The Northwest Leadership Forum offers managers an intensive, in-company process for developing their effectiveness as leaders. In a series of workshops, participants work with a group of peers and advisers to explore and develop their leadership behaviors and skills. The program includes self- and peer-assessment. feedback, coaching, real-time case studies drawn from participants’ own experience, class discussions and simulations.
What’s the process?
The Forum process has four phases: assessment and goal-setting, preparation, the workshop program itself, and continuing learning. (See Program Design for more detailed information.)
The core program consists of up to ten intensive workshops (two are typically of two day’s duration, eight are just one day) at one-month intervals, with approximately eight hours of preparation for each. A maximum of 24 participants in each workshop series ensures the intensity, focus and relevance of class-work.
Who is on the Forum’s faculty?
Core faculty members guide the entire process, supported by adjunct faculty who bring special experience and skills in specific fields. Two to three facilitators/instructors participate in each workshop. The core faculty members are experienced leaders, consultants and educators. (Our Core Faculty is an impressive team of business leaders.)
How do Forum participants develop their skills as leaders?
Participants bring their experience, ideas, energy and real-time leadership challenges. The Forum provides tools for assessing and developing leadership values, attributes, skill sets and behaviors, and leads participants through a variety of case studies, discussions and other learning challenges.
Course-work is built around a set of core business issues that are refined and agreed upon by the participants and their organization at the start of the process. To meet their specific needs the Forum also focuses on learning and reinforcing the core attributes that are displayed by effective leaders. The process is not built around a prescriptive model of leadership. Rather, it offers a framework within which participants develop their own leadership model, adapted to their personal experience, attributes, values and goals. (Click here for additional information.)
Tell me more about this framework
We distinguish clearly between leadership and management. Of course, some individuals are successful in both areas, but the Forum focuses less on the transactional management skills (planning, goal-setting, budgeting, monitoring, coaching) and more on developing attributes and tools through which leaders can establish direction and enlist people in reaching ambitious organizational goals.
The learning process is structured around the key issues faced by today’s leaders. These will be reviewed and refined by participants to ensure the Forum remains fully relevant to each group and individual. The approach is based on the belief that while there is no one style that works in every setting for every individual, a core set of attributes is shared by all successful leaders. Understanding and properly utilizing these attributes can increase leadership success.
What will I gain through the Forum?
By the end of the Forum program you will have:
- 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.
In addition, transcripts of each session, and other documentation, summarize and reinforce learnings, and provide an ongoing point of reference.
What happens between sessions?
- Participants work on individual or group projects. Projects form around real issues facing the organization.
- Carefully selected readings, including custom-prepared e-newsletters, are provided. They bring alive the classroom activities and inform the project work.
- Core faculty members are available to consult with participants on their work.
Where can I get more information or register?
Call The Nortwest Leadership Forum office at 425-462-1271 or send us an e-mail with your questions or a request for additional information. In either case we will get back to you promptly.
The Northwest Leadership Forum is presented in partnership with Seattle Pacific University. Participants may earn CEUs and up to 9 graduate credit hours upon completion of NWLF.
Links to our sponsors:
Seattle Pacific University
The ASTD Puget Sound Chapter
WSA (formerly Washington Software Alliance)
