Leadership Training Topic Library

Module 1:  Orientation/Introduction to ALP, TLC, LCT

This initial session will provide participants with comprehensive information on their leadership program. Students will receive an overview of the program goals, curriculum and format. Students will understand the expectations and payoffs of participating in their leadership training series. Additionally, students will receive all their textbooks, program notebook and program syllabus that includes specific instructions for preparing for each training module topic.

All leadership programs incorporate the four styles of the learning cycle:  concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation.  This method of teaching reinforces the integration of the learning objectives into new skills acquisition and practice.

Concrete Experience:   Texts are carefully selected for each training topic with the objective of being applicable and teaching skills that are easily transferable to their current job. Several self-assessment tests are imbedded into the training modules, such as the Emotional Intelligence (EI) quiz and the DiSC personality test.

Reflective Observation:  Several of the textbooks require reflection activities and journaling as a way to encourage self-awareness and increasing EI.

Abstract Conceptualization:  Each training module has an instructive PowerPoint, how-to training videos and incorporates relevant leadership research to ensure workplace applicability.

Active Experimentation:  Each training module has “homework” assignments to challenge students to apply new skills to their work environment. The use of teaching the concepts they are learning to others (mentoring), applying concepts to current projects and setting personal goals for behavioral changes is incorporated into each training module.

Module 2:  Managing Change and Dismantling Barriers

This session teaches managers the skills necessary to understand and support change initiatives.  Managers learn strategies for moving through the three stages of change including:

• Discover the three stages of change (endings, neutral zone, beginnings).
• Identify which of the three stages of change is more difficult for them and why.
• Learn the causes or conditions around a change that can influence one’s needs through the transition that follows it.
• Understand how and why each person in a workgroup may experience transition stages differently.
• Recognize the role of communication (within teams, between teams, and between management levels) in the transition process.
• Present case studies on effective change implementation at CDER.

Streamed training video:    Ready, Set, Change!  (Reacting Smarter, Adapting Faster, Engaging Together)

Module 3:  Emotional Intelligence (part 1)

Expressions like “leave your emotions out of it” and “check your personal problems at the door” are all too common in today’s workplace.  We have been conditioned to believe that most emotions are not welcome in the workplace and that “good” decisions are based on logic and reasoning.  This just isn’t true in our highly diverse, public health and safety field.  In fact, there is a growing body of science and research that suggests that emotional intelligence (E.I.) is a critical individual and team competency required to produce successful outcomes.

This program will focus on how to understand and use emotions to build more effective team relationships and enhance honest communication.  A step-by-step approach to developing emotional competencies will be offered to strengthen you and your team.  The five key emotional competence areas are:  developing self-awareness, self-management, self-motivation, empathy and social skills.  The E.I. approach to teamwork will prove that proper understanding and use of emotions in the workplace can enable us to do our jobs better and experience greater success in working with our team members.

Training Objectives:

• Learn to identify and express their feelings as well as honoring others’ perceptions of them and their emotions.
• Accept responsibility for their emotions by utilizing the “A-B-C-D-E” (activating event, belief or self-talk, consequences, dispute, effects) method.
• List and discuss “button pushers” for distress emotions and how to turn down the intensity of these emotions.
• Tune into emotional cues of others and practice communicating empathy.
• Discuss the five emotional stages of change and the most supportive response to support coworkers.

Book: Emotional Intelligence 2.0 ; Bradberry; SOS for Emotions; Clark

Streamed training video:  Emotional Intelligence (Daniel Goleman)

Module 4: Emotional Intelligence (Part 2)  

This program teaches how to bridge the gap between the generations and shows managers how to avoid conflict and increase productivity in their generationally diverse workplace.  The session will focus on these key learning points:

• Explore 4 interaction styles and the Meyer’s Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) personality test
• Determine which traits are commonly associated with each generation and how that impacts the workplace.
• Discover how miscommunication between generations and personality styles can be avoided.
• Understand the importance of respect and unity in the workplace for people of all ages.
• Gain a better understanding of how generational stereotypes, both good and bad, can be just as disrespectful as cultural and ethnic stereotypes.
• Adjust your management style to facilitate generational preferences.

Streamed training video:  Please Respect My Generation- 5 Generations at Work

Module 5:  Time Challenged:  Developing Effective Delegation Skills

Creating effective habits to manage work flow while still maintaining balance

in your life is the focus of this workshop.  Time management skills, identifying time wasters, running efficient meetings and effective delegation are essential leadership skills.  Delegation is often the key to success for many managers.  But getting work done through others can often be difficult because it inevitably involves a loss of control.  This module presents a solid five-step process for delegating.

Training Objectives:

• Self-assess your current urgency addiction and time management skills.
• Identify the four-quadrant method of prioritization and how to move towards proactive activities vs. crisis management.
• Practice using goal setting, prioritizing and action steps as they apply to time management.
• Develop skills for effective delegation.

Book:  The 5 Choices: The Path To Extraordinary Productivity; Kogon, Merrill and Rinne.

Streamed training videos:  A Leader’s Guide to Delegation; Time Challenged                                                                                       

Module 6:  Motivating Staff:  Situational Leadership

The fundamental underpinning of the situational leadership theory is that there is no single “best” style of leadership. Effective leadership is task-relevant, and the most successful leaders are those that adapt their leadership style to the maturity of the individual or group they are attempting to lead or influence. Effective leadership varies, not only with the person or group that is being coached, but it also depends on the task, job or function that needs to be accomplished. This training will teach TLs how to set high but attainable goals, while considering their team member’s willingness and ability to take responsibility for the task. 

The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model rests on two fundamental concepts; leadership style and the individual or group’s maturity level.

Book:  Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager; Blancher, Fowles; Hawkins

Streamed training video:  The Abilene Paradox

Module 7:  Conflict Resolution and Mediation

This session addresses a skill now required in most office settings:  the ability to resolve and successfully negotiate employee disputes or conflicts.  When personality clashes or communication problems occur in the workplace, managers need to be prepared to mediate.  Students build on the techniques from the “getting to yes negotiation skills for achieving win-win outcomes” method.  When negotiation is not possible, managers may have to help resolve conflict between two individuals.  Managers will learn when problems can best be solved by mediation, how to prepare the best context for a mediation meeting, what the three primary tasks of TL-as-mediator are and how to negotiate agreements to prevent reoccurrence of conflict.  Students will complete the “Dealing with Conflict Online Assessment” to gain insights into how they currently approach conflict.  With the use of this assessment tool participants will learn the positive uses of each conflict resolution style and the most appropriate conflict style to use in any circumstance. 

Training Objectives:

• Learn your own natural style of resolving conflict.
• Learn to work collaboratively to solve conflict issues in ways that recognize the interests of all proponents while keeping the focus on performance.
• Learn when to intervene with employee conflicts and how to coach employees to find “yesable” solutions.

Book:  Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High; Patterson,           Grenny, McMillan, Switzler

Streamed training video:  Conflict Resolution

Module 8:  Sharpening Negotiation Skills:  The Getting to Yes Approach

This training module addresses a skill required in every work relationship:  the ability to resolve and successfully negotiate differences of opinion or conflicts.  When personality clashes or communication problems occur in the workplace managers need to be prepared to intervene.  With practice, the skills taught in this session will help negotiate win-win agreements and prevent conflict reoccurrences.  “Getting to Yes” is a concise step-by-step process that helps individuals or teams reach a win-win solution, no matter what the conflict.  Based on the research from the Harvard Negotiation Project, this training offers proven strategies to help mentors find mutually acceptable solutions.  This training teaches how to:

• Separate the people from the problem.
• Focus on interests, not position.
• Establish precise goals at the beginning of any dialogue/negotiation.
• Work together to create options that produce win-win solution.
• Negotiate with others who are more powerful, don’t play by the rules or resort to “dirty tricks”.

Book:  Getting to Yes:  Negotiating Without Giving In; Fisher, Ury

Module 9: Leadership and Self-Deception

Most organizational and personal problems are the result of a little known problem called “self-deception”.  Using the groundbreaking method of the Arbinger Institute this training leads you on a journey of self-discovery.  Typical “people problems” such as conflict resolution, team building, trust and communication can be traced to the source:  self-deception.  The solutions offered in this training challenge us to fundamentally change the way we look at ourselves and our interactions with others so we can “get out of the box”.  You will learn a simple solution that can lead to more than just improvement but virtual transformation of performance and ultimately, positive results in all our relationships.

Training Objectives:

• Learn that the solution to self-deception always begins with personal ownership.
• Define the concept of self-deception and self-betrayal.
• Realize some of the devastating effects of self-deception, why it is so hard for people to see and how you yourself suffer from it.
• Discover that you contribute to the problems and complaints at work.
• Understand what “in the box” behavior is.  Discuss and practice strategies to liberate from these behaviors and move towards positive communication and creative problem solving.
• Practice using the “getting out of the box” philosophy on an actual work problem.  Be prepared to deliver a plan of action.

Book:  Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out Of the Box; Arbinger Institute

Streamed training video:  Leadership and Self-Deception

Module 10:  Crucial Conversations

Communicating clearly under the best of circumstances can be a challenge.  When a team member just doesn’t want to hear it, having purposeful dialogue challenges the best communicator.  This module focuses on giving you a tool that organizes your thoughts and helps you present feedback that builds relationships and team dialogue.  You will practice each step of setting up collaborative dialogues.  Based on the book Crucial Conversations:  Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High, this module will help you: develop skills to transform anger and hurt feelings into powerful dialogue; prepare for high-stake situations; make it safe to talk about almost anything and help you develop persuasion not abrasion in your communication style.  Students will be taught the ACTION dialogue method of organizing their thoughts before crucial feedback or dialogue occurs.

Book:  Crucial Conversations; Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler

Streamed training videos: “Communicating Non-Defensively; “Verbal Communication; The Power of Words”

Module 11: Accountability that Works

This training topic focuses on building team and individual commitment to get results.  As a TL your job includes seeing measurable progress and tangible results from your staff.  At every level in OCP projects begin, tasks are assigned, efforts are made, and deadlines are met or missed.  Often directions are given but employees don’t understand them.  Deliverables are promised but not delivered.  Agreements are misunderstood or never made.  It’s not really anyone’s fault- it’s just part of how people fail to communicate in a specific and clear manner about the tasks they assign or accept.

“Accountability that Works” provides a systematic way to overcome these organizational tendencies.  This session accomplishes this goal by focusing on a three-stage cycle of accountability, responsibility, empowerment and accountability.  When these three skills are tied together by clear agreements, your team can begin to make significant progress in moving tasks forward.  Ultimately, this method of ownership builds confidence for the TL and the Office in their ability to plan, complete tasks and reach goals and timelines.

Training Objectives:

• Define responsibility, empowerment and accountability, and describe the role they play in achieving project or task success.  A current project will be used to apply the skills of “accountability that works” method.
• Describe and practice making clear agreements to build the framework for maintaining focus and overcoming obstacles.
• Discuss guidelines for managing agreements, including renegotiating or updating them when necessary.
• Discuss how to hold ourselves and others accountable for our results, no matter what the outcome.  Use a three-question debriefing method to create a “learning” experience.

Streamed Training Video:  Accountability That Works

Module 12:  Encouraging the Heart

Encouraging the heart is a book written by Kouzes and Posner.  It thoroughly covers the principles and practices that support the basic human need to be appreciated for who and what we do.  Leaders that successfully coach and mentor their staff follow the goals of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act and “encourage the heart”.  This session will review the seven essential elements of encouraging the heart: 1) set clear standards; 2) expect the best; 3) pay attention; 4) personalize recognition; 5) tell the story; 6) celebrate together; 7) set the example.  Ultimately, when TLs commend their team for achieving the values or goals of the organization they inspire them towards high productivity, increased self-confidence and high morale.

Training Objectives:

• Explain why the practice of encouraging the heart is the “heart of leadership”.
• Use the encouragement index to assess your own ability to encourage the heart.
• Describe the seven essentials of encouraging the heart.
• Describe several ways for implementing each of the seven essentials on your own team.
• Develop an action plan for improving your ability to encourage the heart.

Book:  Encourage The Heart; Kouzes and Posner

Streamed training video:  Encouraging The Heart