VS1 (Virtual Session One) - The Executive Leadership Journey Ahead - July 11, 2022
Introduction and Program Overview - Professor Fred Harburg
VS1 will provide Program Fellows with an overview of the two-year program, an introduction to classmates, and an explanation of class one assignments.
VS1 Outline
- Congratulations and welcome to the NFPA Executive Leadership Program
- Introduction to Program Fellows
- Program purpose, process, product, timeline, and logistics
- Overview of Session One - Leader as Coach and Executive Judgment
- Explanation of assignments and pre-session homework
- Core Ethos Pre-work
- AJIL® Assessment
- Flight Plan One
- Readings regarding Core Ethos, Leader as Coach, and Judgment
IPS1 – Executive Foundations (Leader as Coach/Executive Judgment – Fred Harburg)
August 15, 2022 at the NFPA Industry and Economic Conference at the Westin Chicago Northwest, Itasca, IL
Morning Session: Core Ethos™ Leading with Purpose - Professor Fred Harburg
Great companies jealously protect and nurture their brand essence - a combination of values and aspirations synthesizing their purpose and promise. The same principle is true for great leaders. We will begin our Executive Foundations Day as you work with a colleague to refine and deepen your leadership purpose and promise, your Core Ethos™.
Executive Judgment
The need for leaders to use adaptive discernment to make positive change has never been higher. Sound judgment guides our actions, determines the quality of our results, and springs from the core. Executive judgment is the ultimate executive skill because the effectiveness of all other capabilities depends on it. Understanding your judgment is the second focal point of the day.
Lunch 'n Learn Session: Jon Goreham, President/ CEO, QCC
Past NFPA Board Chair Jon Goreham will join the cohort for an informal discussion during lunch, sharing his experience and helping to contextualize the day's content for the fluid power industry.
Afternoon Session: Leader as Coach - Professor Fred Harburg
Every leader has a fundamental responsibility to develop the talent and performance of others and to help them deal with non-stop challenges and changes. Yet, surveys show that a widespread failure to provide feedback and coaching is the primary complaint of most employees. These facts support the idea that coaching is an essential but neglected tool for leadership effectiveness. The final element of our day will incorporate the first two building blocks as you coach and are coached by a colleague to optimize your judgment and impact.
VS2 (Virtual Session Two) – Session 1 Review / Preview Session 2 – January 9, 2023
IPS1 Results Review and Preparation for IPS2 - Professor Fred Harburg
During VS2 Fred will lead a review discussion with Program Fellows regarding their 90-day coaching and judgment development results. Fred will field questions and lead a discussion among the Fellows regarding their insights and learning from their experience using the F>A>C>T-Based Coaching™ process, the Ajility Growth Process™, and the Ajility Flight Plan™.
Three or four Program Fellows (notified well before this session) will provide a five-minute personal spotlight:
- Their professional journey and current role
- Highlights of their company history, philosophies, and best practices
- Personal insights regarding their lives, family, activities
- Current and future challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives
A few minutes will follow each spotlight for questions and response from the listening Fellows. Particular attention will be given to ideas of support and insight from the Fellow network regarding the last segment on challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives.
The session will conclude with a preview of, and assignments for Session 2 – Strategic Leadership.
IPS2 – Strategy & Execution (Strategic Frameworks – Matt Ranen; Operational Excellence – Achal Bassamboo)
February 13, 2023 at the NFPA Annual Conference at the Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, CA
Morning Session: Strategic Foundations and Frameworks - Professor Matt Ranen
Strategy encompasses an explicit set of decisions regarding where we compete, how we can be best positioned to win, what distinct capabilities and resources (i.e., people, capital, intellectual property, relationships, assets) will enable success, and what we are willing to forgo or not do. Good strategic process involves using excellent judgment to make these decisions, making sure each choice fits together in an integrated way, and incorporating strategic fit as part of the criteria for new investments -- or even where management spends its valuable time. Developing a clear strategy and communicating it across the organization is a critical role for senior leadership.
In this session, Program Fellows will:
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Gain understanding of the strategic cascade framework for business success
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Identify ways to answer the fundamental strategic questions
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Learn how strategy informs more specific planning decisions
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Commit to use the strategic tool kit to view their respective businesses
Lunch n' Learn Session: John Stenz, CEO, FORCE America
Past NFPA Board Chair John Stenz will join the cohort for an informal discussion during lunch, sharing his experience and helping to contextualize the day's content for the fluid power industry.
Afternoon Session: Operational Execution - Professor Achal Bassamboo
Understanding the goal and structure of a good supply chain is essential to winning the game. The strategy establishes the playing field, and operations make the plays. In this session, we will link strategy to critical factors in supply chain design while focusing on two of the most crucial elements: information and sourcing..
Program Fellows will gain an understanding of the following:
- Supply chain strategy
- The levers in supply chain design
- Information flow
- The role outsourcing plays in suplly chain improvement
VS3 (Virtual Session Three) - Session 2 Review / Preview Session 3 – April 3, 2023
IPS2 Results Review and Preparation for IPS3 - Professor Fred Harburg
During VS3 Fred will lead a review discussion with Program Fellows regarding their implementation of the concepts and tools from strategy and operations. Fred will field questions and lead a discussion among the Fellows regarding their insights and learning
Three or four Program Fellows (notified well before this session) will provide a five-minute personal spotlight:
- Their professional journey and current role
- Highlights of their company history, philosophies, and best practices
- Personal insights regarding their lives, family, activities
- Current and future challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives
A few minutes will follow each spotlight for questions and response from the listening Fellows. Particular attention will be given to ideas of support and insight from the Fellow network regarding the last segment on challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives.
The session will conclude with a preview of, and assignments for Session 3 – Negotiation Tools and Strategies.
IPS3 – Strategic Negotiation (Working with Attorneys and Third Party Neutrals - Alyson Carrel; Team-on-Team Integrative Negotiation Case - Leigha Thompson)
May 8, 2023 at the Allen Center at Kellogg, Evanston, IL
Morning Session: Working with Attorneys and Third-Party Neutrals - Professor Alyson Carrel
Attorneys and external third parties add a new dynamic to negotiations that can enhance deals and mitigate risk. But at what cost? Understanding this added dynamic is crucial to strategically leverage the attorney role in a negotiation and actively manage the relationships “across” and “behind” the table.
In this interactive session, we examine:
• How to productively work with attorneys
• The role that businesspeople should take when negotiations become “legal”
• The benefit of third party neutrals in deals and disputes
Lunch n' Learn Session: Ed Howe, President, Enfield Technologies
Past NFPA Board Chair Ed Howe will join the cohort for an informal discussion during lunch, sharing his experience and helping to contextualize the day's content for the fluid power industry.
Afternoon Session: Team-on-Team Integrative Negotiation Case - Professor Leigha Thompson
Understanding the negotiating tools is essential but insufficient for sustained negotiating success. Negotiating excellence requires practice, acknowledgment of blind spots, and deliberate effort to improve the nuanced skills needed to succeed.
Program Fellows will gain an understanding of the following:
• Have an opportunity to use new and familiar concepts
• Receive feedback regarding the efficacy of their approach
• Create a game plan for improvement
VS4 (Virtual Session Four) - Session 3 Review / Preview Session 4 – July 10, 2023
IPS3 Results Review and Preparation for IPS4 - Professor Fred Harburg
During VS4 Fred will lead a review discussion with Program Fellows regarding their implementation of the concepts and tools from Negotiations Tools and Practice. Fred will field questions and lead a discussion among the Fellows regarding their insights and learning.
Three or four Program Fellows (notified well before this session) will provide a five-minute personal spotlight:
- Their professional journey and current role
- Highlights of their company history, philosophies, and best practices
- Personal insights regarding their lives, family, activities
- Current and future challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives
A few minutes will follow each spotlight for questions and response from the listening Fellows. Particular attention will be given to ideas of support and insight from the Fellow network regarding the last segment on challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives.
The session will conclude with a preview of, and assignments for Session 4 – Presentations and Presence.
IPS4 – Presentations with Presence (Presenting for Impact – Steven Franconeri; Executive Presence – Brooke Vuckovic)
August 14, 2023 at the NFPA Industry and Economic Outlook Conference at TBD, Suburban Chicago
Morning Session: Presenting for Impact - Professor Steven Franconeri
Leaders are called on to make presentations daily. It is alarming and dismaying how poor the quality of graphic presentation, particularly technical or data presentations can be. The way the brain processes and absorbs information is at the crux of the issue. Most of us violate the fundamental aspects of neural processing every time we step up to the screen or podium.
In this session, Program Fellows will:
- See the fundamental errors of most graphic presentation
- Understand how to organize visual data for impact
- Gain very specific tools and practices for immediate implementation
Lunch n' Learn Session: Marc Weston, Area Vice President, Applied Industrial Technologies.
Past NFPA Board Chair Marc Weston will join the cohort for an informal discussion during lunch, sharing his experience and helping to contextualize the day's content for the fluid power industry.
Afternoon Session: Executive Presence - Professor Brooke Vuckovic
Executive presence is more than stagecraft it begins with self-concept and ends when a leader brings their full and best self to a presentation opportunity. The basics have to do with using the vocal instrument. It deepens when one connects at a profound level with listeners.
In this session, Program Fellows will:
- Grasp the concepts a gravitas and the signature of the leadership presence
- Work with a colleague to use the tools that command respect and followership
- Identify ways they will continue to cultivate their impact on others
VS5 (Virtual Session Five) - Session 4 Review / Preview Session 5 – January 29, 2024
IPS4 Results Review and Preparation for IPS5 - Professor Fred Harburg
During VS5 Fred will lead a review discussion with Program Fellows regarding their implementation of the concepts and tools from Presenting with Presence. Fred will field questions and lead a discussion among the Fellows regarding their insights and learning.
Three or four Program Fellows (notified well before this session) will provide a five-minute personal spotlight:
- Their professional journey and current role
- Highlights of their company history, philosophies, and best practices
- Personal insights regarding their lives, family, activities
- Current and future challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives
A few minutes will follow each spotlight for questions and response from the listening Fellows. Particular attention will be given to ideas of support and insight from the Fellow network regarding the last segment on challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives.
The session will conclude with a preview of, and assignments for Session 5 – Cultivating Culture, Values and Virtues.
IPS5 – Cultivating Culture, Values and Virtues (A Value Based Leader/A Value Based Culture – Peter Rea)
February 26, 2024 at the NFPA Annual Conference at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, Orlando, FL
Morning Session: A Value-based Leader - Professor Peter Rea
The indisputable keel for a vessel plying turbulent waters is forged from the values that give it stability in a storm. In a similar way, values when fully understood and incorporated into actions beyond words give a leader the constancy of purpose and character needed to lead effectively in the worst of conditions.
In this session, Program Fellows will:
- Define the concepts of values and character
- Examine how the essential ideas take shape in a leader
- Dive deep into comprehending and place values into action
Lunch n' Learn Session: Jeff Hand, President/CEO, ROSS Controls
Past Board Chair Jeff Hand will join the cohort for an informal discussion during lunch, sharing his experience and helping to contextualize the day's content for the fluid power industry.
Afternoon Session: A Value-based Culture - Professor Peter Rea
Espoused values vs. lived values are the essential guidepost for life in an organization. When the leaders of a business place the proper emphasis and attention of practical ways to bring admirable values to play in their organization, the values become a magnet for talent, a source of customer loyalty, and a profit generating engine.
In this session, Program Fellows will:
- Understand how a values-based culture can transform a business
- Identify ways they can lead a values revolution in their companies
- Plan to lead the revolution as a values-based leader
VS6 (Virtual Session Six) - Session 5 Review / Preview Session 6 – April 15, 2024
IPS5 Results Review and Preparation for IPS6 - Professor Fred Harburg
During VS6 Fred will lead a review discussion with Program Fellows regarding their implementation of the concepts and tools from Cultivating Culture, Values, and Virtues. Fred will field questions and lead a discussion among the Fellows regarding their insights and learning
Three or four Program Fellows (notified well before this session) will provide a five-minute personal spotlight:
- Their professional journey and current role
- Highlights of their company history, philosophies, and best practices
- Personal insights regarding their lives, family, activities
- Current and future challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives
A few minutes will follow each spotlight for questions and response from the listening Fellows. Particular attention will be given to ideas of support and insight from the Fellow network regarding the last segment on challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives.
The session will conclude with a preview of, and assignments for Session 6 – Leading Under Pressure.
IPS6 – Leading Under Pressure (Leading in a VUCA World – Bernie Banks; Thriving in Challenge – Fred Harburg) May 13, 2024 at the Allen Center at Kellogg, Evanston, IL
Morning Session: Leading in a VUCA World - Professor Bernie Banks
Our world is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. The capacity to keep calm and carry on is essential for those entrusted with the welfare of a business, its people, and its customers in this turbulent context. The only certainty is that business will be more uncertain in the future. Having ways to frame, manage, communicate, and engage follower is chaos becomes a distinguishing quality for distinguished leaders.
In this session, Program Fellows will:
- Understand the way the VUCA environment necessitates a new leadership
- Identify how this environment is affect them at personal level
- Gain tools and strategies for steering their crew through turbulent waters
- Lunch n' Learn session with TBD
Lunch n' Learn Session: Steven Meislahn, Global Director of Engineering, Sun Hydraulics
Industry leader Steven Meislahn will join the cohort for an informal discussion during lunch, sharing his experience and helping to contextualize the day's content for the fluid power industry.
Afternoon Session: Thriving in Challenge - Professor Fred Harburg
The ability to prepare for, recover from, flourish, and grow stronger physically, intellectually, emotionally, and ethically amidst demanding challenges and setbacks separates the most effective and fulfilled from the merely competent. Having evidence-based approaches to boosting energy and thriving in the face of significant challenges is the lifeline we all need to deal with the exigencies of challenging times. The lessons from performance psychology, nutrition, exercise physiology, and neuroscience provide a playbook for times when the rules are constantly in flux.
In this session, Program Fellows will:
- Understand the science of resilience and human energy
- Identify current resilience position and opportunities for growth
- Personalize personal resilience routines in all four dimensions
VS7 (Virtual Session 7) – Summary - What We Learned from the Program – How We Will Use It – June 10, 2024
IPS6 Results Review and Preparation for Life as an Exceptional Leader - Professor Fred Harburg
During VS7 Fred will lead a review discussion with Program Fellows regarding their implementation of the concepts and tools from Leading Under Pressure. Fred will field questions and lead a discussion among the Fellows regarding their insights and learning.
Three or four Program Fellows (notified well before this session) will provide a five-minute personal spotlight:
- Their professional journey and current role
- Highlights of their company history, philosophies, and best practices
- Personal insights regarding their lives, family, activities
- Current and future challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives
A few minutes will follow each spotlight for questions and response from the listening Fellows. Particular attention will be given to ideas of support and insight from the Fellow network regarding the last segment on challenges, aspirations, and growth objectives.
In this culminating virtual session, Fellows will reflect on the journey they have taken together. They will identify the highlights of their leaning and the ways in which they have applied the six pillar sessions. Each of them will reflect on what they have learned from each other and how they can continue to support and encourage their one another in the future.