TMP Course Descriptions: Period 1

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate the wisdom of NASA’s Rule #15: “A review of failed projects and project problems indicates that the disasters were well planned to happen from the start. The seeds of problems are laid down early. Initial planning is the most vital part of a project.”

This course features a strategic approach to initial project planning that is missing from conventional Project Management methods. The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) offers a powerful interactive planning/action tool and a step-by-step process to successfully tackle complex problems, projects, issues, and opportunities of all types.

The LFA combines key concepts from Strategic Planning, Project Management, Team-building and the Scientific Method into a practical system that adds exceptional value and clarity in virtually any setting.

This flexible system enables you to:

• Get great ideas off the ground faster to achieve results quicker
• Eliminate project–stopping problems in advance
• Get everyone on the same page and focused on key Objectives
• Clarify success in advance to reduce finger-pointing and blame­­­­­­
• Improve cross-functional teamwork and accountability
• Reduce the stress and frustration
• Develop achievable plans everyone can believe in and follow
• Increase ability to execute and multiply the odds of project success.

A key asset for today’s manager is the ability to convert potentially negative energy into a positive and productive force. Emotional Intelligence is widely acknowledged as a critical component of interpersonal and professional effectiveness.

This course presents a new paradigm of the critical intersection of Emotional Intelligence and diversity, and gives managers an opportunity to gain insight, skills, and tools to build cohesive and productive workgroups that make the most effective use of differences and leverage the power of emotions to increase effectiveness.

Topics include:

• Assessing your emotional intelligence and diversity competencies in managing differences among members of your team
• Learning methods to manage emotions triggered by differences
• Helping your staff deal effectively with change and ambiguity
• Developing empathy as a step toward building trust and connection
• Creating an inclusive, healthy, hospitable, and engaging work climate
• Gaining tools to manage difficult emotions encountered at work
• Converting unhealthy self-talk to productive messages.

Psychology has traditionally studied individuals, couples, and organizations in difficulty. Most theories and therapies are based on the work with these groups. But this problem-oriented focus has limited the usefulness of psychology in helping people to create and sustain success. There is a body of research that has sought to understand the traits and behaviors of people and organizations that succeed in the areas of career; building healthy, productive work relationships; and maintaining good physical health. The studies reach surprisingly consistent conclusions regarding the skills that allow us to create, maintain, and enhance success. In this hands-on course, you learn the skills of creating and sustaining excellence in the workplace through a lively mix of lecture, film, live demonstrations, case studies, and role-play scenarios.

Topics include:

• The 4 Skills of Successful People and Organizations
• How Successful People Change
• Strategies for Coping with Adversity in the Workplace
• The Essential Skill to Look for in an Employee or Colleague
• Preventing Conflict and Maximizing Collaboration
• Dealing with the Emotional Challenges of Managing People

If you are considering becoming, have recently been assigned, or are already performing as a supervisor, team leader, or manager, this course provides you with the skills and knowledge to become a highly successful organizational leader.

Members of the technical staff who are promoted into leadership roles often feel that learning how to manage others is daunting. Many technically competent people feel that getting things done on their own is easier than accomplishing objectives through other people. But technical people already possess many of the skills needed to become excellent organizational leaders.

This unique, highly participative course makes a smooth transition to management simple and straightforward. It provides the opportunity to assess your leadership capabilities and “build on your strengths” to hone and focus your talents into powerful management skills. Learn how to set and clearly communicate goals for your organization, build strong self-directing teams, nurture collaboration, guide the efforts of individuals and groups to perform at the highest levels, and focus and motivate your employees and others to successfully achieve the organization’s goals. Every session employs case studies, interactive exercises, and powerful instruments to enhance the learning experience and ensure you can immediately take what you learn back to your workplace.

Topics Include:

Leadership and Management

• What skills are necessary for effective managers?
• What skills do you already possess?
• What skills must you develop or enhance?
• Modern directions of leadership and management
• Getting feedback on your leadership performance (a 360-degree instrument)

• Organizational Management

• Organize
• Staff
• Delegate (unique instrument)
• Manage corporate politics and parochialism

• Teams

• Current team practices
• Enhance collaboration
• Virtual teams
• Diversity

• Motivation

• Modern motivation theories
• Influence decisions (SDI)
• Sources of power

• Performance Management

• Monitoring performance
• Assess progress (metrics)
• Give feedback (performance appraisals)
• Correcting undesirable behavior
• Personal plan (unique instrument)

In this highly interactive class, you will develop actionable strategies for building your brand as an inclusive leader, learn effective approaches for addressing the dynamics that undermine engagement and inclusion in many STEM environments, and build the skills you’ll need to lead the cultural changes that foster retention and top team performance while enabling all employees to thrive.

>Leading in the 21st century is characterized by several challenges that result from highly disruptive market conditions and a rapidly changing workforce. The days when managers primarily control output and resources are behind us; and a new leadership mandate is in place that requires leaders to be inclusive, adaptive, flexible, empathetic, and fair to attract and retain top talent. Achieving this mandate is particularly challenging in STEM industries, which have been observed to operate in ways that are non-inclusive and inhospitable to people in underrepresented groups.

But there is good news for leaders: those who develop the skills and cultures that foster inclusion and engagement will create more positive environments, stronger collaboration, and better performance and retention outcomes with less effort. In this course, you will learn how to achieve these outcomes through applying the principles of strengths-based leadership, positive organizational scholarship, and emotionally intelligent leadership in environments that are psychologically safe, all while discovering how to bring your most authentic leadership brand to life in ways that encourage high employee engagement and inclusion.

Topics include:

• What effective leadership looks like in the era of DEI, marketplace disruption, and workforce disengagement
• Learning your top strengths and how to channel them toward building an authentic leadership brand that engages your team(s)
• Developing skills for leading yourself and others using the principles of growth mindset and strengths-based leadership
• Understanding how to cultivate high emotional intelligence to create stronger connections with your team(s)
• Learning effective strategies for leveling the playing field for underrepresented groups

Developing the skills and strategies needed to lead effective culture change