Foundations of Leadership Training Catalogue

Training Resources

Marks, Sanders and Associates – provides leadership training that supports the behavioral competencies in the Action Insight programs. We wanted to provide a resource that incorporates not only solid content, but also incorporates a behavioral follow-up in their training to maximize the learning experience.

Please contact:

Michael Marks @ 303-979-0646 or mmarks@msn.com
Russell Sanders @ 970-222-7103 or goldsandco@aol.com

Foundations of
Leadership Training Catalogue

The Purpose and Philosophy of
Foundations of Leadership

The Foundations of Leadership Training Series is designed to support your organization’s managers in their roles as leaders of organizational performance. Overall, the training series gives managers proactive tools to meet their biggest challenge; getting work done through others. Foundations of Leadership training participants learn specific management and leadership skills such as resolving employees' conflicts, managing change and understanding leadership styles.

The core philosophy of the training series revolves around two concepts. The first is that effective leaders in any organization approach their responsibilities from a servant leader perspective. In that role their focus is to help their employees be more effective and efficient by, as much as practical, meeting their workplace needs. The second is represented by the Foundation Behaviors for Collaborative Leadership which are contained in the first unit of the series. These Foundation Behaviors are:

Focus on performance, not on personalities.

Look for solutions not people to blame.

Build the confidence and self-esteem of others.

Encourage positive, open, professional relationships.

Role model the behavior you want: lead by example.

This training series uses a learning model in which the responsibility for learning is shared by the instructor and the student. An essential feature of our model is choosing methods that can best help the participants learn what they need to learn and meet the behavioral objectives of the training. We believe the more learners participate in their training experience, the greater its effectiveness and the longer the learners' retention will be. Each unit is highly interactive with role plays, case studies and small group discussions. Participants have the opportunity to discuss real organizational issues, exchange ideas and build consistency within the leadership structure of their organization.

Adult learning theory provides the foundation for the learning process used throughout this training series. There is no single way people learn best, but people do have different learning styles; i.e., visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (learning by doing). The Foundations of Leadership Training series accommodates the needs of the adult learner and the specific needs of individual learning styles by integrating exercises, information and case studies into each training unit.

Competencies Addressed: Leadership, Develop Others, Collaboration, Motivation, Trust and Respect, and Integrity

Foundation Behaviors for Collaborative Leadership

Summary
Collaboration is essential in the workplace today to improve safety, productivity, quality and overall organizational performance. The foundation behaviors in this module include assessing alignment between organizational mission and values and employee goals, understanding the tasks and functions of managing at different leadership levels in your organization and learning the difference between management and leadership. This module demonstrates how the Foundation Behaviors promote cooperation, the sharing of ideas, and working together for a common purpose.

1. What situational leadership is and which leadership behavior is appropriate for which employee.

2. The importance of alignment of mission and values in the process of management.

3. The tasks and functions of managing at different levels of leadership.

4. The principles and behaviors of self development as a leader in a collaborative workplace.

5. How to change the kinds of conversations you have in the workplace.

Competencies Developed: Leadership, Motivation, Strategic Perspective, Develop Others, Integrity, Trust and Respect, Continuous Learning

Stepping Up To Supervision

Summary
Moving from the role of a front line employee into the role of supervising the work of others can be an extremely challenging transition. A new set of skills is required. If the new supervisor is promoted from within the work group work relationships may need to be re-negotiated. This module is designed to address the challenges of becoming a supervisor, explore the first time supervisor’s new roles and responsibilities and examine other issues in making the transition from co-worker to supervisor.

1. Understand the challenges of becoming a supervisor of other’s work.

2. Know how to make the transition in relationships from co-worker to supervisor.

3. Know how to identify and constructively manage their own negative reactions to management decisions.

4. Know the resources available to them as supervisors and how to use them.

Competencies Developed: Develop Relationships, Self Control, Deal with Pressure

Promoting Constructive Feedback

Summary
Promoting constructive feedback with employees is essential to helping them succeed in your organization. This module teaches how to actively give and receive positive and negative feedback with employees about workplace issues to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your organization.

1. Know the definition of feedback, its purpose and the difference between constructive and destructive feedback.

2. Know the multiple functions of feedback and why feedback is important.

3. Know the steps in giving and receiving constructive feedback.

4. Know how to conduct a focused conversation.

5. Practice giving and receiving constructive feedback.

Competencies Developed: Develop Others, Coaching

Managing Employee Performance

Summary
Effective performance evaluations give employees the opportunity to learn and grow in their current jobs while helping them with career planning. When integrated with your organization’s future employee skills needs, this process can be a win-win situation. This module outlines the entire performance management cycle and your organization’s current performance appraisal system.

1. Know what motivates employees to perform and how their expectations impact their employees’ performance.

2. Know about the performance management cycle.

3. Know how to conduct effective performance appraisals.

4. Know how to hold employees accountable for their performance

Competencies Developed: Manage Performance, Develop Others, Motivation.

Introduction to Managing Conflict in the Workplace

Summary
Constructive differences are a catalyst to effective problem solving and improving work efficiencies. When conflict becomes destructive it has quite the opposite effect in the workplace. This module focuses on how to successfully manage conflict between individuals and in group situations by giving participants tools for conducting productive problem solving meetings with those in conflict.

1. Understand the factors associated with three levels of conflict.

2. Be able to choose and apply appropriate skills and strategies for each conflict situation.

3. Have the ability to problem solve conflict situations.

4. Be able to assist their employees and coach them through the conflict resolution process.

Competency Developed: Manage Performance

Introduction to Managing Team Performance

Summary
All teams need special care at different times during their existence. This module introduces a number of tools and techniques that leaders can use to get teams started or keep them on track.

1. Know the behaviors of effective team members.

2. Know how to create a climate where people can freely share their ideas.

3. Understand environmental influences that create barriers to team performance and learn to resolve them.

4. Know the developmental phases of teams and how to transition from phase to phase.

Competencies Developed: Team Building, Team Work, Organization Awareness

Understanding Your Leadership Style

Summary
Effective leadership is essential to the efficient functioning of a work group. This module helps participants identify their leadership style by using the “Dimensions of Leadership Profile”. Once identified, participants will learn who and why people follow, when to lead and possible pitfalls to avoid. Participants will also learn to add a servant leader focus to their leadership style.

1. Understand their leadership style.

2. Use their individual style to more effectively lead others.

3. Successfully avoid the pitfalls of their leadership style.

4. Effectively apply a servant leader focus to their leadership style.

Competencies Developed: Leadership, Influence

Maintaining a Respectful Workplace

Summary
Violence and sexual harassment have become all too common problems in the workplace today. This module focuses on awareness and prevention by educating managers and supervisors on their roles and responsibilities in maintaining a respectful workplace by proactively addressing these two risk management issues.

1. Deal effectively with inappropriate workplace behavior before it becomes a threat of violence.
2. Effectively manage a threat of violence to a successful conclusion.
3. Know what constitutes sexual harassment and how to identify it.
4. Know the difference between sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination based on gender.
5. Create and maintain a zero-tolerance sexual harassment workplace environment.
Competencies Developed: Acceptance of Diversity

Managing Change and Transition

Summary
Far from being the exception, change is now becoming the norm in the business arena. This module offers a straight forward, practical model for understanding the personal impact of change and transition. Included are effective strategies for implementing and managing change and transition.

1. Understand the difference between change and transition.

2. Recognize their personal stress responses and respond effectively.

3. Know and apply the three phases of change and transition.

4. Conduct the activities essential to successfully navigate each phase of change and transition.

5. Develop a personal plan for managing change and transition.

Competencies Developed: Leadership, Organization Awareness, Influence

Managing Your Time and Priorities

Summary
Not having enough time is a common complaint. Time cannot be created but it can be used more effectively. This module is designed to teach participants to manage time more effectively by setting and accomplishing long and short term goals, organizing and prioritizing tasks, and identifying and focusing on high payoff activities while simplifying, delegating or eliminating low payoff activities.

1. Set and achieve short and long term goals based on the purpose of their department and organization.

2. Move from crisis management and putting out fires to the discipline of organizing and prioritizing activities.

3. Identify high payoff and low payoff activities.

4. Delegate work effectively.

Competencies Developed: Prioritizing, Planning and Organizing, Deal with Ambiguity

Dealing with Toxic People

Summary
Customers are not always right but they are always customers. This module teaches how to manage a customer’s dissatisfaction to a successful outcome by early identification, staying focused on outcomes and monitoring your own responses for appropriateness.

1. Recognize toxic people and the different types present in the workplace.

2. Identify their own personal “hot buttons” and how to neutralize them.

3. Develop better self management through increased emotional intelligence.

4. Develop Choices and options, exercising your inherent capacities.

Competencies Developed: Self-Control, Deal with Pressure, Adaptable, Customer Focused

Understanding Your Behavioral Style

Summary
Communication problems and misunderstandings can create conflict in the workplace decreasing the efficiency and effectiveness of work teams. Some of these conflicts can be caused simply by behavioral differences. This module focuses on identifying behavioral styles across four dimensions using the Personal Profile System (DISC). Participants take and score the DISC and then learn about the likes and dislikes of each style and how to interact more effectively with each behavioral style.

1. Their dominant behavioral style on the DISC.

2. The strengths and weaknesses of their behavioral style.

3. How to communicate more effectively with other behavioral styles.

Competencies Developed: Personal Responsibility, Adaptability, Influence

Progressive Discipline and Termination

Summary
This module focuses on documentation of substandard performance and how to discipline an employee verbally and in writing. Information and practice will be included in dealing with performance issues when personal problems are a factor. In cases where involuntary termination is the only recourse, participants will learn how to prepare for, and conduct a termination which will minimize your organization's potential liability and be most appropriate for the employee.

1. Document for poor performance and take appropriate disciplinary measures.

2. Know how to give a verbal warning and prepare a written warning.

3. Successfully prepare for, document, and conduct an involuntary termination.

Meeting Management

Summary
Non-productive meetings cost time, money, productivity and morale. This module teaches supervisors and managers to prepare for and conduct effective meetings that enhance productivity, effectiveness and the morale of their employees.

1. Understand how meetings can be an effective management tool.

2. Make meetings productive for the people who attend them.

3. Demonstrate effective ways of managing meetings.

4. Demonstrate techniques for managing unresponsive or disruptive people in meetings.

Human Diversity: Managing Differences

Summary
Every human being is a "diverse" (i.e., different, unique) individual with his/her own set of values, beliefs, traditions, perceptions, self-talk, etc., which is "projected" into every interaction or situation in the workplace. This module focuses on why we are the way we are and how it affects our decisions, assumptions and behavior. We will examine these patterns, identify self-limitations, and incorporate skills and techniques that will enhance participants' awareness.

1. Understand the importance of beliefs/perceptions/assumptions and how they influence behavior in the workplace.

2. Recognize when beliefs/perceptions/assumptions are interfering with their roles as managers.

3. Identify techniques to effectively manage diversity issues on their team.

Regulatory Issues in Workforce Management

Summary
This module reviews major workforce regulations and their impact on interviewing and selection and management of employees in your workplace.

1. How to effectively and legally interview potential employees.

2. About the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Equal Pay Act (EPA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and how to apply them in appropriate workplace situations.

What Participants are Saying

1. These topics deal with difficult aspects of management and the instructor had practical and realistic suggestions for handling them.
2. I will act more quickly to address poor performance.
3. I have already referred back to the training materials for guidance.
4. I liked the group discussions of real problems and situations.
5. The unit on Maintaining a Respectful Workplace helped our organization define our internal approach to situations.
6. I will be more consistent in providing immediate feedback to my employees.
7. I liked being able to discuss real employee problems in the small groups.
8. I have taken many leadership courses and have set up and taught a few, but in my current position, for some reason, I have failed to apply these practices. As a result of this course, I have re-evaluated my leadership/management style and will work harder to employ these tactics and empower my teams.
9. I will empower those I supervise to solve their problems.
10. I will be more proactive instead of waiting to react to an out of control situation.
11. The training materials were so good I plan to hold on to them for a good long while.
12. The instructor was a great resource and encouraged participation.
13. The instructor was always available and always honest.
14. The instructor was very knowledgeable in all areas.
15. I will improve the timeliness and documentation of both positive and negative feedback to employees.
16. I hate role playing but it was very helpful.
17. Role playing is awful, but was quite helpful, I learned from it.
18. The role playing was great!
19. The instructor related the material to the workplace well, was excellent at getting participation and was very knowledgeable.
20. The course was very helpful! I gained a lot of valuable information.
21. The instructor was the best communicator I have experienced in a training.

• Satisfaction ratings for the Foundations of Leadership training average 6.5 on a scale of 1 (poor) to 7 (excellent).
• Over 4,000 managers and supervisors have been trained by Marks, Sanders and Associates.

Tel. 303-439-2001 or Toll Free 866-439-2001
Action Insight, Inc. 430 Columbine Avenue, Broomfield, Colorado 80020