Advanced Leadership Forum Solution

Because every organization has unique challenges, culture and leadership development needs, the Advanced Leadership Forums build directly from CSG’s more basic leadership programs and specially packaged for each client, drawing from a choice of outcomes, tools, models and applications.   This program can vary in length from one to multiple (consecutive) days – or be delivered in regularly scheduled segments over the course of weeks/months.

ADVANCED LEADERSHIP FORUM: 

Continuing to Develop Powerful Leaders at All Levels 

Stress Management:

  • Staying calm in the midst of the white water Dealing with stress and a world gone crazy
  • The origins of ‘stress’ Where does this thing called ‘stress’ come from?  
  • Stress is not necessarily a ‘bad’ thing The difference between ‘good’ stress and ‘bad’ stress (Jim Lohr’s model and perspectives). 
  • Keeping ourselves stuck in the stress-cycle Why we don’t practice ‘stress management’ techniques? Why don’t we do what we know we could to manage our stress?
  • Stress management and reduction tools and techniques For groups, teams and individuals.

Practicing Work-Life Balance:

  • Finding our ‘center’ Putting on our own oxygen masks first.
  • Keeping perspective Appreciating the richness of real-life living.
  • The balancing act Walking the balance beam (staying centered when everything is pushing us off balance).
  • The art and skill of prioritization Putting first things first (and placing the large rocks in the bucket first).  Establishing priorities when everything is important. 
  • Finding the ‘middle way’ Playing between the forty-yard lines to maintain balance. 
  • The gift of gratitude And its role in living a centered life.
  • Achieving mindfulness How to be present, regardless of what is going on in your life. 

Humor in the Workplace:

  • Lessons from ‘improv’ Improvisation and how it can help lighten the load and mood.
  • The healing power of laughter And how humor can save your life – and your team/organization. 
  • It’s not really that funny The difference between humor, sarcasm and cynicism.
  • Full-humor living Adding humor to every hour of the day
  • The end of the road Oh no, what are we going to do now? And how to find humor in our seemingly impossible situation.  

Effective Teamwork and Partnership:

  • Life is (and organizations are) designed as team sports Don't try this alone (we are not intended to be islands).
  • Creating a one plus one equals three situation Partnering with those that ‘fill our cup’ and building on the strengths of all involved. 
  • CSG’s six (6) dysfunctions of a team (adapted from Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team).  
  • The art and skill of communication Speaking others' language so that they might best hear us (the platinum rule).
  • The spin cycle And getting out of it with others.
  • Courageous conversations And how to have them. 
  • The law of two feet When it’s time to move on.
  • 360 degree leadership Leading upward, leading each other, leading our employees – even when it seems impossible.
  • The power of influence And our frequently untapped ability to impact others. 
  • Coaching skills Helping fellow travelers on the path.
  • The power of believing in yourself, believing in others And allowing them to believe in you.
  • This thing called ‘Empowerment’ The most misunderstood concept in organizations today.
  • Putting the “We” in team Moving from ‘us vs. them’ and ‘me vs. you’ to a true ‘we’. 
  • Targeted feedback How individuals and teams reach their goals.
  • Celebrating accomplishments Giving yourself – and others – an “A”. 

The Speed Of Trust:

  • The circle of trust How to get it, how to keep it and how to get it back when you lose it.
  • The Covey Trust Model and Methods – by Stephen M. R. Covey. 
  • Six Dimensions of Trust – a personal and team assessment.

Dealing With Change in Today’s Changing World:

  • Reframing our relationship with this thing called ‘change’ Creating more effective reactions, assumptions, thoughts and beliefs.
  • Preparing for change Moving from ‘change management’ to being truly ‘change capable’. 
  • The three phases of change And how to lead yourself/others through them.
  • The three questions related to change Why change? What should change? Is the change ‘real’?
  • The Four Responses to Change And what to do in the face of them. 
  • The art of letting go Letting go can be the hardest part of the whole ‘change’ process. 
  • Dealing with ambiguity What to do when your GPS is out in the face of change.
  • Aligning your ‘followers’ toward change And gaining commitment for going into the unknown.
  • Expanding our ‘comfort zones’ The gift of feeling ‘comfortable’ being ‘uncomfortable’.
  • 360 degree leadership Leading upward, leading each other, and leading our employees.
  • Coaching skills Helping fellow travelers on the path.
  • This thing called ‘Empowerment’ The most misunderstood concept in organizations today.
  • ‘Double looped learning’ Avoiding the definition of “insanity”.
  • Getting to ‘root cause’ Diagnosing the real need for change. What to do when we are solving the wrong problem!  

Effective Decision Making:

  • Effective decision making... What really drives how we decide --and how to decide how we will decide.
  • Decision implementation What gets in the way of taking action after the decision is made? How to avoid possible potholes and obstacles to implementation.
  • Targeted participation How to get the right people involved in the decision.  How to avoid over-participation.
  • Avoiding ‘group-think’ What happens when no one will say what’s really on their mind?  Addressing the elephant in the room.    
  • OOPS What to do when we made the wrong decision.
  • ‘Double looped learning’ Avoiding the definition of “insanity”.
  • Balancing the ‘brains’ Finding the ‘sweet spot’ between the left and right brains in decision making. 
  • Getting to ‘root cause’ What to do when we discover we are solving the wrong problem!  

Dealing With Workplace Drama and Other Interpersonal Collisions:

  • 25 ways to be miserable in today's work world And ways to avoid them.
  • The 'drama triangle' And how to get off it.
  • The danger of ‘triangulation’ How to avoid being ‘triangled’ and what to do when you find yourself there. 
  • The importance of conflict And how to make it work for everyone.
  • Turning conflict into creativity, innovation and partnership without conflict, sometimes new ideas can’t be born!  
  • Choice-points in the face of conflict The three ‘B’s’ (bag, barter, brighten). 
  • The art of communication Speaking others' language so that they might best hear you (the platinum rule).
  • Coaching skills Helping fellow travelers on the path.
  • ‘Double looped learning’ Avoiding the definition of ‘insanity’.
  • Getting to ‘root cause’ What to do when we are solving the wrong problem! 

The Art of Possibility:

  • Opening the door to true possibility Asking the question, “What if ?” 
  • Inspiration vs Desperation Setting the course.  Running to your destination, not away from your past.
  • Inspiring yourself Everyday inspiration.  Inspiration on the go!
  • Intention vs process And action vs. activity. 
  • Hope and resiliency Conditions for hope; building a culture of hope in our teams and organizations.
  • The role of curiosity The science of curiosity. How to be more like Google. Upstream curiosity; downstream curiosity.  The gift of ‘yearning’. 
  • Just do it If not now, then when? If not here, then where? The trap of ‘If-Then’ thinking. The power of Now.
  • Ben Zander Insights and perspectives.

TARGETED DENISON QUADRANTS: Mission, Involvement, Adaptability, Consistency plus Beliefs and Assumptions


Credit: Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. & William S. Neale, M.A.