Organizational culture and change

Change can be unsettling and has great potential to cause failure, loss of productivity, or falling quality. Often, understanding and adapting organizational culture is pertinent to creating real change. Yet nothing is as important to the survival of your organization as adapting to and managing change. Change can be managed if implemented correctly. People's reaction to change can be unpredictable and irrational and resistance to change comes from a fear of the unknown or an expectation of loss. Managing change means understanding the factors that influence our ability to deal with change, and managing people's fear and resistance.

LEADING AND MANAGING CHANGE

For organizations to successfully adapt in a rapidly changing environment, they must be effectively led and managed throughout the process. Leadership and management are related but distinct functions that must be leveraged together in order for organizations to successfully negotiate the turbulence and uncertainty of today’s “white water”organizational environments. This seminar explores: 1) the dynamics of turbulent change; 2) a systems approach to problem solving and decision making; 3) differences between change leadership and change management; 4) Lewin’s and Kotter’s change models; and 5) the psychology of change.

strategic leadership

Strategic leadership is the process used by a leader to affect the achievement of a desirable and clearly understood vision. This occurs by influencing the organizational culture, allocating resources, directing through policy and directive, and building consensus, often within a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment for any organization. This seminar will examine the essence of strategic leadership, how it differs from direct and organizational leadership and the various competencies that are important to strategic leaders.

leadership in a profession

Successful corporations and bureaucracies function at a high level of Strategic Leadership.  However, it is often overlooked that small professional businesses can also benefit from the high-level leadership techniques employed by larger and more complex organizations.  This seminar will demonstrate how to apply those top-tier techniques to your business. We will address the commonalities between your organization and large institutions, as well as the inherent advantages that are unique to smaller, more focused organizations.  This seminar will also explore the competencies required for leaders to capitalize on those advantages while successfully guiding and growing their profession.  

conflict resolution

One of the most important (and often the most difficult) responsibilities of leaders of all levels is to prevent or resolve conflict.  A "conflict" is a disagreement between interdependent people about goals, aims, and/or values. Leaders should not seek conflict, but expect that it will occur in moving the organization ahead.  While it is frequently destructive, it can also have positive outcomes if handled properly. This seminar examines the following questions:  What is conflict?  Can it be constructive as well as destructive to an organization?  What are the cycles or phases of a conflict?  How can I deal with conflict as a leader and seek resolution?

effective management of difficult people

In any organization, employees with problematic personality styles can wreak havoc on a healthy interpersonal work environment. Difficult employees consume inordinate resources measured in terms of leader time, stress, and workplace turnover. In this seminar, leaders and executives will learn to effectively identify and successfully manage difficult subordinates and employees. 

toxic leadership

While leadership is typically expressed in positive terms, too many have the experience of working for bosses who have destructive leadership styles. In this presentation you will learn about styles of leadership that tend to degrade organizational performance. You will discuss the reasons why people choose to affiliate with organizations and how destructive leadership impacts those motives. Toxic leadership is an organizational problem, but with a series of systemic remedies an effective leader can seek to heal the climate and improve organizational effectiveness and success.

leadership in a media driven world

Successful leaders are constantly striving to find innovative ways to "leverage" the media to communicate their vision, broaden the organization's reach, and enhance (or preserve) their reputation. As a leader you must recognize that you and your organization could come under the media’s microscope at any moment – be it the hiring of a controversial CEO, financial crisis, the leak of sensitive information, a tragic accident, or an inadvertent "tweet"! Every organization will face some kind of “press” at one point or another – positive AND negative. At those critical moments in the life of any organization it is important to realize that the perceptions portrayed by the media are, in fact, reality. The big question is…. are you ready for that reality?

branding! what is your brand?

Experts have argued that an individual or organization’s “brand” is the universe of activities you undertake that affects perceptions by others.  Brands are important as they create differentiation from competition, communicate value, and provide peace of mind to stakeholders.  At a minimum, most brands “wear out” in roughly 10 years and need to be reconsidered, particularly when an organization is at a turning point. Let’s examine your “brand” and your organization’s “brand” to determine their effectiveness. 

what corporate leaders can learn from the military

There is little doubt that military officers have learned the art of managing high-risk, high-stake situations in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. In many ways, the required skills can almost seem contradictory. A clear mission is provided from a higher headquarters, but mission execution requires rapid adaptability. Furthermore, modern military officers must also manage complex but technically very precise systems. All of this must be done while following an admonition provided by General Colin Powell: "Never let them see you sweat." These same skills are required for leaders in today's business world if they are to be successful in a climate of enormous competition and uncertainty. 

initiative and innovation

Success is not by accident.  Most organizations are not unlike sports teams whose success is often measured in the training and hard work that is done before the game is actually played.  The American entrepreneur is well known for both initiative and innovation., often making the difference between success and failure.  How do leaders foster a climate of innovation and creativity in their organizations?

teambuilding 101

For many organizations, the struggle of trying to improve teamwork can often bring visions of disagreement, power struggles, and dysfunction. During this seminar you will focus on the key tactics of creating and leading effective teams that can overcome those obstacles and get the job done! You will focus on the stages teams go through, the roles of team members in high performing teams, and how to lead your team towards success. The session will include a hands-on experiential learning activity designed to facilitate the transfer of learning from the classroom to the workplace.

how to recruit, develop, and retain the best and the brightest

We will address issues facing organizations and leaders today: attracting and retaining talent, developing the talent you have, and effective ways to build a great culture- turning culture into a competitive advantage in your organization. The US face a recruiting and retention challenge. We address ways to overcome this in this interactive session, customized to your organization. 

Rising Athenas, Male Allies, and the Power of Inclusive Mentoring

Discover the topic of how (and why) to be deliberate and strategic in developing an inclusive mentoring culture. Today, women face exclusion, under-promotion, and under-compensation: Women are missing from the C-suites. If we accept the status quo, we do so to the detriment to our organizations, our employees and our customers. Part of the problem is an unequal mentoring landscape. Evidence consistently shows that women face more barriers in securing mentorships than men, and when they do find a mentor, they may reap a narrower range of both career and psychological benefits. One solution? Evidence reveals that when men partner with women as workplace allies and reciprocal mentors, organizations see the dial move on gender inclusion and gender equity at work. In light of current headlines about sexual harassment and assault, men have got to double-down on positive support and interaction with female colleagues at work. This is NOT the time to run for the hills but time to engage. 

seven revolutions

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) embarked on an initiative in 1992 to address and analyze the key policy challenges that policymakers, business figures, and other leaders will face out to the year 2035 & beyond. It is an effort to promote strategic thinking about the long-term trends that too few take the time to consider. The key points of this research have been captured in an exciting, fast-paced, multimedia presentation that has been given around the world—from governments to private corporations to academia to nongovernmental organizations. It is an effective tool for pushing audiences to think outside of their areas of expertise and beyond their familiar planning parameters.

This presentation is conducted through a special partnership between Diamond6 and CSIS. You can learn more about CSIS and Seven Revolutions here: www.csis.org/programs/seven-revolutions