"Uniting - The Engagement Process" ^TM

This process has opened up taboo subjects for discussion and made such a difference to our Organization!!! Greg Reinhold, Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence

Carly Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard believes, "Leadership is no longer about command and control, hierarchy title or status. It's not about finding blame. Leadership is about making a difference, creating positive change. It's about getting things done and getting rid of everything else that doesn't contribute. It's about encouraging, enabling and empowering every employee. It's about reinforcing core values, articulating a vision and then setting people free. Leadership is about trust and giving authority back to where it belongs.

Todd Guyette of Colburn & Guyette exclaims, "The presentation was eye opening and inspirational!"

"The leadership development approach of WorkPlace Dynamics is fundamental to the sustained success of any company's lean enterprise journey." John Cronin, RIMES.

We will share with you our 7 pillars to creating a continuous learning environment - a process for developing the leadership capacity of your business. This is a critical 1st step for implementing or improving upon performance programs such as Lean Manufacturing, Balance Score Card, Performance Score Card, etc.

Developing leadership within your organization is critical to survival in today's "white water" business climate. If you haven't developed leaders at every level of your business, how will you anticipate and respond to change. And if you have already implemented a leadership initiative at your company, are you sure it is the most effective strategy for your employees and your business? How can you benchmark your existing culture for its leadership intelligence? Stan DeAngelis & DJ Horton, whose company creates workplace environments that both culturally and physically engage employees in their organization, has found that the 1st step toward jump-starting leadership capacity within a business is by providing a fertile environment where it can flourish. DeAngelis & Horton will take you through the 7 pillars to creating a workplace environment that supports leadership development and continuous learning. They will help you discover the surprising elements that you need to know about yourself and your team to begin a leadership initiative.

We are privileged to be working with you to help you develop the leadership capacity of your people and your company. We will lead you through the process listed below. We have listed work items that are needed to successfully complete the leadership development process. We have also identified items that we recommend but are optional and can be done at a later date.

1. Discovery and Assessment

   Our approach varies somewhat depending on the level at which we begin this process and the number of people involved. We begin with a group made up of the managers of the business unit that we are working with and a cross section of staff members. It is most desirable to work in a group of between 15 and 35 people. The exact number of initial participants will depend on the total number of people in the business unit and how far within the unit you wish to develop leadership skills. (In working with larger companies in a company-wide effort and with a management team larger than 35, we repeat the process two or three times in order to involve the entire management team. In smaller companies with less than 35 people, we involve the entire company at one time.)

   First we meet with the leadership of the business unit or company to review the "Engagement Process" and to discuss their goals and the surveys that would be required. We then prepare a customized survey that is given to the participants and returned to us for tabulation. This will form our benchmark for employee engagement. The participants also take an individual Profile Performance Indicator and may take a "CheckPoint 360º" Performance Review. These can be taken on the web and are products of Profiles International distributed by PerformanceIntel. The purpose of these assessments is to develop a learning and development plan for each participant. The Individual Performance Indicator will also be used to produce a Team Performance Indicator.

2. Building Belief

   First we involve all of the participants in a half day "Developing Leadership Capacity" workshop. (This is the same presentation that we give as an introductory seminar with added exercises. "Sometimes a CEO Should Follow--The Power of Passion: Developing Leadership Capacity in Your Business".) This forms the background for the development process and gives all of the participants a preview of what we are going to do.

   The results of the customized survey that we administer will tell us if there is enough trust in the organization to be able to continue to the next phase. If there is not sufficient trust, we work with the management team on an hourly basis to coach them in ways of developing trust. We can also facilitate trust-building activities with the participants.

3. Visioning

   We will plan, prepare and facilitate a full day "Visioning" session. This can be focussed on creating a vision for the business group or on affirming a vision that is already in place. In either case this process will end with a list of actions that need to be accomplished in order to achieve the vision. These actions are grouped into related areas and the participants are formed into teams that will work on these strategic issues.

4. Tasks, Teams and Tools

   The team performance indicators are now run for the specific team make-ups. We plan, prepare and facilitate two half-day or one full day session(s). The purpose of these sessions is to prepare the participants to be able to perform effectively in their team setting. This is where we are able to give them the tools that they require in order to be successful and give them a better understanding of what it takes to create and maintain a high performing team.

5. Validation

   During this phase we provide ongoing coaching and support to the team leaders, team members, and the teams as a unit. We are in contact with the five to seven team leaders twice a month: once on the phone and once in a two-hour session or meeting on site. We are also available to answer questions and solve problems as they arise. The purpose of this support is to provide additional teaching and trouble shooting as required. We provide this support in six-month increments.

6. Review, Renew and Recommit

   At the end of one-year +- we plan, prepare and facilitate a day-long re-visioning session. At this session we review what has been accomplished over the last year, what more needs to be done and how the business unit will proceed over the next year. We will also remix the teams, administer the customized survey to the participants, and compare the new results to the initial benchmark survey.

   Additional assessments, the Individual and Team Performance Indicator, may be retaken and reviewed at this time.

7. Integration

   Integration is an on going process and is part of our work during the validation phase.

   There are several methods for bringing this process deeper into the business unit or company. Parts of the early training sessions aim at training the participants to be able to teach these skills to their reports and/or co-workers. In this way, learning has already begun at the next level. We can provide coaching and facilitation training at any time during the process and can continue it on an ongoing basis. We typically conduct a half-day session at the end of year one on engaging the next level. This session is custom designed to fit the business unit and its needs. Its intent is to prepare the participants to continue the engagement process and its leadership development throughout the business unit.