Opening Evening Session for StreetSmart Leadership™

You’ll be joining us Sunday evening for an opening reception. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., we will engage in opening activities that allow us to get to know each other in a casual and informal environment while we enjoy cocktails and hors d’oevres. Following that, you’ll have an opportunity to collaborate with your new teammates to solve a "world-class dilemma" facing all humanity…! This entertaining and intriguing activity will help set-the-stage for what is to come as you enter the world of StreetSmart Leadership™. We will conclude the evening at 9:00 PM.

Day One - Leading Change

We begin by painting a a clear picture of the power of vision and how successful leaders use vision, together with strategic planning to direct personal and organizational destiny. You will learn to distinguish between mission and vision, understand where the strategic plan fits in, and how these tools can help you to achieve your new and expanding roles as leaders.

Later that morning we will discuss why businesses and organizations must either grow or die and how change itself evolves. You will examine the process of change and assess how to successfully transform a natural resistance to change. You will learn to recognize that past successes will not ensure future success and that staying ahead of the curve requires a strategic and aggressive approach to embracing and managing change. This session on leading change provides techniques to help participants detect signals of impending change, identify where to look for fresh ideas in new or existing markets, and how and when to seek opportunities that champion change for your business or clients.

A discussion of paradigm shifts drives home the point that as a successful leader, you need to break from traditional problem-solving modes, keep your options open, and explore new and different ways of critical thinking. We support these concepts by introducing you to personalized assessment instruments. These tools, which will be implemented in Day 2 will help you understand how your thinking patterns and self-concept motivate everything you say and do. By understanding your motivations, you can select the appropriate changes to improve your leadership effectiveness.

Workshop two of StreetSmart Leadership™ discusses the key differences between leadership and management and addresses why solid leadership skills are more critical than ever in today's changing business environment. You will identify common characteristics of successful leaders in order to assess your own leadership style.

That morning you will complete an instrument that identifies your own thinking patterns and to help you clarify your self perception. The instructor will help interpret the results so that you can use the information to create your personal development objectives and an action plan. Subsequently, you will complete two additional instruments in class that measure your ideal organizational culture and your current culture. These instruments will help you understand how your leadership behaviors impact the culture of your organization, which, in turn, directly influence productivity and profitability.

As organizations expand their services to customers and form alliances with other firms, the need for relationship building through improved communication skills and effective meeting management is underscored. The morning of this session focuses on overcoming obstacles and barriers to communication, demonstrating active listening techniques, and increasing awareness of gender differences. This skills help you to make others feel valued, solidify relationships, and build trust. Later in the day, we discuss meeting management and facilitation. This session highlights criteria for determining if the meeting is necessary and if so, how to effectively run it. The final segment includes a discussion of giving and receiving feedback. There you will recognize why feedback is truly a gift and the key to continued success. Additionally, you will learn how to coach others in their development. Lastly, you will be exposed to a variety of available tools used in providing 360° (multisource) assessment and in what situations to apply them.

The purpose of teams and how they evolve is the focus of session four. We first address the type of work best suited to teams. Next, we review the characteristics that affect team performance and examine the natural evolution of the team development cycle. We discuss how teams learn as a unit, the typical obstacles they face, and what actions and behaviors team members must exhibit to achieve high performance. You will gain an awareness and understanding of different team member roles and how each role contributes to the team's overall objectives and goals. This knowledge helps you to broaden your perspective and appreciate the diversity of skills and contributions of others.

This session introduces participants to tools used to measure behavior exhibited in a series of highly interactive team simulations. Teams map their behaviors to demonstrate areas where the group must improve to achieve greater synergy and improve group process.

It's time to challenge your new skills and put them to work for you and your organization. Our final session is a half-day. It is designed to highlight how leaders truly apply their skills, present their ideas, achieve their visions and drive their organizations forward. This capstone workshop focuses on implementation of the practices and skills taught throughout StreetSmart Leadership™. The critical leadership practices you have learned are integrated into classroom activities and discussions, allowing you to pull everything you've learned together and test how you'll do on the "leadership firing line."

You will work in a team to examine leadership issues and engage in analysis that allows you to exercise the results of your learning.  StreetSmart Leadership™ concludes by developing a plan of action to help you transition your new skills back into your organization, targeting the specifics of your future role.