Fundamentals of Supervision (IACET CEU)

Standard course duration: 24 hours

The new to supervision employee, either recently promoted or a candidate for promotion, is faced with what can be a daunting challenge – the transition to management. Often, a combination of anxiety and lack of preparedness result in less than expected performance.

This course leads participants through a sequence of topics designed to establish a solid foundation of understanding of the supervisory role. The course then takes the participants through interactive material focused on the mastery of critical supervisory skills.

The course objectives are to have participants learn what supervision means from different perspectives and to be able to define the relevant organizational structure, learn and practice the skills necessary to be an effective supervisor and identify future skill development areas.

Specific content includes:

  • Transitioning to Supervision
  • Managing Change
  • The Organization
  • Planning to Succeed
  • Communication
  • Setting Goals and Expectations
  • Problem Solving
  • One Minute Methods

Upon completion of this course, participants will have a foundation of knowledge and practice from which to build their development. They will be able to assume supervisory responsibilities with greater confidence and a solid set of skills on which to build.

In order to obtain the 2.1 CEUs for this course, participants must complete the following:

  • 80% attendance of course sessions demonstrated via the sign-in sheet
  • 70% on the post-course assessment

Competencies of Day-to-Day Management

Standard course duration: 24-48 hours

(Topic duration:  4 hours – Course duration is based on the number of topics selected)

A supervisor is a critical player in an organization’s success. Here is where the most valuable resources, in particular the workforce, are either maximized or wasted. This course teaches the most important elements of successful supervision, with attention to both people and organizational skills. It provides participants with the fundamental knowledge needed for today’s organizational challenges. The course presents 17 key competencies in a workshop environment tailored to the needs of the organization. The major competencies include:

  1. Introduction (1-2 hours, always included)
  2. Effective Communication
  3. Motivation
  4. Delegation
  5. Disciplining
  6. Managing Conflict
  7. Counseling
  8. Decision-Making
  9. Managing Change
  10. Managing Stress
  11. Conducting Performance Reviews
  12. Meeting Management
  13. One-Minute Manager
  14. Setting Performance Goals
  15. Team Building
  16. Time Management
  17. Understanding Organizational Structure

Each competency is 3-4 hours in length. Participants can choose the competencies that are most pertinent to them and their organization.

Upon completion of this course participants will have learned various management skills and their application to the company’s operating environment.

Practical Leadership (IACET CEU)

Standard course duration: 16 hours

Practical Leadership is an intermediate course designed for supervisors who have begun to integrate leadership skills into their daily responsibilities. This program focuses on establishing connections with team members to transform them into followers through effective communication techniques, including listening, presenting, and addressing emotions. Through activities, reflection, and collaboration, the course leverages the participant’s work-related experiences to enhance their learning. The primary objective is to boost personal proficiency and confidence in providing practical leadership to develop effective followers to achieve organizational objectives. Key areas of focus include differentiating between leadership and management, learning effective leadership behaviors, overcoming leadership obstacles, understanding and effectively handling emotional dynamics, improving listening and questioning skills, and strategically presenting ideas. This course encourages active peer participation in a workshop format.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to identify and apply critical skills of effective leaders, work with negative emotions, deal with value challenges, and gain followers.

In order to obtain the 1.4 CEUs for this course, participants must complete the following:

  • 80% attendance of course sessions demonstrated via the sign-in sheet
  • 70% on the post-course assessment

Leadership Skills for Managers

Standard course duration: 16 hours

This course provides a practical approach on how to develop leadership skills, regardless of your place in the organization. It focuses on important leadership principles and behaviors that leaders can apply to become more effective. Major topics include: Functions of Leaders and Managers; The Leader as Visionary; The Leader as Problem Solver; The Leader as Team-builder; The Leader as Manager; The Leader as Communicator; The Leader as Power Distributor; and The Leader as Planner. This course involves participants in the real-life challenges that leaders face; the need for vision, teamwork, empowerment, leading change, and inspiring followers.

Upon completion of this course participants will have learned the fundamental elements of effective leadership and will have an understanding of their practical application in various business situations.

Effective Management Practices (IACET CEU)

Standard course duration: 24 hours

The secrets of organizational effectiveness lie in the capabilities of a company’s management and leadership. Managing employee performance is a single greatest challenge facing managers in today’s competitive and fast-paced environment. This course is a competency-based diagnostic workshop that helps participants to become more effective managers.

The course divides the subject into 12 key competencies under four clusters:

  1. Managing the job
  2. Relating to others
  3. Developing the team
  4. Thinking clearly

Each competency is thoroughly discussed to help participants to achieve their performance goals and objectives. The course provides information on how to go about creating, recording, and reviewing an Action Plan.

Upon completion of this course participants will have discovered more about themselves and others through discussions and exercises in a workshop environment tailored to the needs of the organization. They will able to develop an Action Plan to apply learned skills in their specific situations.

In order to obtain the 1.6 CEUs for this course, participants must complete the following:

  • 80% attendance of course sessions demonstrated via the sign-in sheet
  • 70% on the post-course assessment

Emotional Intelligence

Standard course duration: 8 hours

“Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.” Drs. Travis Bradbury and Jean Graves, Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Emotional intelligence affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities and make decisions that achieve positive results. It affects almost everything that we say and do every day and is the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence.

This course teaches the difference between IQ, personality and emotional intelligence. Then it leads participants through the 4 branches of emotional intelligence: perceiving, reasoning with, understanding and managing emotions. It includes exercises to both evaluate and develop the emotional intelligence of participants. It also presents strategies for modifying behavior to focus one’s energy in the areas most critical to work performance excellence.

Upon completion of this course participants will understand how their emotions affect their work and they will have tools to better manage their emotions to achieve greater performance at work and in life.

Critical Thinking (IACET CEU)

Standard course duration: 8 hours

The ability to think in an organized, disciplined manner under stress is often the differentiation between solid business decisions and “shoot-from-the-hip” inconsistent outcomes. This course teaches the process of critical thinking – a structured approach to gathering and analyzing information and using reasoning skills to assimilate data, knowledge, past experience and precedent, risk assessment and opinion and then develop the best solution to resolve a problem. The skills taught are especially applicable to “outside the box” problems where variability of contributing factors and complexity make the use of quick-hit methods ineffective.

Upon completion of the course participants will be able to apply the critical thinking process to problems and situations in their work environment. They will have practiced the process using real problems that they have brought to class.

In order to obtain the .7 CEUs for this course, participants must complete the following:

  • 80% attendance of course sessions demonstrated via the sign-in sheet
  • 70% on the post-course assessment

Managing Up

Standard course duration: 2 hours

When we think of managing, we think of managing others with the default direction being “down”; we manage subordinates.

In this course, participants will learn the value of also managing in the upward direction; managing your boss. When done well, managing up makes your manager’s (and your) job easier. Understanding the best way to communicate with your boss, demonstrating that you care, meeting performance goals and more all contribute to a mutually effective and productive relationship. As the Harvard Business Review points out, managing up includes a combination of communicating your priority and seeking feedback.

Participants will learn, discuss and practice proven approaches using scenarios and role plays. They will take with them a practical tool for performance improvement.

Leadership Tools – Strategic Measurements

Standard course duration: 8 hours

The most important reason for measuring performance is to improve performance. Companies are often good, even great, at creating vision statements and determining what has to happen for the vision to become reality over the next 2-5 years. Unfortunately, progress toward delivery of the vision is often not measured or tracked.

This course is designed to engage the class in learning the leadership skills of creating a vision statement, determining the critical success factors that will achieve the vision, and then developing the appropriate measurements to monitor and control progress along the journey. These measurements answer the questions “How are we doing in moving toward our vision for the company?” and “Are we making progress in becoming what we’ve defined that we want to be?”

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to design and implement strategic measurements. The company’s business objectives and vision will be used in the course to provide a practical application of the acquired knowledge.

Leadership Tools – Performance Measurements

Standard course duration: 8 hours

The most important reason for measuring performance is to improve performance. Metrics and dashboards are powerful tools and have found general acceptance in industry. Key Performance Indicators or KPIs abound – sometimes too few, sometimes too many and sometimes we measure the wrong things.

This course is designed to engage the class in learning the leadership skills of defining the elements of organization performance that are critical to achieving the current business plan and related objectives. The class will apply their learning to define the performance attributes that will lead to achieving the business and then they will develop the appropriate measurements of metrics to quantify those performance attributes. These metrics will answer the question “As an organization, how are we doing today at achieving our goals?”

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to design and implement performance measurements. The company’s business plan and objectives will be used in the course to provide a practical application of the acquired knowledge.

Leadership Tools – Managerial Measurements

Standard course duration: 8 hours

The most important reason for measuring performance is to improve performance. Metrics and dashboards are powerful tools for tracking organizational performance, but sometimes do not link to performance measurements at the functional or department level. Managerial Measurements are ones that track functional performance attributes, by area of responsibility that will deliver organizational goals.

This course is designed to engage the class in learning the leadership skills of defining the elements of functional or departmental performance that are critical to achieving the current business plan and related objectives. The class will apply their learning to define the performance attributes that will lead to achieving the business and then they will develop the appropriate measurements of metrics to quantify those performance attributes. These measurements answer the question “How is my department doing in those areas critical to the achievement of organizational objectives?”

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to design and implement managerial measurements. The company’s performance objectives and KPIs will be used in the course to provide a practical application of the acquired knowledge.

Leadership Tools – Operational Measurements

Standard course duration: 8 hours

The most important reason for measuring performance is to improve performance. When upper level measurements indicate that there is need for improvement, they rarely are measuring at the level of detail necessary to pinpoint root cause and guide an action plan. Operational Measurements, transitory by nature, serve the purpose of seeing past the layers of symptoms to make visible the root cause(s).

This course is designed to engage the class in learning the leadership and problem-solving skills of identifying the probable causes of operational performance problems and then determining how to measure each cause directly or indirectly with the goal of isolating true causes in order to take preventive or corrective action. The class will apply their learning to define the performance attributes that will lead to achieving the business and then they will develop the appropriate measurements of metrics to quantify those performance attributes. These measurements initially answer the questions “Why are we having this problem, where is the problem concentrated, what are the major causes, etc.?” relative to those issues impacting the achievement of organizational objectives. When improvement steps have been taken, these measurements show progress toward the improvement target. When sustained improvement is evident, the frequency of measurement can be reduced or even stopped.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to design and implement operational measurements. The company’s managerial measurements and defined problems and objectives will be used in the course to provide a practical application of the acquired knowledge.

Managing for Employee Retention

Standard course duration: 4 hours

This course for supervisors and managers presents turnover/retention as a managerial metric that can be significantly influenced through better understanding of its root causes. The course engages participants in identifying those causes in their environment and then in identifying those workplace attributes that drive employee satisfaction. Then they identify and demonstrate or describe actions and behaviors to improve employee satisfaction and thereby improve retention.

Upon completion, participants will learn what drives employee retention and they will define how they can beneficially impact employee satisfaction in their work group through their actions and behavior.

Coaching – a Leadership Skill

Standard course duration: 4 hours

Coaching is defined from the leadership perspective as developing a partnership that involves giving both support and challenging opportunities to employees. As such, it is another tool to complement managing and teaching in the leadership toolkit. In order to achieve results, coaching must go beyond just showing how to do something. Coaching involves observing, analyzing demonstrating, and giving feedback. It’s a process of developing relationships with team members – relationships that ultimately can build the trust and respect that are the foundation of successful organizations.

Participants in this course will learn:

  • How coaching can be used to develop your team
  • To develop the coaching skills that help improve individual performance
  • To demonstrate the behaviors and practices of an effective coach
  • How to recognize employees’ strengths and give them the feedback they need to succeed
  • To identify employee problems and ways you can help to correct them

Upon completion of this course, participants will understand learning styles and principles, will have learned and practiced critical coaching skills and will appreciate the benefits to be gained from effective coaching as a leadership tool. They will also be aware of potential problems of coaching in order to avoid them. Participants will be able to employ effective coaching as a means to improve employee performance and skill development.

Building Champion Teams

Standard course duration: 24 hours

Teamwork and the team approach are critical to the success of an organization. A teamwork environment is a generally accepted principle in today’s business world. But what is it that makes the difference between a group of people designated as a “team” and a true Champion Team that consistently achieves its goals and seeks the next challenge?

This course involves participants in the learning of the key concepts of teams and teamwork. It explores how the interaction of team members affects team performance. Then the course provides a thorough analysis of the skills necessary to build a Champion Team. Throughout the course, participants will be involved in skills development exercises used to reinforce the principles being taught. As a final activity of the course the participants will practice skills development exercises to address the specific needs of their organization. The course objective is to develop an understanding and appreciation of team-building methodologies and tools as well as their practical applications.

The course includes the following topics:

  • Basic Concepts
  • Team Dynamics
  • Building Blocks of Team Development
  • Skills Development Exercises

Upon completion of this course, participants will understand what differentiates Champion Teams from the rest. They will be able to evaluate how they and others must perform in a team environment and how to build their team to the championship level.

Critical Skills of Team Building

Standard course duration: 16 hours

That teamwork and effective teams are critical to success is well-documented. But what does it take to build teams that seek out challenge and excel at meeting it?

This course leads participants through an interactive analysis, self-evaluation and discussion of the seven competencies necessary for building outstanding teams. The workshop format enables participants to share real life examples and experiences with these skills.

The course objective is to develop participant knowledge and awareness of these competencies and of their own strengths and weaknesses in each area. Based upon this awareness, participants develop a personal action plan to address improvement opportunities.

Specific content includes:

  • Introduction – definitions and basic concepts
  • Course approach – learning and assessment
  • The seven competencies
    • Vision and directional focus
    • Alignment of values
    • Team role and competency clarity
    • Ground rules determination
    • Performance appraisal effectiveness
    • Team learning and results focus
    • Boundary management
  • Self-assessment
  • Action plan development

Upon completion of this course, participants will understand what it takes to build outstanding teams and where and how they can improve their own abilities to develop outstanding teams.

Advanced Problem Solving

Standard course duration: 24 hours

This course is designed to teach a time-tested approach to problem solving. It includes the basic skills for effectively executing each step of a Problem Solving Process. It teaches participants various problem-solving tools through a thorough discussion of each tool. It also presents a precise methodology for using tools with a systematic approach. The following tools are presented in the course: bar chart; barriers and aids; brainstorming; cause-and-effect diagram; check sheet; flowchart; histogram; interview; line graph; list reduction; matrix; pareto chart; pie chart; and survey.

Upon completion of this course participants will have acquired problem solving skills and their application to Company’s operating environment. One of the most important purposes of this course is to help participants become more successful at problem solving in a team environment. Participants will be able to apply learned problem solving tools in their daily work.

Managing Conflict

Standard course duration: 4 hours

This course explains how to assess the climate of a conflict and understand the issues that create them. It introduces methods to gather information, neutralize a situation, clarify points of view, and define a conflict.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:

  • Assess a climate
  • Set the stage for resolution
  • Broker a resolution
  • Follow up on resolution

Time Management

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course teaches the basics of time management – tools for setting goals, planning and controlling time, and organizing the workplace. It provides practical suggestions on how to successfully practice time management in the work environment. While this course focuses on teaching time management techniques to help people at work, it does not exclude ways to manage one’s time outside work. The scope of the course includes understanding time management theory/philosophy; keeping a time log/diary; handling stress; developing a system of organization; identifying priorities; setting and achieving goals; scheduling and managing a project; developing a time management plan; selecting and using time management tools.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to understand their time management challenges and adapt the time management techniques to fit their style/needs.

Meeting Management

Standard course duration: 4 hours

Are you frustrated with the way your meetings work? Do they lack focus? Are there times some members of the group dominate the proceedings? Are you not always sure who should attend? Are you looking for a way to structure meetings to make them more effective yet at the same time maintain an open atmosphere? This course covers the simple need of meeting structure and includes some intervention strategies.

The scope of the course will cover the following topics:

  • The value of meetings
  • Preparation before the meeting
  • The role of the meeting chair
  • The role of the meeting participants
  • How to control meetings
  • Communicating effectively in meetings
  • Dealing with difficult dynamics
  • What make sustainable agreements
  • After the meeting follow-up

Upon completion of this course participants will have learned to:

  • Understand the value of meetings as a management tool
  • Recognize the critical planning steps that make meeting time more effective
  • Identify the steps to take to create an open and safe forum for discussion
  • Develop and practice techniques for handling counterproductive behavior
  • Know how to make decisions that can be sustained once the meeting is over
  • Develop a follow-up strategy for meetings

Managing Change

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course provides techniques for dealing with resistance, methods for setting goals and developing plans, and tools for understanding the personal and professional stresses that employees experience. It provides suggestions for rebuilding trust and developing commitment to changes that are implemented.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to start with a plan, focus on transition factors and ensure results.

HR for Non-HR Manager

Standard course duration: 16 hours

You do not always have the expertise to deal with the many employee relationship issues you face and yet you will be expected to make decisions that are both effective and legal. This course will walk you through the hiring process, from performing a skills inventory to conducting the interview; discuss orientation; and cover some issues that arise after the hiring process (such as diversity issues, compensation, and discipline).

The scope of the course includes the following topics: Planning Employee Orientation; The Interview Process; Using Behavior Description Interviewing; The Importance of Job Descriptions; Advertising for Resumes; Absenteeism; Diversity; Compensation and Benefits; and Discipline and Termination.

Upon completion of this course participants will have learned:

  • The latest trends in the human resource field and the changing role of the human resource professional.
  • How to write job specifications and identify core competencies.
  • Methods of finding, selecting, and keeping the best people using behavioral description interviewing techniques.
  • How to get employees off to a good start.
  • How to deal with compensation and benefits.
  • How to maintain healthy employee relations.
  • How to make performance appraisals a cooperative process

Train the Trainer – The Practical Trainer

Standard course duration: 16 hours

If you do on-the-job training in your organization this course can help you feel more comfortable and more competent. You will explore how adults learn and take a step-by-step approach to create training sessions that meet employee needs and you will have the opportunity to practice these skills in a safe environment. Training results are too important to leave to chance.

The scope of the course includes the following topics: Successful Training Programs; Adult Learning Principles; Learning Styles; Training Objectives; Effective Trainers Versus Ineffective Trainers; Training Aids; Training Techniques; The Training Cycle; Presentation Skills; Using Visual Aids; Dealing with Difficult Trainees; and Evaluating Your Training.

Upon completion of this course participants will have learned to:

  • Recognize the importance of considering the participants and their training needs, including the different learning styles and adult learning principles.
  • Know how to write objectives and evaluate whether these objectives have been met at the end of a training session.
  • Develop an effective training style, using appropriate training aids and techniques.
  • Understand the importance of an instruction guide to help a trainer prepare and deliver effectively and consistently.
  • Conduct a short group training session that incorporates these training concepts.

Fundamentals of Performance Management

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course provides a practical guide for everyone who manages people or is concerned with performance. It provides techniques for how to handle daily issues of performance management. It is designed to reduce pressure, prevent panic, avoid omissions and eliminate mistakes when confronted by a serious and urgent performance problem. It also provides a structured format for choosing and implementing appropriate long-term steps to improve performance in the workplace. This course provides specific action plans and decision guides to isolate and identify deficiencies or problems and to select among a wide variety of possible solutions.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to solve various performance problems, identify required resources, set goals for better results, move the plan into action, arrange for feedback, and adjust the plan as required to keep it on track toward higher performance.

Conducting Performance Review and Appraisals

Standard course duration: 4 hours

While no one wants to upset or antagonize well-intentioned employees, careful and objective evaluations of work plans and results are essential. This course provides techniques for dealing with the challenging task of performance review and appraisal. It provides steps to conduct a sound and fair appraisal. The course discusses the five kinds of appraisals and provides a guide for choosing the right time for each kind of appraisal. It also provides invaluable technical tips to avoid major problems.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:

  • Establish a baseline
  • Discuss performance
  • Encourage achievement

Succession Planning

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course provides the definition of, reason for, and process of succession planning. Participants will learn and practice the method for determining position requirements as well as methodology to identify and develop potential employees for growth into organizational leaders. They will be able to determine when to develop talent internally or source externally at any level under a variety of circumstances.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to create a succession plan, identify potential leaders, focus on transition factors, and ensure a smooth succession.

Professional Manager

Standard course duration: 48 hours

A supervisor is a critical player in an organization’s success. Here is where the most valuable resources, in particular the workforce, are either maximized or wasted. This certification program is delivered over a period of six (6) months. The program consists of classroom instruction, group exercises, two 4-hour individual projects, and a final certification exam. Participants must achieve a passing grade of 80%, on the exam, in order to attain certification.

This program develops participants’ management and leadership skills to maximize their on-the- job effectiveness. It teaches the most important elements of successful management and leadership, with attention to both people and organizational skills. It provides participants with the essential knowledge needed for today’s organizational challenges. The program is sub-divided into two areas of instruction; Management Skills and Leadership Skills.

I. MANAGEMENT SKILLS

This segment of the program presents 13 key management competencies in a workshop environment tailored to the needs of the organization. The major competencies include:

  • Effective Communication
  • Motivation
  • Delegation
  • Setting Performance Goals and Expectations
  • Disciplining
  • Counseling
  • Resolving Conflict
  • Making Decisions
  • Managing Stress
  • Managing Change
  • Conducting Performance Reviews
  • Team Building
  • Coaching

These competencies will be grouped together under four clusters:

  1. Managing the job
  2. Relating to others
  3. Developing the team
  4. Thinking clearly

II. LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Participants will learn to distinguish between management and leadership skills. This segment of the program focuses on important leadership principles and behaviors that leaders can apply to become more effective. Major topics include:

  • Functions of Leaders and Managers
  • The Leader as Visionary
  • The Leader as Problem Solver
  • The Leader as Team-builder
  • The Leader as Manager
  • The Leader as Communicator
  • The Leader as Power Distributor
  • The Leader as Planner

Upon completion of this program, participants will have learned, essential management skills and their application to the company’s operating environment, as well as the essential elements of effective leadership: the need for vision, teamwork, empowerment, leading change, and inspiring followers.

Basics of Interviewing

Standard course duration: 4 hours

Interviewing is a responsibility not always well understood by the interviewer. This course is designed to prepare those who conduct job candidate interviews as a part of their duties to do so effectively while staying within the boundaries of legally acceptable questions. This course is conducted in a workshop format for maximum practicality.

Upon completion, participants will have learned:

  1. The purpose of interviews
  2. How to plan a consistent approach
  3. The do’s and do nots of interviewing
  4. To identify performance skills critical to success in a position relevant to them
  5. Develop and practice their skills/ability of both interviewing and of capturing their thoughts on candidate responses

Situational Interviewing

Standard course duration: 4 hours

Interviewing potential employees is always a challenge, and it can be stressful for all involved. Among the popular approaches is a line of questioning referred to as situational interviewing (SI).

In a situational interview a person is given a hypothetical situation and asked how he or she would respond under that situation. It looks to the future and expects the candidate to come up with an answer. It is important from the employer’s point of view due to the fact that it gives them an indication of how the person will behave when under that condition.

Participants will learn the underlying business logic behind SI and they will learn how to identify key skills or attributes wanted or needed in a job candidate. They will then learn how to create relevant scenarios and questions to be used in an interview setting. Finally, they will apply what they have learned in role play exercises.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be prepared to develop SI content, conduct that portion of the interview and assess the results.