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Classes in business leadership skills scheduled at Ivy Tech in Fall 2017

KOKOMO, Ind. — As part of its efforts to meet Hoosier workforce needs, Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region is offering a five-week series of classes designed to develop leaders in business and industry. The series was first offered this summer and received high marks from participants from such companies and organizations as FCA, Steinberger Construction, Dean Baldwin Painting, Lehigh Cement, and the Small Business Development Center.

The series will be taught by Jim Mullins, a veteran of more than 30 years in human resource management with Chrysler Corp., and will meet from noon to 4 p.m. each Friday from Sept. 15 to Oct. 13 on the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus. Cost of the five-session program is $550.

“With the success of the first offering of this series, we are happy to be repeating it this fall,” said Stephanie Reitan, workforce alignment program manager for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area. “This is a great opportunity for companies to invest in their employees and develop the leaders they need, leaders who can do more and be more in order to succeed in today’s complex environment.

Reitan said the course is designed to help develop front-line leaders with strong interpersonal skills who can get things done by mobilizing and engaging others. It uses the Interaction Management global leadership training curriculum from DDI (Development Dimensions International) and serves as a foundation for many follow-on courses designed to help leaders communicate effectively so they can spark action in others.

Mullins, an adjunct professor at Purdue Polytechnic Institute Kokomo, Indiana Wesleyan University, DeVry University, and Ivy Tech and a certified DDI facilitator, shares more than 40 years of manufacturing experience with his students. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial administration from General Motors Institute, a master’s degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan, and a doctorate in organizational development and human resources from Capella University.

The five sessions will cover these leadership skills: Communicating for Leadership Success, Building and Sustaining Trust, Working as a High-performance Team, Addressing Poor Performance, and Resolving Workplace Conflict.

 

Sept. 15: Communicating for Leadership Success

Organizations need leaders who can do more and be more in order to succeed in today’s complex environment. They need front line leaders with strong interpersonal skills who can get things done by mobilizing and engaging others. This foundation course for most Interaction Management® courses helps leaders communicate effectively so they can spark action in others. The course teaches leaders the Interaction Essentials they need to handle the variety of challenges and opportunities they encounter every day in the workplace and beyond.

Sept. 22: Building and Sustaining Trust

What does trust have to do with business success? Everything. Trust is directly linked to employee engagement, retention, productivity, and innovation. Leaders who demonstrate trust and trustworthiness inspire higher levels of performance and commitment to team and organizational success. This course introduces Trust Builders, actions leaders can take to build and sustain trusting relationships, as well as common Trust Breakers that can erode or quickly break trust. Applying these skills to build trusting relationships enables people to take risks, identify and solve problems, and collaborate to achieve business results.

Sept. 29: Working as a High-performance Team

For a team to achieve peak performance, its members must involve, support, and trust one another. And they must share information and commit to a process that will lead to success. This course will enhance team effectiveness and maximize not only performance, but also impact on the organization as a whole. Participants learn the personal, interpersonal, and business advantages of working together as a unit and are introduced to a set of best practices for optimal results.

Oct. 6: Addressing Poor Performance

A single employee with chronic performance problems can dominate a leader’s time, and drag down the productivity and morale of an entire work group. This course builds leaders’ skills in handling chronic performance problems. They learn how to document and present a solid case for needed improvement and use effective interaction skills. Leaders identify the steps to take after the performance problem discussion to provide ongoing feedback and support, and determine if it is necessary to impose formal consequences.

Oct. 13: Resolving Workplace Conflict

Today’s business environment challenges organizations to increase productivity, improve quality, shorten cycle time, and reduce costs. An unfortunate but natural byproduct of these challenges is conflict. While conflict can lead to discoveries such as new ideas and innovative breakthroughs, it can, if allowed to escalate, result in damage to critical working relationships. This course teaches leaders how to recognize the signs of escalating conflict and take appropriate action to minimize damage. Leaders are introduced to two resolution tactics— coach and mediate—and practice using the Interaction Essentials as they coach then mediate to resolve a conflict.

For more information on the course and to register for the course, contact Reitan at sreitan@ivytech.edu or 765-252-5476.

SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College