Session One – Assessing your Leadership Competencies

The program will begin with an understanding of why and how leadership needs to change in education. The art and science of leadership will be explored.

In this session each participant will review the results of their leadership assessments and determine the strengths and the areas for improvement to be a high performing leader. They will receive feedback on how they rank on well -known and validated inventories in relation to educators from throughout the country.

Lyle Kirtman, CEO Future Management Systems will also present his 7 Leadership Competencies for high performing leaders. Each participant will complete a self –assessment on the competencies to help guide them through the leadership program.

Session Two – Competency One - Challenging the status quo

In this session, participants will learn why this competency is so important for educational leaders today. Data will be presented that will show how leaders who are most effective, challenge the status quo. Each participant will determine how they can improve their effectiveness on this competency based on the results of their leadership assessments.

Specific strategies will be explored to reduce time on compliance activities in order to pursue important leadership behaviors. Distributive leadership will be emphasized as core to the ability to manage the myriad of rules, regulations and requirements of leading in education today.

Session Three – Competency Two – Builds trust through clear communications and expectations

This workshop will present a model for building trust. Using the model each participant will explore methods to enhance their communications to people who have variety of communication and problem solving styles. As participants learn and understand how to build trust and improve communications, they will develop strategies to establish clear expectations with their leadership team and supervisor or School Committee.

Using ones leadership profile, each participant will work on improving the clarity of their expectations with staff and outside constituents. In addition, participants will learn how to develop teams that can carry their message to a variety of individuals and groups.

Session Four – Competency Three - Creates a commonly owned plan for success

Participants will assess their skills and style in thinking and acting strategically. The session will review methods of developing plans for success. Examples of plans from districts and schools will be reviewed and analyzed. The workshop will also review how to develop measurements for goals that motivate rather than create a punitive environment. The participants will also learn how to be inclusive in planning and monitoring and still efficient in obtaining results.

In addition, a process to monitor and revise plans will be reviewed to help leaders adjust to the realities of working in their communities.

Session Five – Competency Four - Focuses on team over self

In this discussion, participants will review the data that demonstrates the need for developing high performing teams in schools and districts. The group will learn about the style and behavior that makes a leader effective in team development. The role of the leader in forming effective teams will be explored.

Methods of developing high performance teams will be presented and each participant will begin to apply this process to their school or school system.

Session Six – Competency Five - Has a high sense of urgency for change and sustainable results

Participants will assess their own sense of urgency for sustainable change. The change process will be a topic of discussion and strategies for how to increase leadership capacity in schools to sustain improvements will be reviewed. How to develop a sense of urgency for results in staff will be a core topic for this session.

In addition, how to measure and report results to all constituencies will be discussed. Strategies will be developed to maintain a high sense of urgency without over-whelming staff.

Session Seven – Competency Six - Commitment to continuous improvement

This segment will allow each participant to determine their commitment to continuous improvement. They will learn how to build a team and staff that is committed to a real learning origination. Each learns will explore how to handle conflict and engage a variety of constituents in a learning culture.

The development of a Leadership Development Plan (LDP) will be introduced in this session. This written plan for self-improvement will be used throughout one’s career.

Session Eight – Competency Seven - Build external networks/partnerships

The final session will show how leaders in other sectors commit to external partnerships for improvement efforts. Participants will outline potential networks and partnerships for them to pursue. How to manage time to build external partnerships will be a core topic.

Practical examples will be presented and each participant will develop a specific approach to increasing their time externally.

This session will also review all the learnings from the program and conclude with the development and review of each person’s Leadership Development Plan (LDP).