LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE INTRODUCTION

1 LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE INTRODUCTION i HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS Welcome to the LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE a true action program! Obviously, nothing ever happens without some kind of action. Taking action that leads to worthwhile consequences requires thinking, planning, and goal setting. Before we begin, we d like you to internalize one concept neither this program nor any other can lead you from wish to fulfillment without constructive action and participation on your part. You are the key to any success this program will provide and I want you to understand that from the start. In the fifteenth century, Galileo pointed out that you cannot be taught anything. You can only find or discover truth inside yourself. You must become involved and willing to take action and implement the concepts presented to you. The design and approach we employ in this program are both practical and action-oriented. A key factor in this program is proceeding from the known to the unknown.

2 On the final day we will convert this concept to what we call closing the Knowing-Doing Gap. Our material is fundamental and we realize that many of you have developed a high level of proficiency in a particular skill. In fact each of you brings strengths to the program and as we interact during the next three days, we ask you to share your experiences and insights to better help others to apply these principles in the workplace. LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE is designed around the adult learning model. While all adults have a preferred learning style, research indicates learning in adults occurs best when they complete each of these four steps: 1. Concrete Experience. Although the rate of learning varies with each individual, knowledge comes through the five basic senses sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The more senses brought into play in a learning situation, the greater is the capacity to learn and retain new knowledge. In some cases, the concrete experience is one that you bring into the setting.

3 In other cases, a common concrete experience will be created during this program through the use of role-plays and exercises that require each of you to expand your knowledge by engaging in the activity. 2. Reflective Observation. The definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. While concrete experience creates the base of learning, reflective observation, or facilitated discussion, is the mechanism by which the new truths are gained. Since participants share common experiences, discussion is a valuable vehicle for you to learn from each other. At Academy LEADERSHIP we have broad and varied experience in facilitating adult groups, and will assist you in discovering new ideas and techniques. 3. Abstract Conceptualization. In order to fully utilize knowledge, you must be able to fully understand it and apply it to new situations. This program is cumulative since each topic builds upon the previous ones and extends your grasp of the nature of LEADERSHIP in its totality, rather than as discrete bits of information and techniques.

4 This understanding is gained during each module as we help you to put it all together in a way that makes sense. 4. Active Experimentation. Once new concepts are mastered intellectually, they must become behavioral habits in the workplace. To accomplish this final stage, you will be expected to develop action plans to apply your new skills when you return to your workplace, and to continue to learn through active experimentation, tailoring the new techniques and ideas into a LEADERSHIP style that works for you and your team. We have designed the program so you can use these five principles of learning: 1. Multi-sensory Perception. Research shows that different areas of the brain are used to hear material, read material, speak material, and write material. The more senses brought into play in a learning situation, the greater is the capacity to learn and retain new knowledge. Our LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE makes use of each of these cognitive processes through the printed text, the recorded lesson, and interaction during the sessions.

5 In addition, you will be asked to respond to Application & Action questions and Self-Evaluations during each training module to help initiate action. The act of writing and acting is critical to the formation ii of automatic responses or habits. By using these three basic senses sight, hearing, and touch the program accelerates the learning and acceptance process and provides results. 2. Spaced Repetition. The key to success in most endeavors is establishing habits. Habits are most effectively created through spaced repetition. When we learn to play a new sport, the key actions are broken down into their simplest components and then rehearsed again and again until they become automatic. A competent golfer or tennis player is not thinking about their swing it has become programmed through repetition. Hardly any of us need to think about the mechanics of driving a car this is also automatic because it has been done over and over again.

6 We use spaced repetition by having you listen daily to the audio files that contain the same material as the written lessons. Once you have graduated from the LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE , we recommend you listen to the audio portion again, not to learn more material but rather to stimulate thought on how to apply the material in daily activities at work and at home. It is the first step in creating good LEADERSHIP habits that will last for a lifetime. 3. Simultaneous Learning Experiences. Learning is simultaneous with experience in the LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE . One of the chief complaints of large corporations is that the theory taught in schools and universities often fails to deal with the practical problems people encounter in the business world. We make a concerted effort to bridge the gap. Beginning with the first session, we believe you will learn how to apply and practice the concepts. Experience, then, is simultaneous with learning.

7 4. Journaling. The practice of keeping a journal that explores thoughts and feelings surrounding the event of one s life and as a stress management and self-exploration tool. It is not simply recording the happenings in one s life, as in keeping a log or diary, but rather writing in detail about your feelings and cognitions related to important life/ LEADERSHIP events. Journaling allows people to clarify their thoughts and feelings, thereby gaining valuable self-knowledge. It allows them to reflect on how well they are doing on what they know they should be doing and thus closing the Knowing-Doing gap. 5. Coaching. Executive coaching is a process of working with individuals one-on-one to help solve problems and introduce behavioral changes for developing effective leaders. The essence of this type of coaching relates to helping leaders transition into a broader awareness of their effectiveness and assisting them in transferring what they have learned during their LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE experience into tangible results for their organization.

8 Facilitators will schedule three monthly Executive Coaching telephone sessions with LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE Graduates to check on progress toward accomplishing attendees 90 day Action Plan. This dialogue will create a clear picture of one s long term LEADERSHIP success and continued journey. RESULTS OF THE LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE The LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE will change your life. It is not designed to change your personality or values, but rather to bring out all of your natural abilities that have lain comparatively unused. In other words, it provides a vehicle for capitalizing on your abilities at a much faster rate than you are likely to achieve through your own initiatives. You will discover and develop goal awareness and attitudes you never knew before. Through activated internal motivation you can develop attitudes and habits that will place you at the top. You will become a practitioner of the type of LEADERSHIP that produces concrete results and benefits at work, in your home, and in every facet of your life.

9 The LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE will not end on day three but rather be just a beginning. WHAT YOU SUPPLY During this COURSE , you will be asked to perform action-oriented exercises that will cause you to stretch, reach, and grow. Some of these exercises will encourage you to form new habits and help you become a more effective leader. One habit that successful leaders have formed is that of recording daily reflections. Journaling, the practice of recording our thoughts and feelings surrounding the LEADERSHIP events of one s life, is an effective method for leaders to gain valuable self-knowledge. As a stress management and self-iii exploration tool, it is not the same as simply recording your daily actions, such as keeping a log. To be most beneficial, one must write in detail about feelings and cognitions related to important life/ LEADERSHIP events. The outcome is you can then actually see what you were thinking because your thoughts and experiences are in a solid form.

10 As an active participant in our program you will have ample opportunity to share experiences with your fellow participants. This interaction with each other will reinforce your values as well as the key principles of your LEADERSHIP style. Journaling each day will enable you to reflect on teachable points of view that will motivate you to grow as a leader and to continue to record important experiences and ideas. Moreover, you will be reinforcing lessons learned through reflective self-disclosure, which will assist you in managing stress, solving problems more cognitively, and making good LEADERSHIP decisions. The people with the most to gain from our LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE COURSE are those who already enjoy a level of success that is above average. Typically, those that attend our training are busy in their work, aspire to take on more responsibility and accomplish even more than they are already. Most of our participants are interested in learning new habits and changing behaviors to become more effective leaders.