Leadership Development

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a powerful organizational development tool for workplaces, classrooms, communities, and families. AI focuses on that which is already working well (appreciative) by engaging people in asking questions and telling stories (inquiry). This strengths-based, positive approach to change represents a 180 degree shift away from a deficit based, problem oriented, gap analysis approach in many of our organizations. This shift to a positive focus stimulates creativity and vibrancy within each person and the whole group accelerating deep, sustainable change with ease.

The session begins with an exploration of the concept of sustainability in organizations. Sustainability has moved to the forefront of corporate thinking as the implications of human, environmental, and economic strain and depletion become frighteningly apparent. In an increasingly fast-paced, constantly changing corporate landscape, it can be difficult to find the time, the clarity, or the focus to refill the tank let alone re-read the map. Organizations can waste a great deal of time, energy, and resources solving the wrong problems or putting out fires, resulting in a culture of coping as opposed to a culture of thriving and regenerative growth.

For leaders, every conversation is an opportunity to strengthen a relationship, remove barriers, find a solution, or change a life. This involves showing up with candor, courage and empathy. Candor is getting real and having meaningful and respectful conversations. This workshop is for formal or informal leaders, ready to expand their communication and leadership impact. Learning outcomes include expanding self-knowledge, deepening inquiry skills, and building personal authority and the capacity to voice authentically and clearly.

This essential course will broaden management and leadership acumen about strategic planning and operations within various business structures/systems. The students will be introduced to diagnostic models and tools, which may be applied within social enterprises and for-profit businesses. Participants will also learn the language of finance for application in their leadership practice. In particular, finance terms, formats, and interpretive analysis are introduced to illustrate the impact of resource management. As students work through two unique case studies, the course focus is directed toward the impact of decision-making and internal/external stakeholder management.

Although most trade theories conclude that the net welfare impact of trade is positive, those welfare benefits are not distributed equally, giving rise to somewhat predictable patterns of resistance and support for trade policy. Whereas economics predicts trade patterns on the basis of which country can produce which good most inexpensively, political economics recognizes the constraints to trade arising from these coalitions of resistance and support and their interaction with political decision making.

Change can be hard to achieve, even a shift or development we desire or envision for ourselves. This change could be evolving into leadership habit or stopping a personal behaviour that is a barrier to our ideal self. Explore your barriers using the Immunity to Change framework developed by Dr. Robert Kegan and Dr. Lisa Lahey, scholars in the study of adult development theory.

If you are interested in exploring the possibilities for enhancing and strengthening your change leadership skills, this session is for you. You will be exposed to practical tools for navigating change that honour both the desired business outcomes and the human dimension. Explore the differences between change and transition, strategies to involve stakeholders and how to address resistance, stress and conflict in times of change.

This one-day course develops participants’ strengths and competencies in performing a ‘size up’ – a detailed situation assessment and comprehensive review of strategic growth options for small to medium-size enterprises (SME) engaged in the B.C. export sector. During the course, participants will work in teams and learn an innovative approach to SME situation assessments (using the business diagnostics ‘size up’ methodology) along with an evaluation model to map optimal strategic directions.

This course presents the opportunity to discuss the implications of globalization forces and intercultural leadership amid polarizing shifts in political and ideological perspectives. We will introduce intercultural theories, models and tools to develop intercultural competences for professional life in international business. Participants will be engaged in self-assessments, discussions, presentations and the examination of critical incidents/case studies to experience practical dilemmas presented by various intercultural scenarios. We will explore their own unconscious and conscious culturally-based behavioural norms, expectations and assumptions to consider the perspectives of others. Finally, participants will develop strategies and methods for intercultural development.

Leaders—executive, operations, human resources—valiantly pursue the growth and development of the leadership behaviour, competence, and presence their organizations need. A process that validates shared understanding and alignment to strategic and business objectives can enable clarity and commitment and support the success of leadership development programs. Using LEGO® Serious Play methodology, leaders can examine programs at any stage of the design or implementation process.

This four-week online course was designed to generate insight and clarity for you—the developing leader—to advance toward the impact and influence that you envision. You will explore a different leadership concept each week to decide for yourself the leadership mindset, approach, and behaviours that are aligned to your aspirations and your real-world context. Combining self-directed, asynchronous activities with a weekly instructor-led discussion, you can “level up your leadership” no matter where you are on your professional journey, from your mobile device or computer.

Recent research has revealed that successful people invest more in developing their innate strengths and talents, and pay close attention to what intrinsically energizes them. Conventional approaches of fixing weaknesses have shown to be ultimately ineffective, leading only to individual and organizational mediocrity. This course offers ways for leaders to identify and leverage the strengths of their people to increase work engagement and innovation. You will learn to identify and advocate for your personal strengths using pragmatic strategies.