Topical Outlines

Identifying & Retaining Key Talent

1. What is Key Talent and why does it need a special focus?
2. Understanding "Performance" vs. "Potential"
3. How to recognize or identify high potential performers
4. Nuances in motivating and developing key talent
5. The different types of development and role expectations
6. 10 non-financial tools for retaining key talent
7. Risks associated with programs that focus on key talent
8. Possible ways to address some of those risks
9. Early warning signs of derailment and/or defection
10. What to do if you missed the early warning signs
11. Pro's and con's of firm-wide talent reviews
12. The role and value of succession planning

Compensation Management for Line Managers

1. The role of compensation in today's business
2. It's short-term and long-term characteristics
3. The different components of Total Compensation, & the purposes of each
4. Understanding your company's compensation philosophy
5. Using compensation to drive results
6. The limitations -things compensation can't fix
7. Making individual compensation decisions - for each piece; and making it all fit together
8. Related actions -equity adjustments, promotions, demotions
9. Compensation landmines, and how to avoid them
10. Communicating your decisions to the individuals
11. Dealing with leaks, counter offers and other nuances

Effective Performance Management Practices

1. Performance Management - what it is and isn't
2. Why do it at all?
3. Preparing for the performance review
1. The role/value of self-assessments
2. Gathering input from multiple feedback sources
3. Focusing on specific behaviors & results
4. Conducting the performance discussion
1. Planning & structuring the meeting
2. Striving for balance
3. Ensuring two-way dialogue
5. Managing contention & closure
6. Linking performance, pay and position decisions
7. Follow-up and documentation
8. Performance expectations & planning for next review period
1. Setting meaningful goals/objectives
2. Linking them to a longer term developmental plan
3. Considering the performer's career interests and plans
9. On-going feedback & coaching

Interviewing Skills For Line Managers

1. Interview Preparation
1. Understanding exactly what you want for the vacancy you're trying to fill
2. Reviewing resumes
3. The structure of the interview
2. Developing meaningful interview questions
1. Things you'd "like" to know but can't ask
2. Things you "need" to know and how to get at them
3. 10 questions you should never ask
4. 5 questions you might always ask, and other favorites
5. Competency/Behavior-based interviewing techniques*
3. Managing the actual interview meeting
4. Conducting and considering reference checks
5. Making a decision
1. Making an offer
2. Rejecting a candidate
3. Defending your decision
6. Other legal considerations/things to avoid
7. Starting the new hire out on the right foot
8. Record keeping

People Management Skills for New Managers

1. Managing people - what it is and isn't
2. Recognizing different learning & motivating styles
3. Setting & communicating expectations
4. Delegation and coaching techniques
5. Understanding the different types of development and role expectations
6. Managing compensation, retention, promotion, hiring, discipline & firing decisions
7. Diversity awareness
8. Principles of Change management
9. Managing contention
10. Leadership landmines and goldmines

Developing High Performing Teams

1. Heroes vs. Teams
2. Characteristics & competencies of HPT's
3. Selecting team members - styles and skills
4. Sorting out individual investment and membership
5. Recognizing informal roles & use of authority and influence
6. Understanding the stages of team development
7. Examining specific internal barriers to peak performance
8. Dealing with common external barriers
9. Assessing the current & desired state of the team's performance
10. 10 keys to effectively leading HPT's

Learnings In Managing Organizational Change

1. Change as a competitive advantage
2. Incremental, substantive or transformational change
3. Recognizing the difference between "change" and "transition"
4. The myths and realities of change
5. Why it is difficult and often fails
6. Individual habits that help or hinder the effort
7. The stages of a typical change process
8. Key steps to effectively managing & implementing change
9. Planning for and addressing resistance
10. Building a culture for change

Techniques for Generating Innovative Thinking

1. The business case for innovation
2. Innovation vs. Creativity
3. The I - Five formula
4. Looking "around" vs looking "ahead"
5. Understanding & valuing perspectives
6. Barriers to innovative or creative thinking
7. Four individual skills that are key to creativity
8. Key principles of innovation
9. Techniques for sharpening innovative thinking skills
10. Key steps for fostering a climate of innovation

Facilitation Skills For New Facilitators

1. Key roles of observation, diagnosis and intervention
2. Characteristics of effective facilitators
3. The Facilitator's Tool Box
4. Contracting for success
5. Managing content, process and structure
6. Stages of group development
7. Behaviors involved in consensus decision making
8. Handling disruptive behaviors
9. Learnings, tips and pitfalls
10. Facilitating in your own organization

Conflict Resolution for Teams

1. The impact of formal & informal boundaries
2. Five primary responses to conflict
1. Avoiding
2. Accommodating
3. Compromising
4. Forcing
5. Collaborating
3. Defending positions vs. solving problems
4. Going hard on the issue but soft on the person
5. Getting to root cause
6. Using influence, persuasion and negotiation
7. Increasing the size of the pie
8. Five steps to resolving team differences

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