The role of the executive leader in business organizations has changed over the last ten years.  The pace of organizational change has increased to the level where executives are being held more accountable by boards of directors for their actions.  Executives face many challenges in today’s business environment.  Executives need to be savvy not only about strategic and financial issues of the business, but they also need to know and understand their leadership style and emotional quotient, ways to motivate direct reports and employees throughout the company, and how to manage organizational development to impact the culture of their organizations.  To this end, the participants will assess their leadership style and their emotional quotient, look at leader competencies, participate in a 360 degree feedback process and coaching process, and complete a post-course developmental assignment

This three-day seminar focuses on helping executives learn how to identify and manage the challenges they face.  Current research is cited in a way that the participants can immediately apply to their personal and professional lives.  In this highly interactive and fun seminar, the participants learn how to gain insight into their executive role and practice new knowledge and skills for their jobs.  The course structure and learning activities include:

1.   Course pre-work to be completed online via the internet Situational Leadership LEAD instrument and Executive Emotional Quotient on-line assessment,

2.   During the three-day course, the participants will complete the Situational Leader self-assessment instruments, view the Excellence Files video, participate in individual exercises, create an end of course developmental assignment to be completed before the second course session, small groups and large group activities; 

3.    After the completion of the course, the participants will complete the 360 degree feedback materials (within two weeks following the course), receive individual coaching by telephone the course leaders (to be completed within six weeks the end of the course), participate in a TELECLASS debrief process via telephone, and a final written report from the participants will be due back within six months after the completion of the course online. 

The role of the facilitator is to model the behaviors learned in this course, disclose personal examples from their work lives, and to use a high directing/high supportive leadership style with the participants based on the Situational Leadership Model.

Major content pieces:

Ø      Leadership Challenges - ways to motivate direct reports and employees throughout the company, how to manage organizational development to impact the culture of their organizations, recognizing when you as a leader are about to crash and burn, and assessing your Executive Emotional Quotient online.

Ø      Situational Leadership – assess my current leadership style, influencing the performance of others, assessing the criteria for performance, increasing productivity and solving performance problems, and leveraging performance.

Ø      Leader Portfolio – covering issues and hands-on techniques to: how to identify and match leadership style and follower readiness, examine the organizational culture issue of trust, how to participate in top management teams, how to organize for empowerment, how to move beyond teams to communities of practice, what to consider as executive in the coaching role, how to determine when you have reached the top of your personal learning curve and it is time to move through a renewal process, what to do with the three-way mirror feedback results from your 360 degree feedback process situational leadership profile, and Executive EQ assessment, how to work with your coach after the course, how to plan for your post-course developmental assignment, and how to get the most out of  your tele-course debrief session.

2.  Target Audience:

Executives at the senior level of the organization who are senior managers, vice-presidents, senior vice-presidents, executive vice-presidents, and presidents and CEOs.

3.  Course Structure 

Part 1:  The Workshop

               Day One: The Leadership Challenges

• Open with Leadership vs. Management (from Situational Leadership)

Build the rest of the day with subjects that tie into Situational Leadership effectively, plus as much of a tie-in as possible on Day Three.

Three-Way Mirror:     EQ Assessment – Course Pre-work                             Leadership Style Preferences – Completed evening Day #1 360 degree feedback

Leadership Competencies

            Building Trust

            Effective Communication  - your leader story

            Emotional Intelligence

            (All of the above – create the ability to get results through others)

                 Day Two: Situational Leadership (Take away: 360 degree 
                                 feedback)

                 Day Three:

Ø      Leading in a culturally diverse environment 

Ø      Energizing your organization to succeed in whitewater (Managing Change)

Part 2: Individual Coaching Sessions

These will be initiated by a qualified coach who has been trained in coaching participants using the Three-Way Mirror – the final piece being the 360 degree Situational Leadership FB. The purpose of the coaching session will be to discuss the results of the FB and then adjusting/completing his/her Individual Development Plan.  The Plan will be started in the workshop and then finalized during the coaching session. 

The window for coaching sessions should be within 4-weeks of the workshop. This will create a sense of urgency to implement the feedback process immediately and get their reports back quickly.

A final written report back will be requested six months after the workshop – this can be done on-line.

Part 3: Teleclass Debrief

This can be done via a bridge line – so people can participate from any location.

To be held approximately 3 months after the workshop. It should be facilitated by the original course leader – with the date set before the close of the workshop.  Two e-mail reminders should be sent (1) three-weeks, (2) one-week in advance.

Basic Teleclass rules and etiquette can be provided the leaders. An agenda will be developed for the purpose of discussing the results of their application of the principles/concepts taught in the workshop.

            What worked?

            What didn’t ?

            Where are they struggling?  Challenges? 

4.  Overall Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, you will be better able to:

    Ø      Select a definition of a leader that applies to you

 Ø      Distinguish between being a manager and being a leader

 Ø      Describe and apply the six constants of leadership by creating your leader story

 Ø      Assess your Executive Emotional Quotient by completing the Executive Emotional Quotient assessment instrument

 Ø      Create a Leadership Portfolio to track your progress during and after the course

 Ø      Assess your leadership style by using and understanding the Situational Leadership Model and techniques

 Ø      Learn the five warning signs of failure for leaders and how to avoid them

 Ø      Describe the six habits of highly ineffective leaders and learn ways to 
      sidestep these traps in your own career

 Ø      Identify the eight characteristics of effective executive leaders

 Ø      Consider the personal learning curve to avoid burnout and recognize when to begin the renewal process

 Ø      Identify the work of leadership to clarify individual and organizational goals

 Ø      Apply emotional intelligence to your executive leadership role

 Ø      Recognize and promote communities of practice in the organization to evolve beyond the team concept

 Ø      Review the Harley Davidson Company leadership turnaround as a case study to create a motivating work environment

5.  Course Design:

 Reference List

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O’Neill, John.  The Paradox of Success: When Winning at Work Means Losing at Life.  1995.

Evolution and Revolution: As Organizations Grow.  Harvard Business Review, May-June, 1998.

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier.  Harvard Business Review, January-February, 2000.

Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, The Invetible Cons. Harvard Business Review, January-February, 2000.

The Executive as Coach.  Harvard Business Review, November-December, 1996.

Harley’s Leadership Turn.  Harvard Business Review, July-August, 2000.

Why CEOs Fail? Fortune. June 21, 1999.

The Work of Leadership.  Harvard Business Review.  January-Ferbuary, 1997.

Tichy, Noel.  The Leadership Engine.  1997.

Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Organizations.  Grossett/Putnam: New York, 1997.

Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?  Harvard Business Review, September-October, 2000.

Beckhard, Richard, Marshall Goldsmith and Frances Hesselbein, eds. The Leader of the Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996.

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Frigon, Normand L. and Harry K. Jackson, Jr. The Leader: Developing the Skills and Personal Qualities You Need to Lead Effectively. New York: AMACOM, 1996.

Ket de Vries, Manfred F.R. Life and Death in the Executive Fast Lane. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995.

Kotter, John. Leading Change. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.

Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner. Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993.

Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge: How toKeep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations. 2nd Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1995.