Leadershifting: Virtual Professional Development Series
New Ways of Seeing, Doing, and Leading from the Middle
This professional development series provides leadership skills and knowledge building needed by community college professionals to lead change from the “middle” of their institutions. The workshops are based on research on effective leadership, the Leading from the Middle (LFM) curriculum, and insights and experiences of LFM alumni engaged in social and racial justice, inclusion, equity, and student success efforts at their institutions. Many of the skills taught in these workshops are aligned with the American Association of Community Colleges’ competencies for community college leaders.
Who Should Attend
Mid-level administrators, counseling, academic, and adjunct faculty; classified professionals; and institutional researchers and planners are invited to participate. Please note these workshops are intended for individual participants.
What You'll Get
Each three-hour virtual workshop includes tools and activities you can use to lead from the middle. During each of the workshops, you will have the opportunity to apply the concepts being discussed. Each workshop has specific learning outcomes that can be found in the workshop descriptions below.
The workshops are designed to be interactive learning experiences. Please come prepared to actively participate in small and large group discussions and to learn from and share with your peers. Note that workshops will not be recorded.
Details
The series includes six virtual workshops, offered weekly on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm in March and April, excluding Tuesday, April 9. You may sign up for individual workshops, as a series of three, or for all six workshops. We recommend that you take workshops 5 and 6 together, but this is not required.
Registration Fees:
Individual Workshop (member) $175
Individual Workshop (non-member) $220
Package of 3 Workshops (member) $450
Package of 3 Workshops (non-member) $560
Package of 6 Workshops (member) $840
Package of 6 Workshops (non-member) $1050
Your values are the North Star that guides your behaviors, decision-making, and actions. To be an authentic and credible leader others want to follow, start by clarifying your values: What do you stand for? What do you believe? Having this foundation will give you the confidence to lead courageously, even in situations where you might be the lone voice. While not easy, identifying and understanding your values is an essential exercise. This workshop will help you identify your personal values and how to communicate them to others. Remember, your words and deeds must be unwavering to be an effective leader.
Learning Outcomes:
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Reaffirm your values and purpose
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Provide examples of how your actions align with your values in your personal life and in your role as a middle leader
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Clearly communicate your values to others
Whether you have a formal leadership title or not, we all have the capacity to influence others. We can influence people’s behaviors and beliefs, garner resources, and change outcomes. This workshop will explore the difference between power and influence, the key elements of effective influencing skills, and your role as an influencer at your institution. We will engage with various tools to provide you with a better understanding of your circles of influence and discuss different strategies and opportunities to develop more effective influencing skills.
Learning Outcomes:
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Articulate why influence is important
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Understand the key elements of effective influencing skills
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Assess your current influencing capabilities and competencies
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Identify opportunities to develop effective influencing skills
Teams play a crucial role in achieving collective goals, fostering collaboration, and driving success. Ever wonder how a group of individuals develops into a team? Research has shown that groups must progress through certain stages of development to become a highly effective team. During our time together, you will learn about the stages of team development, understand their significance, and clarify your role in guiding your team through these transformative phases. Join us for an engaging, interactive experience combining theory and hands-on activities.
Learning Outcomes:
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Understand team dynamics and identify factors that contribute to team cohesion or division
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Explore the distinct stages of team development to recognize the evolution from a group of individuals into a team
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Comprehend the significance of progressing through specific stages of team development and the impact it has on the overall effectiveness and success of a team
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Develop insights into your role as a leader in guiding a team through these transformative phases
Communication is at the core of effective leadership and is vital in making organizational change possible. Two essential but often overlooked communication skills are listening and asking powerful questions. To better understand the world, improve decision-making, strategize, and innovate, we must listen deeply and engage people in creative conversations sparked by powerful questions. During this workshop, you will learn the difference between various types of listening, identify your listening style, and reflect on and deepen your listening skills. We will also discuss types of powerful questions and learn about and practice the GROW conversation framework, a leadership tool that works across all disciplines and cultures to explore potential and opportunities. GROW is an acronym for Goal, Reality, Options, and Will do.
Learning Outcomes:
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Identify your listening style
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Acquaint yourself with different levels of listening
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Understand the difference between various types of listening
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Reflect on and deepen your listening skills
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Describe the benefits of asking powerful questions
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Identify different types of questions and their outcomes
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Practice using the GROW conversation framework
Middle leaders play a vital role in the successful implementation of change initiatives and organizational improvements. As change agents within their departments or units, middle leaders drive transformation, facilitate collaboration, and align the college's vision with daily operations. However, they often encounter resistance from various stakeholders when introducing new ideas, strategies, or policies. Engaging resistance is essential for community college middle leaders to foster a culture of positive change, navigate challenges, build trust, and maximize the collective talent and creativity within their teams. By embracing a constructive and empathetic approach to resistance, middle leaders can effectively lead change initiatives, drive innovation, and contribute to the overall success of their community colleges. Through interactive discussions and real-life examples, attendees will gain valuable insights into identifying and addressing resistance personas.
Learning Outcomes:
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Understand the nature and reasons behind resistance to change in a community college setting and its impact on organizational effectiveness
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Develop a deep understanding of different resistance personas encountered during the implementation of change initiatives
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Identify and categorize resistance behaviors from various stakeholders, enabling them to tailor their approach based on the specific challenges presented
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Develop strategies to engage and address resistance effectively
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Enhance communication and influence skills to foster collaboration and buy-in
Attendees will gain insights into the complexities of structural resistance within organizations. This includes understanding how existing systems, processes, and organizational structures can act as barriers to change. Participants will learn strategies to navigate and overcome these structural challenges, promoting smoother implementation of new ideas, strategies, or policies.
Learning Outcomes:
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Develop an understanding of the complexities associated with structural resistance within organizations, including the ways in which existing systems, processes, and organizational structures can serve as barriers to change
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Gain insights into specific aspects of organizational structures that often impede change initiatives to identify potential barriers in their own institutional contexts
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Learn practical and actionable methods from your peers to facilitate the implementation of new ideas, strategies, or policies by addressing and mitigating structural resistance, contributing to smoother organizational transitions