Leadership Coaching Program

This program is designed to enhance leadership skills, a sense of common purpose, and communication among the key staff. The program surveys key staff members’ current assessment of the system’s performance; awareness of mutual feedback as a resource; general communications; positive and negative interaction; and the staff’s sense of their own leadership skills.  Using this information as a baseline, the program consists of observations and group and one-on-one meetings to enhance these skills and make them more effective.

The program consists of three phases:

Phase One:  Interviews
Short confidential interviews with library staff in official and informal positions of  leadership.  These interviews are designed to evaluate the current performance of the library system, awareness and effectiveness of communications and motivation of oneself and others among members of the leadership team of the library system.

Scheduling: One day to do interviews (up to 15) and one day to evaluate the responses and identify strengths and weaknesses within the system leadership.

Phase Two:  Observation
Joel & Sinclair will observe at least one key staff meeting.

Scheduling: One half day to observe meeting and one half day to evaluate structure, interaction, information flow, and follow up procedures.

Phase Three: Facilitated Meetings and Individual Coaching
Two to three facilitated meetings to present findings and observations.  Discussion will include critical aspects of communication, leadership, and cooperation.  One-on-one coaching will also be provided as requested.

Scheduling:  One half day to prepare meeting agenda and information; two to three days for facilitated meeting.  Additional hours for personal coaching if requested.

Participants:    Key Staff                   

Duration:         Five to six days

Make Meetings Work for You

• Do participants come to meetings unprepared?
• Do they fail to contribute their insights?
• Does discussion wander away from the main issues?
• Do meetings come to an end without fulfilling your expectations?

It does not have to be this way.

In the Make Meetings Work for You workshop you will learn:

• Three simple preparatory steps to make meetings effective
• How to create an atmosphere of dialogue not monologue
• The secret to making people want to come to meetings

Holding a meeting should be a simple and productive activity.  But everyone knows it isn’t.  Needed participants don’t come. Those who come don’t participate. Discussion wanders.  Time runs out and no one has been given the necessary assignments to follow through on decisions.

This workshop teaches proven methods for overcoming these problems by:

• using process agendas
• clarifying the role of the leader
• ensuring attendance and participation
• guaranteeing the flow of useful information
• getting to decision making
• working the plan

ACTIVITIES

Learn how to

• Make your agenda items stand out
• Deal with discussions that have reached an impasse
• Minimize time spent on low-impact topics
• Capture critical next steps

Duration: 3 to 4 hours

Change Management Workshop
A new building is going up. The budget is reduced.  The budget is suddenly increased.  New technology emerges and you must have it.  Key staff defect.  A new board chair is appointed, or a new mayor elected.  Change is going on constantly and reaction to change can be a significant source of disruption.  This highly interactive workshop offers guidance on the predictable reactions to change and how to manage them.  It also provides an opportunity for participants to exchange information and ideas with each other as well as the workshop leaders. 
Objective:
To familiarize staff, especially supervisors or leaders in a change process, with the predictable patterns of behavior manifested by people confronted with change – and how to cope with that behavior.
Methodology:
Interactive workshop consists of

• a slide-show presentation of charts and other materials that illustrate reactions to change
• group discussion of change experiences past and expected
• presentation of management skills and techniques helpful in easing adaptation to change

Outcomes:
Understanding of the constants of change
Insight into how human psychology responds to change
Ability to predict and deal with change reactions among staff.

Duration: 3 to 4 hours