Getting to the good stuff – content development

First, a bit of catch up – with 5 or so presentations, we needed to figure out whether we would present the same material at each site. At this point we’re planning to develop 3 different content areas, each of which we’ll present at (approximately) 2 events. This gives us flexibility because we won’t be reliant on a single faculty. It also limits the resources required since we won’t have to develop entirely new materials for each site.

The goal with each of these content areas is to provide leadership skills that are timeless and valuable to the individual and their organization.  We have heard widely about the desire to develop hard and soft skills, and have tried to include both here. The broad topics we’re considering include:

• Power and influence/ managing change
• Leading innovation processes/ group dynamics
• Finance/ financial management
• Network mapping – how to think strategically about how you build relationships
• Strategy formulation – external awareness
• Alignment – helping everything work together
• Thinking about customer/ psychology
• Negotiation

We’ll be narrowing this list down and fleshing some of these out based on faculty interest and their areas of expertise in addition to feedback from our partners and prospective participants.   That said – what do you think? Any initial reactions?

Drum roll, please…

Given the options, we think the concept of a set of regional events offers us the best mix of the desired outcomes, accessibility, time to deliver, and efficient use of NAS resources. It gives people the benefits of an in-person event, without the drawbacks and barriers to a large, national event. We also see it as a good foundation to help people get connected before jumping online.

The vision:

• Participants from across the country will have the opportunity to attend a one day session at no cost with other future executives from their region.
• They will work with leading faculty to develop skills that will not only benefit them in their current positions, but will help position them for future leadership roles.
• They will engage with their peers from throughout the region and across disciplines through discussions and activities, giving them a stronger bond than a simple networking event.
• We’ll use online tools to extend the regional events, helping participants continue building relationships with the people they meet and those who participate at other sites.

What do you think?  Would you want to participate?

Survey Results Part 6: Barriers to Learning

There were three leading barriers to taking part in ongoing professional development and learning: competing demands on individual’s time, the challenge of balancing demands at work and at home, and cost. The time and financial investment required introduce a unique challenge for these professionals. Respondents felt that it was often difficult to assess whether an opportunity would be worth their time and money before taking part in the learning. Designing a solution to these barriers is essential if people are to commit to these programs over the longer term.