2023 CLS Continuing Ed

2023 CLS Continuing Ed
With a legacy of over four decades in nurturing and molding talented individuals into exceptional community leaders, Community Leadership School (CLS) takes immense pride in announcing the launch of our CLS Continuing Ed program. As a CLS program graduate, you have already acquired valuable knowledge and skills, and now we are excited to offer you the opportunity to take your leadership abilities to the next level.

CLS Continuing Ed will consist of four enriching sessions. These sessions are designed to empower you to embark on the next phase of your personal journey as a confident and effective leader. Through these sessions, we will delve deeper into four pertinent topics that are guaranteed to enhance and refine your leadership skills. We look forward to seeing you grow and thrive as you take advantage of this invaluable opportunity.

Sessions will be held from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. every Thursday beginning October 5th through October 26th. This program is intended for those individuals that have gone through the Community Leadership School (CLS) program only. The four topics that will be covered are as follows:

Effective Communication
This session focuses on both written and verbal communication for leaders at high levels of an organization. There will be an emphasis on speaking to large audiences in support of your vision informed by the values that guide and inform your leadership. 

• Strategies to motivate and inspire diverse audiences
• Themes and consistent messaging
• The role of word choice, cultural competency, and equity in powerful communications

Difficult Conversations
This session will introduce the framework for handling difficult conversations – a skill that research has shown differentiates great leaders. Learn to recognize when a conversation is “crucial” and specific steps to navigate a successful conversation, including:

• Accepting that “conflict” is an opportunity for growth, not something to be avoided
• Understanding your natural approach and reaction to difficult conversations
• Stating your position in a way that invites dialogue rather than defensiveness
• Creating, maintaining, and restoring safety to preserve relationships

Productive Partnerships
This session will explore key tenets for building productive partnerships that span across disciplines and industries. Whether it’s two businesses partnering to launch a new product or program, educational institutions driving new research collaborations, or non-profits working to address a societal issue, effective partnerships ultimately create a synergy that leads to greater success and impact than what any individual organization achieves on its own.

• Exploration and conversation of key tenets to build effective partnerships
• Organizational tools to distinguish your personal strengths and what you bring to the prospective partnership
• Clifton Strengths

Employee Engagement
Research suggests that talent development and engaged employees are critical to an organization’s long-term success. Engaged employees are more likely to be satisfied with their careers and more likely to perform at a higher level. Employee engagement can lead to increased retention, higher productivity, and increased customer satisfaction. This session will focus on understanding the importance of engagement and hands-on methods including:

• Defining and measuring employee engagement
• Recognizing engaged behaviors
• Identifying practical applications to increase employee engagement
• Discussing how to build a culture of engagement