Management Development Program

basics of management

...an introductory series for employees wanting to begin their management training...

Objective To identify critical knowledge and abilities of managers; to improve participant's managerial knowledge and abilities.

Who Should Attend The Basics of Management curriculum is designed for employees who do not currently hold and have not previously held management positions. The goal of this training is to build a pool of qualified applicants for supervisory positions.

Successful completion of the series will result in an Announcement of Qualification, placed in your personnel file. The State Personnel Division recommends this training be treated as an equivalent qualification (six months' to one year's supervisory experience) or as a deciding factor when assessing substantially equally qualified candidates for a supervisory position in state government. We emphasize, however, that this announcement carries no guarantee of advancement into a management position.

Course Content The Basics of Management curriculum is a seven-part seminar series. The classes provide introductory information to employees with no management experience and little or no management training. Participants will be required to take an assessment test prior to the training. The results of the test will provide a profile of your management knowledge, to be compared with the results of training. The following topics are covered during the six days of training.

The Assignment The big picture of state government. The basic principles of supervision and management. The transition into supervision: from doer to delegator. Leadership styles.

The Challenge The changing workforce to be managed. Diversity in the workplace today. Communication skills for managing diversity. Win/win communications.

The Job Identifying what needs to be done. Establishing priorities. Managing management time. Managing the stresses. Planning principles.

The Staff People and their performance. Communicating job expectations. Delegating for growth. Coaching along the way. Evaluating the results of individual work.

The Problems Defining people problems. Defining discipline. Progressive discipline; the supervisor's part in it. Managing conflict. Communicating through the conflict. Documenting.

The Choices From among several selections, participants will choose two topics dealing with issues of special importance to management. These will take place as half-day sessions - one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The Testing Participants in the Basics of Management will undergo testing in two phases. An assessment test prior to training will determine the need for training and provide a basis for comparison of the results of training. A comprehensive test at the end of training will determine the success in training. A passing score will merit an Announcement of Qualification for consideration in hiring decisions.

Schedule The Basics of Management comprises six days of training, generally over a six-week period.

Registration To register for the Basics of Management, contact your personnel office, your supervisor, or the Professional Development Center. Nominations to the Management Development Program should be authorized by the senior manager of an agency or division.

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Professionalism
  • Customer orientation
  • Persuasion
  • Decision making
  • Efficiency and focus
  • Relationship building
  • Analytical thinking

essentials of management

...a coordinated curriculum of courses designed for people who supervise people...

Objective To improve the range of supervisory skills specifically suited to managers in government, resulting in specific plans you can implement in your work unit.

Who Should Attend The Essentials of Management curriculum is designed to meet the needs of incumbent first-line supervisors. It is an excellent program for new supervisors, and it will challenge seasoned supervisors and mid-level managers who have not received primary management training.

The program can effectively address a wide management audience; however, it will be of little value for non-supervisory personnel. The curriculum is designed to integrate training activities with the supervisor's day-to-day work. Thus, employees without supervisory responsibilities will be unable to complete most phases of the program.

Course Content The Essentials of Management provides you with information and skills that supervisors find invaluable. From leadership to discipline, the topics covered in this course will help you to be a better manager.

The core curriculum of the Essentials of Management addresses the parallel duties of government supervisors across agencies, whether state, local or federal. Regardless of the role of an individual agency, its supervisors will find a close correspondence between the course content and their responsibilities. There are eight modules in the curriculum. Each session lasts one full day.

Leading Clarifying the role and requirements of the supervisor's position: the role, the transition into supervision, responsibilities. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Building How to build effective teams and management strategies to keep the momentum going. Delegating in the workplace.

Planning Defining, planning and organizing the work of the district for maximum efficiency and communication. Labor relations and working with labor unions.

Developing: Part 1 Implementing the work plan. Defining performance. Defining jobs. Performance Management Systems. Designing and communicating performance expectations.

Developing: Part II Observing and documenting work. Communicating with employees. Conducting performance appraisals. Learning how to use delegation as an effective management tool.

Controlling Corrective action for conduct and performance problems. Progressive discipline in policy and practice. Effective counseling for solving problems with employees.

Protecting Legal issues affecting the workplace: sexual harassment, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, ADA, FMLA. What they mean and what to do.

Synthesis A laboratory exercise requiring participants to use the skills learned in previous sessions. Overall assessment of content and process.

Registration To register for the Essentials of Management, contact your personnel office, your supervisor, or the Professional Development Center. Nominations to the Management Development Program should be authorized by the senior manager of an agency or division.

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Professionalism
  • Leadership
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness
  • Organizational understanding
  • Analytical thinking
  • Decision making
  • Persuasion
  • Efficiency and focus
  • Relationship building
  • Creativity and problem solving

essentials of management 2

...adding to and building on the Essentials of Management...

Objective To improve the range of leadership skills specifically suited to managers in government, resulting in an integrated form of leadership to help move your organization into the new century.

Who Should Attend The Essentials of Management 2 curriculum is designed for graduates of Essentials of Management. It is an excellent program that will challenge all levels of supervisors and managers.

Participants in Essentials of Management 2 must be graduates of the regular Essentials of Management.

Course Content The Essentials of Management provides you with information and skills that supervisors find invaluable. From leadership to creativity to special challenges that leaders face, this series will offer interesting content and lively discussion.

Leadership I and II Leadership characteristics, leadership defined, type dynamics, power and its role in leadership. Defining, discussing and evaluating emotional intelligence. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and emotional intelligence are tied together.

Diversity Diversity wheel, challenges of diversity, legal issues of discrimination and harassment, benefits of diversity, means of facing the challenges, means of reaping the benefits.

Resolution Defining conflict, how type fits into conflict, assessing individual Conflict Management Approaches, steps towards conflict resolution, practicing conflict resolutions and applying best CMA.

Performance Addressing performance issues, AARP process, writing performance improvement plans, further issues of discipline and documentation, handling grievances.

Envisioning Organizational leadership, vision, alignment and leadership, creativity, forming core ideology.

Integration Ethical leadership, putting the views of leadership together, authentic leadership, putting authentic leadership into action, ideas and discussion for meeting the challenges, setting personal goals.

Schedule The seven sessions of the Essentials of Management 2 usually take place over a six-week period. The first five sessions are scheduled once a week. The last two sessions occur on two consecutive days in the sixth week. Each session lasts a full day.

Registration To register for the Essentials of Management 2, contact your personnel office, your supervisor, or the Professional Development Center. Nominations to the Management Development Program should be authorized by the senior manager of an agency or division.

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Professionalism
  • Leadership
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness
  • Organizational understanding
  • Analytical thinking
  • Decision making
  • Persuasion
  • Efficiency and focus
  • Relationship building
  • Creativity and problem solving
  • Ethics

principles of upper management

...the management series specific to your needs and your situation...

Objective To identify, define, and discuss an interrelated range of management issues specifically suited to mid- and upper-managers in government.

Who Should Attend Management in government faces tremendous challenges now, not only from the citizenry, who demand accountable, active management, but from itself, in a desire to continually improve. These challenges will increase as law, technology, and society reach new levels of complexity and make new demands on government.

The Principles of Upper Management curriculum meets the demands of mid-level management for today and the future. Its goal is to strengthen and expand knowledge in crucial management areas for both the new and the seasoned middle manager.

Course Content The topics of the Principles of Upper Management are immediately applicable and crucial to those managing from the heart of an agency. The training is integrated and participative to ensure acquisition and applicability of the identified skills. The curriculum comprises six modules . . .

Managing Projects Long-range planning: Comprehensive Management System. Defining the project: mission, objectives, key result areas, controls. Project team option. Project stages. Project life cycle. Layout methods. Practical exercise. Project control methods and means.

Teams Work teams. History and myths behind teamwork. Putting a team concept into action. Management's part. Getting started. Identifying the vital areas of team activity.

Budgets Working with OBPP, justification, submitting, revising, and finalizing a proposal. Legislative appropriation process. Implementing the budget. Monitoring the budget.

Information Issues: information overload, information value, organizational impacts. Privacy and the right to know. Information types and terms, categories and sources. Planning and developing an information system. Managing the plan.

Ethics Ethics as an issue. Foundations of ethics: values and principles, competing values, administrative power. Defining Ethics: Dimensions, levels of ethical choices, defining the public interest. Responding to ethical problems: ethical decision-making, resolution and reflections. Ethics in action: case studies, impediments and traps, principles of public service.

Synthesis A hands-on, laboratory exercise requiring participants to apply newly acquired skills to "real world" situations. A closing symposium on the results of the exercise, the integration of course topics, and the outcome of the training.

Schedule The six sessions of the Principles of Upper Management take place over a six-week period. A session takes place each week, and each session lasts a full day.

Registration To register for the Principles of Upper Management, contact your personnel office, your supervisor, or the Professional Development Center. Nominations to the Management Development Program should be authorized by the senior manager of an agency or division.

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Leadership
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness
  • Organizational understanding
  • Analytical thinking
  • Decision making
  • Persuasion
  • Efficiency and focus
  • Relationship building
  • Ethics
  • Teamwork

mediation skills

...invest some time learning how to assist others in settling their disputes...

Objective This workshop is designed to help you learn:

  • the mediation model from start to finish -- including all phases and interventions
  • interpersonal skills necessary for effective mediation
  • how to set the scene for constructive conflict
  • how to guide people to derive their own solutions to disputes

Who Should Attend Mid-to-upper level managers and supervisors, other personnel who are in the position to mediate controversial matters with other employees, agencies, or the public.

Course Content

Setting the Stage

  • conflict approaches
  • what is mediation?
  • the mediation model

Stages of Mediation

  • entry
  • diagnosis
  • negotiation
  • agreements
  • follow-up

Key Skills for Negotiating

  • establishing common ground
  • setting the agenda
  • identifying interests
  • balancing power
  • breaking deadlocks
  • de-escalating anger, attack and hostility
  • fractionating and reframing issues

Reaching Agreements that Work

  • strategies for agreements
  • forms of agreements

Schedule The three sessions of the Mediation for Managers take place over a three-week period. A session takes place each week, and each session lasts a full day.

Registration To register for Mediation Skills, contact your personnel office, your supervisor, or the Professional Development Center. Nominations to the Management Development Program should be authorized by the senior manager of an agency or division.

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Persuasion
  • Interpersonal understanding
  • Creativity and problem solving
  • Decision making
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness

approaching supervision

...information to help you plan or make the transition into a supervisory position...

Objective To identify the overall role and scope of supervision; to identify the skills, abilities, and personal principles needed to perform the job well.

Who Should Attend Promotions to supervisory positions generally come on the heels of technical proficiency in the work of the unit. But supervision entails an entirely different set of skills, a new type of job. This course addresses the needs of new supervisors with less than six months' experience and potential supervisors who wish to understand the position, its problems, and its rewards. Most seasoned supervisors look back at their first half-year in the position as a period of stress and confusion. This course helps to put the job, the role, the responsibilities, and the relationships in a rational perspective.

Course Content

The Position

  • supervision and the information age
  • changes and challenges
  • what makes a good supervisor?
  • seven deadly sins of supervision

The Job

  • "everything you ever wanted to know about supervision"
  • responsibilities
  • limits of responsibilities

The Transition

  • professional: from doer to delegator
  • personal: from cohort to controller
  • making the change

The Authority

  • power
  • types of power

Leadership

  • leadership vs. management
  • leadership style
  • developing others' potential

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Leadership
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness
  • Commitment to organization
  • Independence and responsibility

coaching/feedback

...coaching is all about encouraging, correcting, and challenging your employees or teams...

Objective To increase knowledge and skills in coaching methods to improve your staff's performance.

Who Should Attend Most managers feel uncomfortable with coaching their employees. This workshop gives you the tools to become a better coach, improving the way your employees or teams perform.

Course Content

  • The Role Coaching Plays in Supervising
  • Conditioning
  • Your Coaching Style
  • Coaching Values
  • The Game Plan
  • Coaching Models
  • Blowing the Whistle
  • Celebrating

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Self-knowledge and awareness
  • Leadership
  • Relationship building
  • Analytical thinking
  • Teamwork

competency series: competency-based interviewing for hiring

...to help you hire the best employee...

Objective To develop or improve skills in using competency-based interviewing techniques.

Who Should Attend This class will explore the use of competency-based interviewing when hiring new employees. The technique is based on the belief that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance. Using the competency-based interviewing technique allows you to evaluate a candidate's experiences and behaviors in order to determine their potential for success on a specific position. This class will help you identify desired skills and behaviors, structure open-ended questions to elicit detailed responses, and develop a rating system to evaluate selected criteria.

Course Content

  • Defining Behavioral Interviewing Technique
  • Job Analysis
  • Writing Behavioral Type Questions
  • Establishing Interview Rating Criteria
  • Practicing the Technique

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Efficiency and focus
  • Decision making

competency series: competency-based performance management

...how will we measure competency?

Objective To increase knowledge of competencies in performance management instruments and the use of competencies in managing employee performance.

Who Should Attend Any supervisor or employee who are or will be using competency-based performance management tools.

Course Content

Performance Management and Competencies
Using Performance Management Tools

  • As development tools
  • As management decision-making tools
  • As tools for making pay decisions

Legal Requirements of PM tools
The Performance Management Cycle

  • Making competencies and behaviors measurable
  • Observing competencies and behaviors
  • Assessing competencies and behaviors

Forms, Forms, Forms

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Decision Making
  • Persuasion
  • Relationship building
  • Analytical thinking

competency series: managing competencies

...as human resources systems change...

Objective This day-long course will provide a valuable overview of working with competencies to improve performance and productivity.

Who Should Attend As our understanding of human performance focuses on competencies, managers need to know what that means for them. What are competencies? How do we describe them? How do we assess them? How do we assign them to jobs? And, most importantly, why?

Course Content

Defining Competencies

  • what they are and aren't
  • how they fit with good management

Developing Competency Statements

  • methods
  • menuing

Assigning Competencies to Jobs

  • developing competency measures

Assessing and Applying Competencies to Management
PeopleSoft Tie-in

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Organizational understanding
  • Leadership
  • Flexibility and adaptability

decision making

...direct practice is the most effective method for solving problems and making decisions...

Objective To develop an understanding of problem-solving and decision-making techniques that allow for the minimizing of risks and the maximizing of opportunities.

Who Should Attend Solving difficult problems and making complex decisions that affect policy, programs, personnel, and budgets are the stock-in-trade of the effective manager. This course gives participants an arsenal of skills, strategies, and techniques to help solve problems and make decision-making less risky.

Course Content

Defining the Problem
Gathering Information
Generating Alternatives

  • tapping your creativity

Decision Making Techniques

  • establishing evaluation criteria
  • ranking alternatives

Implementing the Decision

  • overcoming barriers
  • designing action plans

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Decision making
  • Creativity and problem solving
  • Leadership
  • Analytical thinking

developing and managing a budget

...for those who must justify, submit, revise and finalize a budget proposal...

Objective To understand the Legislative appropriation process and how to implement and manage the budget.

Who Should Attend One of the most popular sessions of the Principles of Upper Management, this course will benefit those who need more information on the budget process and how to assess and manage a budget.

Course Content Tammy Peterson, Division Administrator of the Centralized Service Division of the Department of Labor and Industry, overviews:

  • The Executive Planning Process
    • budget preparation
    • OBPP and LFA analysis of budget requests
  • preparing for the Legislature
  • Legislative Session
  • projecting expenditures
  • managing the budget
  • management tools in SABHRS

Competencies addressed in this session

  • Organizational understanding
  • Analytical thinking
  • Decision making
  • Efficiency and focus

documenting disciplinary action

...any disciplinary action is only as sound as the documentation that supports it...

Objective To develop or improve skills in recording facts about employee behavior and conduct; to discuss and practice important aspects of documenting disciplinary actions.

Who Should Attend Every supervisor is familiar with the terse imperative, "Document!" Yet the command is easier than the compliance. How, what, and when do you document? This half-day course provides pertinent information on the importance and methods of documentation. The course is appropriate for supervisors at all levels.

Course Content

Introduction
Critical Aspects of Documentation

  • why is documentation important?
  • what is required?
  • just cause
  • some necessary strengths
  • due process
  • exercise
  • common challenges
  • what to tell employees
  • confidentiality

What is Documentation?

  • common challenges
  • first level documentation
  • second level documentation

Building Good Documentation Habits

  • third level documentation
  • when to record
  • formal & informal documents
  • how to record
  • how formal relates to informal
  • what to record

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Efficiency/focus
  • Analytical thinking
  • Writing effectively
  • Ethics

effective disciplinary action

...progressive discipline gives you the tools for correcting problems without causing problems...

Objective To improve supervisory skills in correcting conduct errors and applying disciplinary actions on the job.

Who Should Attend Employee discipline is the most difficult and complex duty of the supervisor. It requires a good knowledge of policy and procedure, as well as a delicate skill for face-to-face interactions. This workshop is for supervisors and managers who want to improve their ability to administer corrective action for rule infractions and chronic poor performance.

Course Content

Defining Discipline

  • the necessity of discipline
  • employer liability
  • authoritative vs. corrective approach

Issues of Discipline

  • just cause
  • due process
  • documentation

Progressive Discipline

  • the progressive process
  • formal and informal actions
  • coaching and counseling

Practical Aspects

  • dealing with defensiveness
  • a counseling model
  • the written warning
  • taking formal actions

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Persuasion
  • Decision making
  • Leadership
  • Professionalism

giving and getting job references

...a seminar on employment references - legal issues and safe procedures...

Objective To discuss the legal implications in providing or seeking employment references; to identify fair and effective reference procedures.

Who Should Attend The best predictor of success on the job is past performance. While job references may be the most logical source of such information, they are getting harder and harder to get. And employers have legitimate worries about providing references. This half-day seminar explores the ins and outs of references - both giving and getting them. Participants will learn about the legal environment and gain an understanding of safe reference practices. This seminar will benefit managers at all levels; however, it is particularly appropriate for personnel officers and managers responsible for hiring personnel.

Course Content

Introduction

  • the need for references
  • current trends & legal issues
  • relevant Montana statutes
  • qualified privilege

Getting References

  • job analysis
  • questions to ask
  • questions to avoid
  • releases
  • documentation

Giving References

  • the model process
  • questions to answer
  • questions not to answer
  • documentation
  • the reference law

Special Circumstances

  • negligent hiring
  • background checks

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Professionalism
  • Organizational understanding
  • Ethics

handling employee complaints and grievances

...some supervisors feel intimidated when a grievance is filed, but grievances are an important managerial tool...

Objective To develop an understanding of a complaint and grievance process. To understand and use a grievance procedure as a managerial tool to improve workplace communications

Who Should Attend Anyone with supervisory duties or responsibilities will benefit from this seminar which will focus on all components of the grievance process from a manager's point of view. The emphasis is on the grievance and complaint procedure as a positive communication tool within any organization.

Course Content

  • Do's and Don'ts of Handling Employee Complaints and Grievances
  • Techniques for Handling Grievances at the First Step
  • Procedures for Reviewing Grievance at Appeals Levels
  • Front-line Supervisor's Responsibilities in Preparing for the Hearing
  • Is There Life After the Grievance is Filed?

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Decision Making
  • Persuasion
  • Relationship building
  • Professionalism

investigating personnel issues

...learn the ins and outs of work-place investigations...

Objective To improve knowledge of best practices for investigating allegations of misconduct or poor performance in the workplace.

Who Should Attend It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. If you're the one called upon to lead an investigation at work, this is the class for you.

Managers, personnel officers, and attorneys can, at times, get involved with investigating a complaint. The issues are often sensitive, involving sexual harassment, alleged misconduct, and performance with the public, even on-the-job accidents. This one-day workshop will explore the need for investigation, methods, interview techniques, documentation, and confidentiality. It qualifies for 6.5 CLE credits and for POST credit.

Course Content

Legal Issues

  • why investigate
  • constitutional rights and case law
  • Garrity rights
  • Weingarten rights
  • other issues: defamation, false imprisonment
  • statutory authority
  • policy issues
  • collective bargaining agreements

Getting to the Issue

  • the complaint
  • deciding to investigate
  • documentation

Planning the Investigation

  • who's involved
  • timetable to completion
  • confidentiality
  • documentation

Doing the Investigation

  • investigator's role
  • sources of information
  • stating the charge
  • interviewing employees
  • dealing with reticence
  • documentary evidence
  • searches
  • documentation

Evaluating the Investigation

  • assessing credibility
  • other aspects to evaluate

The Investigation Report

  • who's involved?
  • timetable to completion
  • confidentiality
  • elements of the report
  • who gets it?
  • the investigation file

Competencies addressed in this session

  • Commitment to serve the public
  • Writing effectively
  • Organizational awareness
  • Ethics
  • Interpersonal understanding
  • Analytical thinking

managing change

...the only constant is change...

Objective To describe the nature of organizational change. To identify means of effecting change with minimal disruption and resistance.

Who Should Attend Many recent events in Montana have driven home one point: we are in a period of change. In times of crisis, the need for change stands out clearly. And our society is undergoing other major changes, many of them not so evident or rapid. In both situations, managers face the task of controlling how change takes place. They must devote their attention to planning and communicating the process clearly. This half-day seminar focuses on the nature of change, how it affects us, and how we can effect it. It is appropriate for mid-level and upper-level managers who face imminent change in their agencies.

Course Content

Introduction

  • change is occurring
  • change affects government at all levels
  • types of change
  • organizational response to change

What happens to people during change?

  • phases of transition through change
    -denial
    -resistance
    -exploration
    -commitment
  • management of each phase
  • dealing with resistance to change

Communication about change

  • listen - listen - listen
  • improving your feedback

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Interpersonal understanding
  • Persuasion
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Organizational understanding

managing conflict

...how to recognize, reduce, & resolve conflicts...

Objective To identify prevalent styles in handling conflict and to improve skills in constructively resolving conflicts that arise in the workplace.

Who Should Attend Conflict is inevitable in human relationships. Given this fact, managers and supervisors need skills in identifying and resolving conflict. This course will help you to recognize your personal approach to conflict and how to deal with conflicts on a situational basis. The course emphasizes communication skills and defusing confrontations.

Course Content

Methods of Managing Conflict Dealing with People

  • individual approaches
  • understanding your role
  • personal styles
  • understanding your self
  • organizational biases
  • active listening
  • situational applications
  • getting your ideas across

Approaches to Conflict Resolution

  • conventional viewpoints
  • competition
  • cooperation
  • strategy considerations

The Heat of the Battle

  • communication methods
  • ground rules
  • handling hostile people
  • dealing with stress
  • dealing with dirty tricks

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Decision Making
  • Persuasion
  • Customer orientation
  • Organizational understanding
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness

managing multiple priorities

...when everybody wants something NOW...

Objective To enable the participant to better prioritize demands on their time.

Who Should Attend One big effect of the technological workplace seems to be this: Whatever the task, everyone wants it now. The public, your coworkers, your boss - they all think that the work you're doing for them is most important. And it is. That's why you need to manage multiple priorities. This half-day workshop gives you insight into your mode of dealing with priorities. It also gives you tools to reduce the stress and do your best.

Course Content

Organizing

  • left brain/right brain
  • preferences
  • effect on how you manage priorities

First Things First

  • urgent and important
  • balancing

Setting Priorities

  • write them
  • rank them
  • schedule them

Your Energy Profile

  • characteristics
  • stresses
  • increasing your lesser energies

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Efficiency and focus
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness
  • Analytical thinking
  • Reliable and dependable

MBTI and conflict resolution

...this course explores how type can influence your conflict style...

Objective To Identify individual personality type preferences and discover the roles each preference plays during a conflict.

Who Should Attend Anyone who experiences conflict. This workshop quickly reveals how personality type can affect conflict in our daily lives.

Course Content

Introduction to MBTI
Nature & Origin of Conflict
Behavioral Cues
Conflict Management Approaches

  • Personal conflict styles
  • Preferred conflict styles of type

Type Watching Approach to Conflict

  • Five key steps

Conflict Situations
Using Type Preference for Solving Problems

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Persuasion
  • Interpersonal understanding
  • Organizational understanding
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness

mentoring: the view from both sides

...we can't afford to lose what we have spent so much time and money learning...

Objective We face a generational "changing of the guard" as baby boomers move into retirement, and we must prepare their successors for leadership to ensure long-term organizational health. This workshop focuses on building a productive mentoring relationship and on implementing a program in your organization.

Who Should Attend This workshop is designed for anyone who seeks to explore ways to facilitate and support a mentoring relationship that shares experiences and best practices to invest in the future of their organization.

Course Content

What is Mentoring?

The Influence of Mentors

Why become a Mentor or a Mentee?

Types of Mentoring Relationships

Keys to Building a Productive Relationship

Mentee Responsibilities

Types of Mentor Assistance

  • Respectful listening
  • Identifying feelings
  • Productive confrontation
  • Providing Information
  • Encouraging exploration of options

Four Pillars of Mentoring

  • Inquire
  • Share
  • Encourage
  • Care

Developing an Agreement

Evaluation of the Program

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Relationship building
  • Teambuilding
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Leadership

performance management series: conducting performance appraisal interviews

...performance appraisal interviews don't have to be a headache...

Objective To describe and effective process for conducting performance appraisal interviews; to review the "phases" of the interview, and to practice conducting appraisal interviews.

Who Should Attend Often, managers and supervisors view performance appraisals as a one-way road to an unpleasant confrontation. Thus, they put them off as long as possible and try to make them as short as possible. Yet the appraisal interview presents a good opportunity for a constructive discussion - one that will benefit both the organization and the employee. This half-day workshop focuses on making the process work.

This course will benefit managers and supervisors - and employees - who want to improve their skills at participating in productive performance appraisal interviews.

Course Content

The Appraisal Cycle

  • planning
  • monitoring & documenting
  • evaluating

Preparing for the Interview

  • performance ratings and comments
  • some considerations
  • the review process
  • scheduling the interview
  • setting the stage

Conducting the Interview

  • the phases of the interview
  • problems and solutions
  • practice

After the Interview

  • completing the paperwork
  • evaluating yourself
  • rights to grievance and rebuttal

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Persuasion
  • Relationship building

performance management series: performance management systems

...as our requirements for performance change...

Objective This seminar will overview selected performance management systems.

Who Should Attend This course is for anyone who is asking: What are competencies and how will we measure them? What is this 360-degree stuff? What am I going to need to know? How will it affect how I am managing now?

Course Content

Performance and Behavior
Legal Requirements
Performance Management Systems

  • Performance - based
  • Competency - based
  • 360 Degree

Performance Management Cycle

  • setting expectations
  • observing and communicating
  • evaluating

Choosing the System Right for Our Agency

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Organizational understanding
  • Relationship building

performance management series: managing performance

...how do you keep performance in performance appraisal?...

Objective To define a standards-based performance appraisal system and to improve skills in all phases of the performance appraisal cycle.

Who Should Attend Don't feel guilty - we've all felt this way: performance management is a tedious, time-consuming, pointless pain, right? It isn't necessarily so. Systematic performance management is a necessary tool for the supervisor - a medium of planning and communication. This seminar discusses what performance management is - and how to make it work. The two-day course is appropriate for all supervisors and managers who would rather control work than have work control them.

Course Content

Performance Management Overview

  • perspectives on performance
  • what is performance management?
  • he performance management cycle

Planning Performance

  • performance planning primer
  • job analysis
  • writing performance expectations
  • employee involvement

Observing Performance

  • the PM period
  • methods of observation
  • documenting what you see
  • communicating with the employee

Evaluating Performance

  • rating performance
  • preparing for the appraisal interview
  • conducting the appraisal interview
  • review of the appraisal

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Leadership
  • Decision making
  • Relationship building

planning and organizing

...to get where you're going, you need a map...

Objective To establish or improve supervisory skills in evaluating and prioritizing the activities of the work unit and preparing a simple, practical, unit work plan.

Who Should Attend One of the biggest obstacles to unit productivity is the lack of a coherent, concise plan for its work. This course is designed to provide supervisors with a proven method of planning that will take into account the day-to-day changes every unit faces.

Course Content

Long-Range Planning

  • inventory
  • strategic planning
  • operational planning
  • control and evaluation

Contingency Planning

  • comprehensive management system
  • what could possibly go wrong?
  • expecting change in the job
  • forecasting changes
  • when and how to take action

Evaluation
Mission, Goals, and Objectives

  • time, cost, & event reporting
  • identifying principal tasks
  • isolating critical areas

Planning Concept

  • reporting by exception
  • the seven steps to planning
  • early recognition of changes
  • case study of planning steps
  • resources and constraints

Setting Priority

  • selecting review points
  • factors and options to consider

Time-Line Planning

  • estimating required time
  • assigning responsibility
  • determining performance level

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Efficiency and focus
  • Organizational understanding
  • Creativity and problem solving

project planning

...an advanced planning seminar for managers of long- and short-range projects...

Objective To develop or improve skills in setting project goals, evaluating the achievement of them, and analyzing alternative strategies.

Who Should Attend Whether overseeing an ongoing program or a deadline project, mid-level managers need to envision the "big picture" of where they are, where they're going, and how to get there. It is only after doing this that the day-to-day details can come into focus. This course is for experienced project and program managers who want to improve their planning skills. Participants will do actual planning using a project of their choice.

Course Content

Long-Range Planning

  • Comprehensive management system
  • Inventories
  • Mission
  • Program structure
  • Strategic planning
  • Operational planning
  • Evaluation

Project Planning

  • Identifying mission, goals, objectives, key result areas, and control
  • Project stages
  • Project life cycle

Lay-out Methods and Control

  • GANTT Chart
  • PERT/CRM Charting
  • Control of Project

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Analytical thinking
  • Efficiency and focus
  • Organizational understanding
  • Creativity and problem solving

remote management

Objective To identify and assess the competencies, tools and systems necessary to ensure a productive work environment in remote locations.

Who Should Attend Supervisors and employees who are located sufficiently far apart that frequent face-to-face communication is impractical.

Course Content When supervisors and employees are located far apart and frequent face-to-face communication is impractical, new sets of management skills and tools are necessary. This workshop overviews:

  • the benefits and challenges of remote work locations to the employee, the supervisor, and the employees
  • the employee and supervisor competencies needed to successfully work in remote locations
  • the tools of time management, work planning, performance management to help the supervisor and employee in remote work locations
  • the reporting and communication systems needed to keep the work productive
  • identify resources, such as the State of Montana's Telework Program Guide, to help the process be successful

Competencies addressed in this session

  • Analytical thinking
  • Organizational understanding
  • Leadership
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Creativity and problem solving
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness

supervising performance improvement

...when they aren't doing what they are supposed to do...

Objective To increase supervisory skills in dealing with employees who are not performing up to expected levels.

Who Should Attend One of the biggest challenges that supervisors face comes when an employee is not performing up to expected levels. Confronting the problem can be difficult because of uncertainty, defensiveness, lack of clarity, and conflict. Failing to deal with the problem only makes it worse. This workshop explores the tools needed to recognize, analyze, and address performance problems.

Course Content

If people aren't doing what they are supposed to

  • why not?
  • what's the problem
  • types of poor performers

AARP model

A - Analyze

  • Describe behavior
  • Setting clear expectation
  • Providing feedback
  • Providing positive consequences
  • Provide training

A - Address

  • private and positive
  • performance conference

R - Resolve

  • best solution
  • put it in writing

P - Pursue

  • follow-up

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Leadership
  • Relationship building
  • Persuasion
  • Decision making
  • Professionalism

teambuilding series: teambuilding

...spend some time learning how to build a team that "clicks"...

Objective This session is designed to help you learn . . .

  • how teamwork affects enthusiasm, productivity, and goal achievement
  • how to create commitment by developing a cohesive team
  • how to make your work team more productive

Who Should Attend Employees who have not attended previous teambuilding sessions or those who would like a refresher.

Course Content

  • Overview of Teambuilding
  • Team Roles
  • Communication Among Team Members
  • Stages of Team Development
  • Developing Team Commitment
  • Team Leadership

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Teamwork
  • Relationship building
  • Loyalty and dedication
  • Customer Orientation

teambuilding series: teamwork and type

...it takes all types to make a team...

Objective Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a tool, this session is designed to help you:

  • Become aware of one's own preferences for taking in information and reaching conclusions
  • Discovering individual and team problem-solving styles
  • Analyzing team's strengths, blind spots, and areas for improvement
  • Developing action plans for effective individual and team growth

Who Should Attend This is an introductory workshop on teambuilding using type theory applications. Team members will be asked to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Course Content

  • Introduction to Type Theory
  • Exploration of your Individual Type
  • Type and Teambuilding

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Teamwork
  • Relationship building
  • Self-knowledge and personal awareness
  • Analytical thinking

valuing diversity in the workplace

...equality is not uniformity...

Objective To provide an understanding of the human dynamics that cause problems among people who are different and to generate sensitivity to differences including those of gender, age, physical abilities, educational level, and region, as well as race, ethnicity, and lifestyle.

Who Should Attend In the coming years, organizations with the competitive advantage will be those that make the best use of their human resources. But many managers and employees are ill-equipped to deal with the dramatic changes occurring in today's workplace. Today's workers include women, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, and others.

Homogeneity has been replaced by diversity: people of different ages, races, ethnic and national backgrounds, physical abilities, and lifestyles.

This course is for all managers, supervisors, and employees who deal with people, whether within the organization or through outside contact with the public

Course Content

Leading a diverse workforce

  • sharing membership, breaking the "glass ceiling"
  • the language barrier

Misunderstandings based on miscommunications

  • the language barrier
  • different communication styles

Succeeding in the diverse workplace

  • the components of communication
  • a cumulative effects
  • overcoming stereotypes and assumptions

Common causes of misunderstandings

  • learning the unwritten rules
  • assertiveness and candor

Why communication is so important

  • conventions for courtesy
  • sequence and phasing
  • giving and getting information
  • objectivity and specificity
  • communication is power
  • miscommunication is costly

Competencies addressed in this session:

  • Teamwork
  • Interpersonal understanding
  • Relationship building
  • Flexibility and adaptability

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