for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
at Davidson College

for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
at Davidson College

Ready to Lead:
Essential Skills for New Leaders

Many new managers have no prior training, making leadership daunting. In this course, learners will develop personal characteristics like accountability and unquestioned integrity, and practice strong communication habits that inspire trust and build authentic connection with their teams. They will gain practical skills and have opportunities to practice and receive feedback in a collaborative environment of peers and experienced faculty. Learners will cultivate the discipline needed to make thoughtful decisions and have the tools to lead high-performing teams.

Three core focus areas

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SPRING 2022 COHORT DATES

When: 10 weeks on Wednesdays, March 16 — May 18

Time: 2:30-4:30 pm

Where: Forum Learning Environment, Minerva’s virtual learning platform

course overview

Impactful leaders consciously cultivate ethical principles, practice accountability and demonstrate responsibility for personal and organizational goals. We will explore how our purpose and values impact the way we solve problems, make decisions and honor commitments. We will practice prioritization and time-management skills that help new leaders identify the most important and urgent tasks, encouraging critical thinking, flexibility and adaptability in our ever-changing environment. We will identify our own strengths, weaknesses and hidden biases to better manage our emotions and responses in challenging situations and build trust within our teams.

 

Session I: Cultivation Personal and Professional Accountability

Session II: Applying Productive Work Habits

Session III: Influencing Our Organizational Behavior

 

Recognizing and navigating different personalities and viewpoints requires a high degree of emotional intelligence. We will apply creative techniques to strengthen emotional intelligence muscles and better manage relationships. We will explore verbal and nonverbal components of communication so growing leaders learn to express themselves clearly and persuasively. We will design effective team communication models and practice the art of difficult conversations and conflict management.

 

Session IV: Improving Emotional Intelligence

Session V: Practicing Purposeful Communication

Session VI: Communication in Action

Great managers create the right environment for team engagement and for individual employees to achieve outstanding success — personally and for the organization. We will sharpen the personal and interpersonal skills and habits developed in the previous sessions and apply them within a leadership context. We will explore the fundamentals of strong group collaboration and discover strategies to prevent team dysfunction. We will learn about the necessary transitions from team member to team leader and utilize performance management, problem-solving, and decisionmaking activities that mimic the types of experiences supervisors encounter in the workplace. Together we will put course learnings into practical action steps so leaders are ready for tomorrow.

 

Session VII: Propelling Strong Teams

Session VIII: Stepping into Leadership

Session IX: Thriving in Leadership

Session X: Planning + Action

course details

EMPLOYER DETAILS

To ensure learners get the most out of this course, we ask that employers allow time for class participation during the workday and provide learners with the necessary technology needed to successfully utilize the virtual learning platform.

We will thoughtfully engage learner’s managers at various milestones throughout the course.

To learn more about the minimum technical needs for each learner, visit Minerva Project’s Computer & System Requirements page. Please ensure that your employees have access to the necessary tools needed to run Minerva’s Forum™ learning platform.

 

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Please submit learner names and email addresses to Beth Adams (beadams@davidson.edu) no later than February 15, 2022 so we can set up individual accounts in the Forum Learning platform. 

The ideal learners for this course are individual contributors who are aspiring to take on more responsibility as a peer leader or direct supervisor. They may be next in line to move into a management role or have recently been promoted into a role that has leadership responsibilities. When selecting individuals most likely to benefit from this course, supervisors should consider:

  • Successful entry-level hires who are motivated and ready for a next step in their career
  • Team members with strong technical abilities who want to improve communication and teamwork skills 
  • High-potential individuals who came through workforce programs or alternative paths outside a 4-year degree program

If you have any questions as you are considering the best individuals to engage in this course, please reach out to Beth Adams (beadams@davidson.edu) for additional support. We want to ensure your company and employees get the most out of this program.

Attendance: In order for all learners to get the full benefit of this course, we need them and their valuable workplace experiences to be in the “room.” Thus,  we ask that learners miss no more than two (2) live sessions and when they plan to be absent, they should notify the course instructors ahead of time. They will also be required to complete the pre-work and watch recorded class sessions. 

Participation: Our class instructors invite learners to participate meaningfully over the course of the 10 weeks through a variety of activities: pre-class readings, in-class discussions and breakout groups. They will be asked to reflect on new material introduced by course instructors as well as their own personal experiences.

Final Reflection: There is no final exam or final project in this course. However, learners will be asked to write a personal reflection at the end of the 10 weeks, on how they might apply the knowledge gained in the course to their work going forward. 

Certificate of Completion: If learners successfully meet all of the above requirements, they will receive a certificate from the Hurt Hub at Davidson College.

Learners can withdraw in the first 2 weeks of the course, and their sponsoring employer will be eligible for a full refund of the learner’s program fee. Alternatively, employers may elect to send another learner in the place of the withdrawing learner.

Sponsoring employers will be responsible for paying a 50% deposit for all learners at least 30 days before the start of the course. The remaining balance will be due within 30 days after the completion of the course. All payments will be invoiced to sponsoring employers by Davidson College. Individual learners are not personally responsible for any direct costs.

LEARNER DETAILS

Attendance: In order for all learners to get the full benefit of this course, we need you and your valuable workplace experiences to be in the “room.” Thus,  we ask that you miss no more than two (2) live sessions and when you plan to be absent, we ask that you notify the course instructors ahead of time. You will also be required to complete the pre-work and watch recorded class sessions. 

Participation: Our class instructors will invite you to participate meaningfully over the course of the 10 weeks through a variety of activities: pre-class readings, in-class discussions and breakout groups. You will be asked to reflect on new material introduced by course instructors as well as your own personal experiences.

Final Reflection: There is no final exam or final project in this course. However, we will ask you to write a personal reflection at the end of the 10 weeks, on how you might apply the knowledge you gained in the course to your work going forward. 

Certificate of Completion: If you successfully meet all of the above requirements, you will receive a certificate from the Hurt Hub at Davidson College.

Learners can withdraw in the first 2 weeks of the course, and their sponsoring employer will be eligible for a full refund of the learner’s program fee. Alternatively,  employers may elect to send another learner in the place of the withdrawing learner.

Individual learners are not personally responsible for any direct costs.

To learn more about the minimum technical needs for each learner, visit Minerva Project’s Computer & System Requirements page. Please work with your employer to ensure that you have the necessary technology equipment to run Minerva’s Forum™ learning platform.

Course Faculty

Dr. John Kello

Dr. John Kello

Lead Professor

Dr. John Kello is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Davidson College, with a Graduate Faculty Associate appointment to the Doctoral Program in Organizational Science at UNC Charlotte. Additionally, John is President and Senior Consultant of J.E. Kello & Associates, Inc., an Organization Development consulting firm which serves a national list of clients.

John’s research, teaching, and consulting interests center on the HighPerformance Organization model and the development of sustainable, positive organizational cultures. His work includes research and consulting with a focus in the areas of organizational communications (especially workplace meetings), leadership assessment and development (including executive coaching), and behavior-based safety systems to reduce error and promote safety in a variety of settings. He has consulted with numerous governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and business organizations in the fields of healthcare, higher education, staffing, construction, manufacturing (a wide range of product types), product distribution, food service, commercial aviation, nuclear operations, and financial services.

Dr. Shireen Campbell

Dr. Shireen Campbell

Contributing Professor

Dr. Shireen Campbell teaches courses in English, Educational Studies, and the Writing Program at Davidson College. At Davidson, Shireen is Acting Chair of the Educational Studies Department and Director of the Writing Center.

Shireen's research and teaching interests include professional communication, language acquisition, writing center theory and practice, creative nonfiction, and modern American and British literature.

Shireen has taught at Davidson since 1993 and taught professional writing and community-based writing for more than two decades.

QUESTIONS?

Contact:

Beth Adams

Innovation Projects Lead, Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation & Entrepreneurship 

Davidson College

beadams@davidson.edu

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