Class Summary
Supervisor as Leader—a 3-day advanced development event that covers the following topics:
- Leadership Skills for Frontline Supervisors and Managers
- Building and Maintaining Workplace Trust
- Developing a Strategic Thinking Mindset
- Critical Thinking Skills
- Problem Solving and Decision Making
- Positive Politics—Understanding and Ethically Navigating Power and Influence in the Workplace
- Action Planning for Continuous Leadership Development
Program Summary
This series has been developed to provide frontline supervisors and managers a deeper understanding of the difference between leadership and management and an opportunity to practice and apply leadership skills to everyday situations. In addition, participants will be introduced to concepts and tools that will support them in carrying out their role as leader.
— “Laura’s ability to tie the concepts back to our operations made the material easy to understand and apply.” (more)
Class Dates: Available as an in-house session only.
Although not a prerequisite for enrollment, graduates of the AGTS Supervisor’s Academy (or equivalent) will find this program a valuable opportunity for continued professional development.
- Greater confidence in your ability to apply leadership concepts to everyday situations.
- Greater flexibility in moving between tactical and strategic thinking.
- Increased ability to pinpoint accurate, root-cause solutions to problems encountered on the job.
- Improved team morale, engagement and productivity.
- An action plan for ongoing professional development.
Day One, Part 1: (8:30 a.m. - Noon)
Supervisor as Leader: An introduction to leadership skills needed most by individuals managing frontline employees.
By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Clearly identify the difference between a leader and a manager.
- Define the purpose and value of your work unit.
- State a vision for your work unit's future.
- Plan methods to promote a more positive work climate.
- Create a plan to enhance your leadership skills.
- Introduction and orientation
- Key leadership responsibilities
- The difference between leadership and management
- Transition challenges when moving into a leadership role
- Strategies for positioning yourself as a leader–quickly, smoothly, effectively
- Proven tips for engaging employees
- Self-awareness, social awareness, and becoming an effective role model
- Beginning your development plan
Day One, Part 2: (1:00 - 4:30 p.m.)
Building and Maintaining Workplace Trust
Even in the most difficult times--times of change, fear and insecurity--It's still possible to build trust and improve morale. In this half-day module, you will learn proven principles and practices that lead to a positive team climate no matter what the circumstances.
By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Recognize the key elements of trust in a work team.
- Use inventories to assess personal trustworthiness and the team climate.
- Identify at least 3 ways to improve trust in your work unit.
- Implement trust-building strategies back on the job to improve relationships with colleagues.
- The Dynamics of Trust
- What is trust?
- How trust builds
- Actions that restore trust
- Benefits of a high trust climate
- Workplace Trust
- Competencies and motives that build and sustain trust
- Assessing your team’s trust climate
- What leaders can do to build and sustain trust
- Personal assessment of trustworthiness
- How to manage gossip and cliques
- Assessing and managing workplace norms
- Create and share your leadership narrative
Day Two, Part 1 (8:30 a.m. - Noon)
Developing Strategic Thinking Skills
By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Explain the importance of a leader's ability to think strategically.
- Define common terms used in strategic thinking.
- Describe the difference between strategic and tactical thinking.
- Practice techniques that improve strategic thinking.
- The importance of strategic thinking
- Key strategic thinking concepts
- Terms
- Strategic vs. tactical thinking
- Develop a strategic mindset
- Techniques for developing strategic thinking skills (practice session)
Day Two, Part 2 (1:00 - 4:30 p.m.)
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Solve problems using evidence-based analysis and critical thinking skills.
- Explain what is meant by decision making style and why style matters.
- Ensure accurate problem diagnosis by using critical thinking and proven problem-solving approaches.
- Select and use proven problem-solving approaches for each type of problem.
- Key Concepts
- What is meant by critical thinking
- How critical thinking, problem solving and decision making are related
- Types of problems
- Decision making style
- Identify personal decision making strengths and areas needing improvement
- How decision making style effects:
- Problem solving and decision making
- Strategic vs. tactical thinking
- Solve problems using evidence and critical thinking
- The standards of critical thinking
- When a fast decision is needed
- Important decisions that need analytics
- The leader’s role in group decision making
- Tools that support critical thinking and effective problem solving
- Traditional brainstorming
- 5 levels of why
- Gap analysis (working backwards)
- Cause and effect diagram
- Data gathering and interpretation
- Affinity diagram
- Problem diagramming
- Decision matrix
- Multi-voting
- Pareto Principle/Analysis
- How to put this module’s information to work for you (structured group discussion).
Day Three, Part 1 (8:30 a.m. - Noon)
Positive Politics--Understanding and Ethically Navigating Power and Influence in the Workplace
As a leader, office politics is not something you can opt out of. The good news is that office politics can be navigated in a way that is ethical and above board. Even better, when you consciously engage with the political realities, you can become a change agent in your organization.
By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Define what is meant by politics.
- Define what is meant by positive politics.
- Identify different types of power in an organization.
- Define your personal power zone and ways to increase it.
- Name the six actions that support the positive use of power and influence.
- Leverage your interpersonal strengths to increase personal effectiveness.
- Negotiate effectively with difficult people and in difficult situations.
- Develop a plan of action to engage in positive politics.
- Positive political savvy–definition
- Power and influence
- Types of power
- Identify your power zone and how to increase it
- Map the power and influence in your organization
- A positive, proactive approach to power and influence –The six skills and habits that support the positive use of power and influence.
- Preparing to engage
- Your beliefs and values
- Assertive communication
- Presentation of self
- Handling the most common types of difficult people and situations
- Putting it all together –Action planning for improved status and influence
Day Three, Part 2 (1:00 - 4:00 p.m.)
Putting it all together:
Structured group discussion and action planning for ongoing personal leadership development based on topics covered in this series.