Living As A Leader

The program is designed for JCCC employees that aspire to build their leadership skills in their current position and desired future positions.  The Living As A Leader (LAAL) content provides participants with the proven fundamental skills necessary to become an effective and successful employee.  Participants will need to complete the 10 core classes within a two-year time frame to receive a certificate and digital badge.

Registration

Advance registration is required for all Living As A Leader workshops.  Registration is free, and you can access it by signing into your MyJCCC account to enroll with the CRN number. To be added to the waitlist for a class that is full, please contact Employee Engagement & Development with your ID number at staffdev.dept@jccc.edu, ext. 7654. Please forward questions to Susan Hoffman at shoffm29@jccc.edu or ext. 3213.

The Seven Most Common Mistakes Leaders Make
Facilitators: Rachel Haynes, Director, Employee Engagement & Development, Susan Hoffman, Coordinator, Carissa Sadique, Learning & Development Specialist

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: This session focuses on helping leaders make a shift from self-centered to other-centered thinking. It helps leaders become more mindful of how they treat employees while getting the work accomplished.

Objectives:
After completing The Seven Most Common Mistakes Leaders Make, you will be familiar with:

• Why effective leadership is important
• Key models, skills and tendencies related to leading employees
• Information and examples related to the seven most common leadership mistakes
• Your behaviors that may contribute to leadership mistakes you or others in your organization are making
• Strategies for overcoming each of these leadership mistakes
• Skills and tools for communication, feedback, and inspiring employees

Be a Great Coach
Facilitators: Susan Hoffman, Coordinator and Rachel Haynes, Director, Employee Engagement & Development.

Date : Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: Coaching has become an increasingly popular and important leadership skill for developing people and maximizing their performance. This workshop provides leaders with a comprehensive understanding of coaching, and it equips them with a versatile process for coaching for growth and development. 

Objectives:

• Explore coaching as a highly effective “style ​of communication” ​
• Understand how and why coaching works​
• Examine the two different types of coaching you do as a leader​
• Practice foundational communication skills that make you a great coach​
• Learn a process for effectively coaching your teams and others at work

Communicate by Design
Facilitators: Susan Hoffman, Coordinator and Carissa Sadique, Learning & Development Specialist

Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: Many leaders find it challenging to coach effectively when employees or other fall short of expectations. This workshop provides leaders with a proven, versatile coaching process for conducting a firm yet respectful conversation to help people get back on track.

Objectives:

• Learn how to confidently and competently Coach for Improvement when people are falling short of expectations
• Explore two key factors that can make this type of coaching difficult
• Examine and overcome common pitfalls when you Coach for Improvement
• Learn how to State the Facts clearly, directly, and respectfully
• Practice and apply the six-step coaching process to Coach for Improvement 

Solve Problems, Make Sound Decisions
Facilitators:  Susan Hoffman, Coordinator and Rachel Haynes, Director, Employee Engagement & Development.

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: Working in an organization involves two crucial skills – solving problems and making decisions. Yet, leaders often struggle with how to help others become better at these crucial skills. In this workshop, we explore leadership strategies, problem-solving methods, and a complete problem-solving process that leaders can use to teach and guide others through problem solving and decision making.

Objectives:

• Explain the fundamental nature of problem solving and decision making, and the relationship between them​
• Identify leadership strategies for helping others become better problem solvers and decision makers​
• Employ a five-step process for problem solving and decision making that you can use on your own, with other individuals one-on-one or in groups​
• Use, teach and demonstrate new methods for brainstorming, creative thinking, and decision making​

Resolve Conflict
Facilitators: Susan Hoffman, Coordinator and Carissa Sadique, Learning & Development Specialist.

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: One of the most common shortcomings of a leader is the inability or unwillingness to resolve conflict. This is a skill area that needs to be developed and practiced as conflicts arise before the impact escalates in terms of many key factors like retention, engagement, productivity, and profitability. The purpose of Resolve Conflict is to help leaders move from avoidance or mishandling conflict to handling it productively, with confidence and competence.

Objectives:

• Understand the impact of conflict in the workplace​
• Understand conflict and the four common reasons it occurs in organizations​
• Be familiar with the benefits of handling conflict productively​
• Complete the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, understand the model and apply the five conflict modes to workplace conflict situations​
• Be introduced to a Mediation Meeting Planner designed to mediate conflicts between two other people or teams​

Maximize Performance
Facilitator:  Rachel Haynes, Director, Employee Engagement and Susan Hoffman, Staff Development Coordinator

Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: This workshop provides participants with skills and techniques to enhance their effectiveness in maximizing employee performance, day in and day out. Participants explore three key components for maximizing performance and develop action plans to increase team clarity, motivation, and effectiveness.

Objectives:

• Be familiar with the ongoing, interdependent activities needed to maximize employee performance 365 days a year
• Understand how to define and clarify expectations and goals for performance
• Know how to write SMART goals
• Recognize the importance of establishing consistent monitoring strategies every day to ensure that employees are successful
• Explore ways to apply your coaching skills when reviewing and discussing performance

Create A Culture of Engagement
Facilitators: Susan Hoffman, Coordinator and Carissa Sadique, Learning & Development Specialist.

Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: This workshop helps leaders understand the impact they have on employee engagement and introduces them to six strategies to create a culture of engagement.

Objectives:

• Understand the powerful link between employee engagement and business results
• Have a clear definition of what employee engagement is and why it is important
• Understand your own individual level of engagement and the engagement level of your team
• Implement six strategies that you, as an individual leader, can use to create a culture of engagement
• Have tips and tools you can use to increase your success as an individual leader relative to employee engagement

Supporting Yourself and Others Through Change
Facilitators: Rachel Haynes, Director, Employee Engagement and Susan Hoffman, Coordinator

Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description:  Change is constant. Rationally, it makes sense: organizations are either changing or dying. Fundamentally, employees get it. So why is it so difficult to deal with the actual changes? 

Objectives:

• Be familiar with the Rational Change Model as an illustration of why organizational change is necessary​
• Identify current change-related challenges affecting you and your team​
• Know the predictable human dynamics of change​
• Be familiar with the Emotional Change Model and how to communicate during change​
• Identify the four types of emotional resistance to change in yourself and others​
• Prepare and conduct a change-related coaching conversation by using a six-step Coaching Through Change Planner

Focus Your Team
Facilitators: Susan Hoffman, Coordinator and Carissa Sadique, Learning & Development Specialist.

Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: The day-to-day whirlwind of activity makes it very difficult for leaders to ensure that their teams are working on what’s most important. In Focus Your Team, participants explore methods and strategies for enhancing team effectiveness and productivity to drive the business forward.

Objectives:

• Understand the importance of “focus” for maximizing team productivity ​
• Know who your team’s customers are and understand how that knowledge defines the team’s “mission of service”​
• Be armed with strategies for helping team members think differently about how and where they apply their efforts to priorities and projects​
• Have a team strategy and support tools you can use with team members for focus, productivity and accountability​

Create Productive Meetings
Facilitators: Susan Hoffman, Coordinator and Elisa Waldman, VP of  Workforce Development & Continuing Education.

Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: MTC 232
CRN: 

Description: Meetings often waste time and are painful for participants – not because they’re not important, but because they’re mismanaged. This workshop arms leaders with helpful tips, tools, techniques, and strategies for facilitating, influencing and supporting highly productive meetings. 

Objectives:

• Identify key elements of a productive meeting
• Structure meetings in ways that heighten their effectiveness
• Employ meeting processes for better participation and communication
• Enlist three proven methods to discuss key issues in meetings