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URLeading: Core Modules (2021-22)

This guide contains links, documents, and other information for UR Leading participants.

Module 1: The Leadership Narrative (Leading Self)

October 27, 2021
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Brent Pederson

Building your Leadership Narrative:

This research based, feedback intensive and practical one-day workshop for leaders, focuses on leading self, others and organization in the context of the UR Leading principles, and current leadership challenges/opportunities at the University of Regina.

You will:

  • Learn key leadership practices that are relevant to the University of Regina context: Modeling the Way, Inspiring Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act, and Encouraging the Heart.
  • Increase awareness of your leadership strengths and areas for development through 360 LPI feedback and creating a leadership development plan.
  • Build your Leader Identity and Narrative to inspire and engage others –Who am I? What is my leader purpose? What are my values and vision as a leader?
  • Practice and leave with an appreciative engagement tool to use to find out what is important to others and begin to build a shared vision.

Prework for Module 1 Building Your Leadership Narrative:

1. Read Leadership in Higher Education  (2019), Kouzes and Posner.

Read Chapter 1, pages 1-19.

Please print or upload to your e device the PowerPoint slides for Core Module.

Module 2: Emotional Intelligence

November 30, 2021
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Jeannette Aschenbrenner

Emotional Intelligence and Building Effective Teams

As a result of your EQi2.0 Leadership report, your coaching session and this workshop you will:

  • understand your individual EQi2.0 assessment and the dimensions or emotional intelligence and leadership
  • understand why and how EI supports, strengthens and is important to developing your capacity to lead
  • apply the understanding of your EQi 2.0 results to building, leading and/or participating in /with effective teams.
  • reflect on next steps for using EQi 2.0 results to address workplace leadership opportunities.

Module 3: Leading in Uncertain Times

February 8, 2022
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Jeannette Aschenbrenner

Leading in Uncertain Times, could the times be more uncertain? While history bears many examples of incredible turmoil and change, there is no doubt the last few years have been a time of disruption. Across sectors and work places we’ve confronted similar and substantive challenge. The ongoing global pandemic has shifted our perspective from the mundane to issues of deeper complexity and consequence. In many ways, we are presented with a unique opportunity to transform ourselves and our connections with others for greater benefit. Yet, wherever we look we see the push and pull of conflicting scenarios playing out right in front of us. We are challenged to lead in these very uncertain times.

In this participatory workshop, you will look back to the lessons of leadership AND forward to lead into emerging future opportunities. You will learn to LEAD with a NEW LENS by:

  • Embracing a leader’s mindset for uncertainty and transition,
  • Identifying with change leadership as principled leadership,
  • Finding ways to practice your leadership with curiosity, compassion and courage,
  • SEEing the impact of the external environment on change leadership,
  • SEEing the impact of structure and culture on change leadership,
  • SEEing yourself in relation to the system,
  • SEEing beyond projects to the ‘people side of change’, and
  • Learning new ways to lead through change and uncertainty.

Please read and consider the information in the Participant Handout and the Historical Scans Supplementary Handout. Please follow the instructions on page 10 of the Participant Handout which asks you to add your own responses to the historical scans based on your work and leadership at the University.

Module 4: Organization Workshop

The Organization Workshop

THE ORGANIZATION WORKSHOP involves a variety of learning activities all of which are aimed at deepening your understanding of organizational partnerships -- to see more clearly the day-to-day dynamics that regularly knock us out of partnership, what gets in the way of creating and sustaining satisfying and productive partnerships, and what it takes to to develop concrete strategies for considering, creating and maintaining satisfying and productive partnerships up, down, and across organizational lines...including with our clients/stakeholders.

Through the Organization Workshop, participants have the opportunity to:

  • Understand intellectually and experience viscerally the differing "worlds" of Tops, Middles, Bottoms, and Customers, and develop concrete strategies for working more constructively across organizational lines;
  • Recognize the multiplicity of roles we play, as sometimes Top, Middle, Bottom and Customer/Client. We will recognize and avoid the disempowering pitfalls of each position, and approach each role with more effective behavior;
  • Learn how to build partnership in lateral relationships with our peers and create exciting new synergies; and
  • Provide leadership that addresses issues systemically rather than personally.

In preparation for the Organization workshop please complete the following:

Read the article Total System Power found at this link:

http://govleaders.org/total-system-power.htm

Watch the video featuring Barry Oshry, author of Seeing Systems: Unlocking the Mysteries of Organizational Life (2nd edition, 2007)

On the occasion of Power+Systems' 40th anniversary, Barry Oshry spoke at PwC, London, UK, June 2015. The theme: Transforming System Blindness, with all its personal and organizational costs, into the creative possibilities that come with System Sight.

**Please bring your Pre Work responses with you.**

In your journal answer the following questions:

1. After listening to Barry Oshry's presentation and reading the article Total System Power

a) Consider "We are all Tops. Middles, Bottoms and Customers , these are the conditions all of us face in whatever position we occupy." (Barry Oshry, Total System Power).

b) In the last 4-5 months what conditions have you experienced? What were the circumstances that resulted in you experiencing these conditions? Consider the definitions from the paper as you reflect on these questions.

c) What condition(s) are you currently experiencing? How are these conditions (Top, Middle < Bottom, Customer) affecting your leadership? Are there partnerships /opportunities with others in the university that are being sabotaged/ignored/missed? i.e. building partnerships across unit, faculty, department boundaries; contributing to a joint project; and supporting others' success? Finally have these conditions built partnerships/opportunities and collaborations for you? If so , what are they?

All materials will be provided at the workshop.

Module 5: Integration and Action

This final core module is designed to provide participants with opportunities to

  • Integrate your  learning from URLeading program
  • Continue to build skills in core areas of leadership
  • Appreciate the URLeading learning community
  • Apply your skills in an interactive leadership simulation
  • Generate action planning ideas to fuel your future development