to live up to their potential and not get side-tracked is a core requirement of a coach. Understanding how to draw out the employees best, while avoiding the fatal flaws of failed coaches, builds an unstoppable team. "If it is to be, it's up to me" is the motto of the highest achievers. For a team to be highly effective it must move beyond the group mentality into collaborating as empowered individuals. The team needs to build on the resources of each member and work synergistically so they don't become stuck in just doing a routine. Together the leader and team are greater than the sum of the parts. To create an empowered team means selling your team on itself and building deeper pride and professionalism. Knowing leadership strategies for getting team members to be better self-managers, encourages them to support and encourage each other. You then receive their best and most innovative ideas. There's an increase in passion for supporting the vision while working individually and collectively toward worthwhile goals.

10. Overcoming Stress in High-Pressure Situations

Stress is the body's response to demands made on it mentally or physically. Pressure is the force created and exerted on you, by your mind, from perceived expectations (yours and others.) Both pressure and stress are within your control. Assessing what your stress drivers are is highly important. When you know what hooks you, you can pre-program your desired response, instead of just reacting. During this module you'll learn how to use eustress (positive stress) for being more motivated without letting it build into general stress which saps your energy and makes you feel bad. You will also gain strategies for catching stress responses others are showing. This allows your people to work more effectively and keeps morale higher. Learn how to implement 3 strategies which immediately change your employee's response to pressure when it does arise. By learning to increase control over emotions which can erupt during pressure or emotionally charged situations, you can more effectively promote a culture and environment that's beneficial to employees and clients. Included in this gaining control are at least 5 methods for rapidly eliminating overwhelm. By employing these methods you'll be able to manage your environment more effectively making your day flow more smoothly and enjoyably.

11. Dealing with Difficult People and Problem Solving

Disagreement in human relationships is a natural and normal part of dealing with others. How long a disagreement lasts, how far it escalates and how frequently it occurs is within your control. Without conflict there would be no progress. Solving problems and overcoming conflicts is a core skill required for leadership effectiveness. Handling a person who is angry or choosing to be difficult is a skill of mastery. Once the situation is effectively managed, often the person you have had difficulty with will never again present the same negative persona to you again. Tension is like a propellant driving human heat seeking missiles. Without it work is boring, relationships stagnate, creativity is low and satisfaction of accomplishment just doesn't feel as fulfilling. Discover how you may be accidentally egging the negative situation on. Being able to manage the levels of tension required for team effectiveness is a highly refined skill (because individuals require varying levels of it to work up to their potential.) Does this mean you want to be out there wrecking havoc on employees so they feel the tension? No,...yet you need to provide background stimuli so they feel motivated to achieve. The skills to manage conflict, and the skills to trigger motivation are intertwined.

12. Incorporating Foundational Success Practices

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich said, "Success leaves tracks which we can follow." He also said, "Sustained success is no accident." During this session the "practice" of success will be integrated in with all other information which came before. During this module the leader will learn to apply personally and professionally the 8 foundational principles of success. This begins to turn work into a more highly productive and fulfilling adventure. Sustained successful action results only when success has first been believed and experienced within the individual. There are 3 core beliefs which the ongoingly successful in every field run their lives by. Participants will explore these and learn to use them as signposts for determining if they (and their people) are on-track. They'll know how to convert wishful thinking into a goal defined strategy for accomplishment. Participants will also learn unsuspected ways an "us versus them" culture gets created and how to break or reverse the pattern so the manager, employees and clients being served all win.

Evaluation & Assessment
of Training Effectiveness

The training programs will have three types of evaluation: Formative, In-Process & Summative.

Formative: This is the process of interviewing a sample population of the people who will be attending the training programs. In order to see what the participants have gained, they must assess where they are currently and the goals/outcomes they wish to achieve. This assists in fine-tuning the programs so they meet the needs of the attendees. This clarifies goals, objectives, criteria for success and allows the trainer to "get a feel for" the people they will be working with.

In-Process: During the training the attendees can measure if they are adding new or improved methods to their skill base. The information and techniques are able to be assessed on the spot for applicability to their position and needs. Through modeling, role-playing, demonstrations and discussion they experience, they evaluate their performance on a given skill-set. This is then directive of the work they need to do after the program to ingrain the competency into their responses and methods of operation.

Summative: This evaluation and assessment is both immediate (right after completing the program) and long-term (one or more evaluations, one to six months after the formal training ends.) This evaluative process involves determining the amount of information they retain, the impact and change it has made on previous behaviors and actions, the usefulness of the materials, the level of satisfaction they have achieved through the new principles and practices, and the ways they have adapted the training uniquely into their job and relationships.

Creating an Action
Plan for Achievement

Prior to beginning training the participants will set goals and evaluate their objectives for participating in the program. During the training they will be able to see if they are making progress on achievement of those goals and objectives through discussion and experiential learning. After each session, they will formulate an Action Plan for applying what they have received. This Action Plan process goes until the next session of the program. If the program is only one session long, or at the end of the last session of the program, they will form a long-term Action Plan. This becomes a benchmark for them to measure their progress and a proactive method for them to incorporate best practices into their professional experience.

This long-term Action Plan is what they will do with the information they gain, and how they will follow-through. They will have a peer they are accountable to, who assists in putting the concepts and skills into practice. Using Dr. Iverson's Action Plan strategy ensures long-term retention of the concepts and better incorporation of the materials into ones work-life. The Action Plan is also a method of assessing follow-through on the core competencies your organization and that individual deem essential.

If your group has specific methods of assessment they want to use (along with, or instead of Dr. Iverson's) those evaluations can be given.

Follow-Up to the
Leadership Training Program

How do people learn best? By accurate repetition. Being coached by an experienced trainer or mentor, and through reviewing the information and feedback they receive, skill-sets deepen and become more their own.

From our experience with many large and small organizations, we have seen follow-up contacts with The Institute after training pay great dividends. As a result of our training program, your executives and managers will be able to work more effectively with others in their leadership capacity. They will have our detailed Leadership Manual and their notes to refer to after the training. Hopefully they will use one another as a support and feedback system for the concepts and practices they will gain. These tools and peer support will take them far in being a more effective leader and in successfully deepening or developing additional competencies in their roles.

Contact The Institute for Advanced Development today for pricing or more detailed information.
Call (206) 772-9277 or email our Customer Service Representative