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Participant-focused, issue-driven, experience-based, action-oriented
The Northwest Leadership Forum
Questions about leadership
- How can you work with your executive team to clarify and strengthen business strategy, affirm core values and define leadership principles and behaviors?
- How can you achieve these goals without significant down time, and in a context and process that develops the team’s skills and commitment?
- How can you identify and address core issues and challenges for the business, and prioritize and clarify multiple initiatives, task forces and development projects?
- How can you offer key leaders the chance to develop and grow while reinforcing their effectiveness and their commitment to the team and the organization?
The Forum: at a glance
The Northwest Leadership Forum develops leaders by guiding them through a process that focuses on five core principles:
- Self-awareness
: developing a clear understanding of personal beliefs, values, attributes and skills.
- Leadership
: building a framework or model for leadership that aligns and supports the values of the organization, but also recognizes that different styles are appropriate for different people and situations.
- Development
: studying and practicing skills that need strengthening, and building on those that are already in place.
- Teamwork
: working with a peer group of colleagues to identify, share and address business issues, challenges and priorities.
- Relevance
: integrating the learning process into the day-to-day challenges of the workplace so that it's reality-based, contributes to business results, and establishes a platform for continuing learning.
The way it works
The Forum process engages intact groups of leaders (from 12 to 24) in a series of 8 to 10 full-day working sessions spread over a period of 12 to 18 months. Some work may be in sub-groups to reflect organizational and business priorities and structures.
In these sessions the group works on a series of tasks and issues that are defined in the planning phase, but that may be adapted and adjusted to reflect actual business developments during the process. Typically, the first session focuses on further defining core issues that need attention, including vision and values clarification, leadership models and processes, customer focus, management of change, employee motivation and commitment. In subsequent sessions the fine-tuning of the process and content continues, based on business realities and needs.
Development, assessment and coaching of leaders takes place in the context of work on current events and cases, in real time; integrated with ongoing workplace activity and experience. Leadership skills and behaviors are adapted to individual values and aptitudes, and aligned with organizational culture, values and direction.
Much of the work is in small groups, with minimal formal presentation content. Participants learn through an integrated mix of assessment, support, feedback and study of current challenges from the workplace. They graduate with the awareness, confidence and commitment to build organizational performance by engaging, supporting and teaching the people they work with.
The process and outcomes
The Forum provides a more intensive and sustained experience than two- or three-day workshops, with a lower time commitment than typical two-year management and business programs, and with a high degree of integration with current business challenges.
Through active and focused participation in the Northwest Leadership Forum, participants:
- Study
and understand the attributes of successful leaders.
- Collaborate
to develop solutions and strategies that are applied in the workplace.
- Build
a higher level of self-awareness, including insights into development needs.
- Seek
and accept new challenges that test and develop skills and commitment.
- Learn
how they are perceived by peers and others.
- Develop
a personal model for leadership, and a committed path for development. NWLF teaches the differences between leadership and managing as well as the necessary connections.
- Share
their own workplace experiences and challenges.
- Contribute
their own insights and learnings to the process.
- Participate
in the development of a team that will support continued learning.
NWLF Core faculty members draw on skills and experience from four areas of activity: leading, studying, educating and advising. Visiting faculty will bring additional experience and perspectives as needed to respond to the needs and interests of each intake.(Our Core Faculty is an impressive team of business leaders.)
The Northwest Leadership Forum is presented in partnership with Seattle Pacific University. Participants may earn up to 9 graduate credits. The ASTD Puget Sound Chapter and WSA (formerly the Washington Software Alliance) are also sponsors of NWLF.
What it costs
Costs depend on the number of participants (optimally in the range of 12 to 24), the number of one-day sessions (typically 8 to 10, spread over 12 to 18 months), and the instructor-participant ratio. Cost for the complete program, including meeting facilities and materials, but not including travel and related out-of-pocket costs, is in the range of $8,500 to $11,000 per participant.
Links to our sponsors:
Seattle Pacific University
The ASTD Puget Sound Chapter
WSA (formerly Washington Software Alliance)
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