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Career Crossroads
Career Crossroads is an interactive class designed to help employees make the transition from independent technical work into managerial, leadership positions. Current managers will learn ways to grow in their leadership roles.
The basic course builds on five 3-hour classes. Each class involves group participation, and provides a constructive framework to practice the skills taught. Career Crossroads can be modified to fit your particular needs.
1. Knowing Yourself
In the first class participants will take a magnifying glass to their own lives, and ask:
- How does my personal belief system drive my behavior and influence the decisions I make?
- How do physical, cultural and experiential influences shape my perceptions of other people?
- What positive and negative beliefs do I hold about myself?
- Would I like to change some of those beliefs?
- What style of communication do I use when I feel threatened or defensive?
- What are my blind-spots?
2. Building Rapport: Establishing Trust; Giving & Receiving Feedback
Next we observe our relationships with colleagues and ask:
- How can I increase the level of trust that others have in me?
- How might I be inhibiting trusting relationships?
- What does it mean to send congruent communication, and how do I do that?
- How do I give constructive feedback?
- How do I receive feedback?
3. Conflict Resolution
This class focuses on how you can turn conflict from a demoralizing and destructive experience, into an opportunity to resolve problems, and to increase group cohesiveness and overall productivity.
Participants will ask themselves:
- How do I approach conflict?
- Do I aggressively charge in, or do I try to avoid it?
- How can I differentiate the dynamics in a conflict from the content of the conflict?
- How do I handle being confronted by someone else?
- How can we solve problems collaboratively?
4. Meetings & Delegation
This class focuses on running meetings, and delegating work efficiently.
- What are constructive and destructive meeting behaviors for both leaders and attendees?
- What steps do I take for successful delegation of tasks?
- Is my management style rigid or relaxed? Does this work?
- Are there other strategies for leading my team?
- How can I better motivate people I manage?
5. Presentations
Participants will view themselves giving two 1-minute presentations. We will observe in a non-judgmental manner:
- What does my body language communicate?
- What do my facial expressions say about me, or my topic?
- Do I use vocal variety?
- Can I make better use of the stage?
- How can a Powerpoint presentation add or detract from my talk?