We offer state agency employees a number of professional development opportunities to help them excel in their current positions or prepare them for higher-level responsibilities. State agencies or departments can build their own customized training program to meet specific needs by selecting one course or multiple courses from a wide variety of topics.
State employees should get in touch with the appropriate contact at their state agency to indicate interest in workshops. The state agency will then consult with us to set up a class of participants.
Agencies may schedule a class or classes and customize a training program specifically for employees of the agency. We will work with the agency to develop a program by choosing the appropriate content or sessions. It is possible to mix-and-match subjects differently than what is proposed in the descriptions listed below. A variety of developmental content can be integrated to create multi-day courses. Academies are available at various leadership and management levels.
We tailor each course to fit an organization's specific environment and incorporate relevant case studies. Adjustments to the depth and complexity of the content allow these workshops to reach various levels of employees in an organization.
For more information, contact Michael Hourihan by email or at (404) 702-8114.
This course will provide professional assessment of personal styles, evaluate the benefits and detractions of a preferred style, and call attention to effective ways of employing alternative styles. It will emphasize behavioral analysis and opportunities for adjustments.
Participants will explore the various components of effective communication—such as sending and receiving—and engage in interactive strategies to take in and deliver all types of messages—agreeable, neutral and difficult. This course will examine how to create and deliver effective communication in group and/or public settings.
Participants will identify various personal conflict management styles, understand the sources and drivers of conflict, and create alternatives and options leading to partial and complete resolution. This course will include an overview of negotiation skills.
Participants will examine how to create appropriate service environments and defined deliverables for internal and external customers in addition to addressing problem and complaint resolution. This course may also include the use of the customer roundtable concept, which consists of brief panel discussions by external customers to present real issues and expectations.
Participants will gain a greater understanding of the ethical implications of the choices they make. This course will examine ethical styles, differences, principles and issues relevant to public service and will include an examination of applicable laws and policies. It will also clarify and assess the different ethical dimensions represented in the public sector.
Participants in this class will learn to adapt leadership styles to various organizational, developmental and resource-driven environments, which is commonly known as "situational leadership." This course will emphasize the transitional phase of a manager adapting to evolving roles, departments or teams. It will present alternative styles of leadership that are dependent on situational needs at a given time.
This course will include content on
identifying what is motivation and what it is not
examining methods of managing and reacting to motivational issues, skill deficiencies and performance drivers
personal and positional power
understanding the relationship between power and influence
determining methods of transforming power into influence and selecting appropriate influence strategies
This course will help existing or new managers to address general management and supervision skills, which encompasses the techniques and models necessary to effectively and efficiently oversee a unit, team or department.
Content areas include
steps and methods of choosing tasks and delegates
how to structure the transition of duties to effectively achieve the successful transfer of actions
providing appropriate messages that are rational rather than emotional and are delivered with appropriate content and timing to result in positive behavior adaptations
methods for choosing the appropriate actions and communication styles to effectively interact with internal staff at the senior level, peer/co-worker level and with direct reports. Also includes approaches for external clients, customers and vendors
how to manage the development process of direct reports and followers so that it leads to continuous improvement
setting and maintaining accountability
documenting actions
Participants will discuss strategies for determining the appropriate situation review, problem review, decision review and future review approach in order to correctly evaluate each stage of the problem solving process and determine the best overall outcome. This course will provide a rational structure for determining the root cause of problems, addressing symptoms and creating solutions and implementation models. It also will present situational decision making based on data and circumstance analysis.
Participants will focus on understanding the role of teams and the roles on a team.
This course will provide insights into the stages of
group or team development
management practices for matrix and silo organizations
strategies for influencing others on interdepartmental, cross-functional and project teams
