Fall Mini-Institutes for Leadership Institute Graduates
The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities is announcing three follow-up mini-institutes in response to feedback from graduates
Sessions One and Two are open to Leadership Institute graduates only. These sessions are designed to build on the learning and energy of the Institutes. They focus on topics in which graduates have expressed the most interest. Session Three is open to anyone who has interest in Building a Community-Connected and Community-Connecting Organization. We will send an announcement specific to that session to a broader audience at a later date.
Registration for all sessions is open now. Space is very limited and priority will be given to Leadership Institute graduates.
All sessions will be held in the Baltimore area. The $1,200 per session fee includes all meals. Accommodations will be approximately $140/night.
All sessions will start Monday evening with a welcome dinner, will run all day Tuesday and Wednesday, and end late morning on Thursday.
Session One: Taking Self-Assessment to the Next Level — September 14 - 17
Faculty - Steve Eidelman, Elizabeth Vasquez, Nancy Weiss
(for Leadership Institute graduates only)
Many Leadership Graduates have appreciated the various self assessment tools that helped them to better understand their areas of strength as well as areas on which they might focus. These included the LPI 360 degree assessment and, for most groups, the video-taped assessment center exercise, the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument that helped people focus on their conflict management styles, and the LEAD survey on delegation and leadership style.
People who have participated in these self-assessment exercises have found them to be enlightening, validating, and an important catalyst for personal growth and action. In this session we will delve deeper into getting to know ourselves for the purpose of building on strengths to be more effective leaders. New self assessment tools and exercises will be offered to give participants an in depth knowledge of their skills/strengths related to problem solving, decision making, planning, organizing, delegating, thinking creatively, motivating others, supporting teams, communicating, relationship-building, and innovation. People taking part in this session will also have a chance to re-take the LPI to see where they may have been able to enhance practices since they last received feedback on these areas of leadership. Each participant will leave with an integrated understanding of their strengths as a leader, a plan to expand upon the skills in which they excel, and a course of action to enhance areas in need of additional focus to become a more confident and effective leader.
>> Register Now
Session Two: Re-Lighting the Fire — October 12 - 15
Faculty - Steve Eidelman, Cindy Haworth, Elizabeth Vasquez, Nancy Weiss
(for Leadership Institute graduates only)
We have heard frustration from a number of Leadership Institute graduates. As often happens in situations like these, they left the Institute full of excitement and plans but returned to an organization where day-to-day demands contributed to a seeping away of their energy for change. Some people fully intended to make progress toward an ambitious Leadership Challenge, others returned with plans to move their organizations in progressive directions or make other big changes. It is often hard to maintain momentum with no due dates and no expectation that anyone would be checking on progress (and sometimes within the context of an organization that did not share their values or enthusiasm for change). Experiencing waning ability to make change is a common experience and understandable.
The participants in this session will review the kinds of plans they had at the conclusion of their Leadership Institute or will commit to new plans for change. The faculty who participate in this session have committed to serve as on-going mentors to help you achieve your goals and all participants will serve as a peer support network to help each person maintain progress. After this follow up session the group will continue to meet as a community of practice electronically and by phone to check in with each other, support one another, assist each other to find needed resources, and keep lit the fire that was burning when we left the Institute.
This session will help you develop sustainable strategies to move in the direction(s) you choose. You will revisit your values/vision, discuss ways to manage change, focus on working from your strengths, discuss ways to involve and empower stakeholders, and learn strategies for taking care of the change agent (you!) in the process. Our goal is to have you leave this follow-up session with a renewed sense of vision, determination, and optimism. You’ll leave with a clear plan of what you need to do to accomplish your goals, working with great professionals in the field (both facilitators and colleagues) to overcome hurdles and roadblocks you may have encountered. You’ll also leave with additional supports in place to assist you in the form of a committed mentor to provide ongoing support on a regular basis. If you recall your days at the Institute you know you’ll also leave with a smile on your face, some great memories, and possibly a few extra pounds! If it’s time for a booster shot, join us!
>> Register Now
Session Three: Building a Community-Connected and Community-Connecting Organization — November 2 - 5
Faculty - Steve Eidelman, Beth Mathis, Patti Scott, Lynne Seagle, Elizabeth Vasquez, Nancy Weiss
(open to graduates and all others!)
Co-Sponsored by CQL - The Council on Quality and Leadership http://www.thecouncil.org/
To what extent does your organization function as an integrated member of the community(ies) in which you operate? How can your agency become more connected to the communities in which you operate and how can you focus the energy of the organization and staff on supporting people to develop and maintain friendships, family connections, and networks? How can organizations themselves become less isolated in their communities and become known as contributing entities?
If agencies and staff were asked to describe their roles just a few years ago, they would have described their main purposes as being to take care of people, assure that they are happy and safe, assess people’s skill deficits, and teach skills toward greater independence. Now organizations want to focus on how to create community as an organization; how to shift thinking toward natural supports and resources that already exist in the community.
While becoming a part of the activities, resources and supports that communities already offer seems like it would be easier than creating parallel systems and programs, it is in fact much more challenging. Spend a lively and informal few days with people who have had great success in these challenges and with participants who are working to create community-connected organizations and to support staff to re-think their roles and make building relationships the primary focus for everyone they support.
Participants will leave this session with practical take-home plans for achieving significant shifts in organizational direction and with a clear understanding of what being a community-connected and connecting organization means to the organization, staff, and the people you support.
