Happy Holidays from Westminster College Executive Education

Happy Holidays!

Warmest holiday wishes to all of our Westminster friends! This is the time of year that many of our professional pursuits take a back seat to family, friends and social activities - and I think we all look forward to the change of pace and renewing relationships. Leaders know the importance of cultivating relationships which in turn fosters collaboration, a key leadership ability. Kouzes and Posner (2007) pointed out, "To get extraordinary things done, people have to relay on each other. They need to have a sense of mutual dependence - a community of people in which each knows that they need the others to be successful." (p. 233). Whether you are spending time with loved ones, donating time to a charitable cause or enjoying a well-deserved vacation break, enjoy your community and reflect on your successes as a leader!

Kouzes, J. M.; Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass

Don't forget check out our monthly leadership e-newsletter at https://www.westminstercollege.edu/images/projectbased/Jan1.html

Sincerely.

Managing Your Workforce Amid Intense Uncertainty

"The economic downturn had a negative effect on Americans' wellbeing -- except for people with engaging managers."
Managing Your Workforce Amid Intense Uncertainty

About Westminster Mastering Leadership Certificate Program

Here is an article about our Mastering Leadership Certificate program from Westminster website.

"Westminster Creates New Certificate Program to Address Leadership Shortage

Mastering Leadership Certificate Program begins June 6

SALT LAKE CITY – According to a recent study, 60 percent of companies report they are facing leadership talent shortages that are impeding performance, and some predict this trend may continue for several years. Many business leaders recognize they cannot hire their way out of this problem, so finding a way to develop their existing employee base is critical to their success.

To address this talent shortage, Westminster College has created a new Mastering Leadership Certificate Program (MLC) to help hone the skills of employees who want to advance in their careers. 

The 10-month MLC program, with limited classroom time, is a perfect fit for working professionals like Lisa Hale, an assistant controller at Arnold Machinery. The company supported Hale while she obtained her undergraduate degree in accounting at Westminster, and she’s spent the past 18 years working her way up through the ranks. Hale saw the MLC as an opportunity to move even further up the ladder.

“The program is helping me build my own career by elevating my position at Arnold Machinery,” said Hale. “I’m also seeing how it is building a stronger company by broadening our leadership pool which strengthens the core of the business.”

The MLC is a project-based program built around two-day sessions held once a month for 10 months. The sessions focus on essential leadership skills utilizing a three-stage process: theory, practice in real-world activities and then application in the workplace. Throughout each stage, a Westminster faculty coach works with each participant and is available to consult with participants in real-time. The customized projects applied in the participant’s work place translate into immediate return on investment.

“I take something away from each class that I’m able to immediately apply at the office,” said Hale. “I’ve gained skills and made connections in the course that make me a leader and an overall better employee.”

And employers are also pleased with the results.

“I’ve been impressed by the outcomes of the Mastering Leadership Certificate program,” said Kayden Bell, Arnold Machinery CFO. “Our associates are learning and honing the skills they need for our executive roles. Prior to each session, we meet with the faculty coach to ensure the content and project are customized to Arnold Machinery. Then the interactive classroom learning is applied as our associates work on projects. As an added benefit, associates are building relationships and learning how to work more effectively in teams.”

Hale is among 20 professionals from Arnold Machinery participating in Westminster’s pilot MLC program customized to a corporation’s specific needs. Westminster is now offering open enrollment to individuals who will receive personalized leadership training that is customized to their own work places. The MLC is the first certificate program for executive education within Westminster’s Division of New Learning.

Enrollment for the MLC program starts May 1, 2012, and the program will begin June 6. For more information and to register online visit www.westminstercollege.edu/execed or contact Rose Defa at 801-832-3422, rdefa@westminstercollege.edu.

Media Contacts: Krista DeAngelis & Arikka Von (801) 832-2682
May 7, 2012

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter."

Source:  http://www.westminstercollege.edu/campus_news/index.cfm?id=1233[currentrow]

Sometime it's good to give up the driver's seat

A very interesting talk from Baba Shiv. His study shows that in some cases, we are better off not being the leaders and letting others make the decisions. Do you agree with this?

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIqYWIL45es

Leadership quote of the day

 

Read more at http://www.georgeambler.com/netflix-identifies-culture-as-key-to-success/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Things You Can Learn From the Apple Store

As we all know, Apple is the leader in the technology industry. With its innovative products, Apple has been changing the way we live our lives. So what can we learn from this technology-leading company? Here is the list of 10 things we can learn from Apple that  Carmine Gallo, author of the book  The Apple Experience: Secrets to Building Insanely Great Customer Loyalty, discovered;

1. Stop selling stuff. When Steve Jobs first started the Apple Store he did not ask the question, “How will we grow our market share from 5 to 10 percent?” Instead he asked, “How do we enrich people’s lives?” Think about your vision. If you were to examine the business model for most brands and retailers and develop a vision around it, the vision would be to “sell more stuff.” A vision based on selling stuff isn’t very inspiring and leads to a very different experience than the Apple Retail Store created.
2. Enrich lives. The vision behind the Apple Store is “enrich lives,” the first two words on a wallet-sized credo card employees are encouraged to carry. When you enrich lives magical things start to happen. For example, enriching lives convinced Apple to have a non-commissioned sales floor where employees feel comfortable spending as much time with a customer as the customer desires. Enriching lives led Apple to build play areas (the “family room”) where kids could see, touch and play on computers. Enriching lives led to the creation of a “Genius Bar” where trained experts are focused on “rebuilding relationships” as much as fixing problems.
3. Hire for smiles. The soul of the Apple Store is in its people. They are hired, trained, motivated and taught to create magical and memorable moments for their customers. The Apple Store values a magnetic personality as much, if not more so, than technical proficiency. The Apple Store cares less about what you know than it cares about how much you love people.
4. Celebrate diversity. Mohawks, tattoos, piercings are all acceptable among Apple Store employees. Apple hires people who reflect the diversity of their customers. Since they are more interested in how passionate you are, your hairstyle doesn’t matter. Early in the Apple Store history, they also learned that former teachers make the best salespeople because they ask a lot of questions. It’s not uncommon to find former teachers, engineers, and artists at an Apple Store. Apple doesn’t look for someone who fits a mold.
5. Unleash inner genius. Teach your customers something they never knew they could do before, and they’ll reward you with their loyalty. For example, the Apple Store offers a unique program to help people understand and enjoy their computers: One to One. The $99 one-year membership program is available with the purchase of a Mac. Apple Store instructors called “creatives” offer personalized instruction inside the Apple Store. Customers can learn just about anything: basics about the Mac operating system; how to design a website; enjoying, sharing, and editing photos or movies; creating a presentation; and much more. The One to One program was created to help build customers for life. It was designed on the premise that the more you understand a product, the more you enjoy it, and the more likely you are to build a long-term relationship with the company. Instructors are trained to provide guidance and instruction, but also to inspire customers, giving them the tools to make them more creative than they ever imagined.
6. Empower employees. I spent one hour talking to an Apple Store specialist about kids, golf, and my business. We spent about ten minutes talking about the product (a MacBook Air). I asked the employee whether he would be reprimanded for spending so much time with one customer. “Not at all,” he replied. “If you have a great experience, that’s all that matters.” Apple has a non-commissioned sales floor for a reason—employees are not pressured to “make a sale.” Instead they are empowered to do what they believe is the right thing to do.
7. Sell the benefit. Apple Store specialists are taught to sell the benefit behind products and to customize those benefits for the customer. For example, I walked to the iPad table with my two young daughters and told the specialist I was considering my first iPad. In a brilliant move, the specialist focused on my two daughters, the ‘secondary’ customer who can influence a purchase. He let the girls play on separate devices. On one device he played the movie, Tangled, and on the other device he brought up a Disney Princess coloring app. My girls were thrilled and, in one memorable moment, my 6-year-old turned me to and said, “I love this store!” It’s easy to see why. Instead of touting “speeds and feeds,” the specialist taught us how the device could improve our lives.
8. Follow the steps of service. The Apple Store teaches its employees to follow five steps in each and every interaction. These are called the Apple five steps of service. They are outlined by the acronym A-P-P-L-E. They are: Approach with a customized, warm greeting. Probe politely to understand the customer’s needs. Present a solution the customer can take home today. Listen for and address unresolved questions. End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
9. Create multisensory experiences. The brain loves multi-sensory experiences. In other words, people enjoy being able to see, touch, and play with products. Walk into an Apple Store upon opening and you’ll see all the notebook computer screens perfectly positioned slightly beyond 90-degree angles. The position of the computer lets you see the screen (which is on and loaded with content) but forces you to touch the computer in order to adjust it. Every device in the store is working and connected to the Internet. Spend as much time as you’d like playing with the products—nobody will kick you out. Creatives who give One-to-One workshops do not touch the computer without asking for permission. They want you to do it. The sense of touch helps create an emotional connection with a product.
10. Appeal to the buying brain. Clutter forces the brain to consume energy. Create uncluttered environments instead. The Apple Store is spacious, clean, well-lit, and uncluttered. Cables are hidden from view and no posters on placed on the iconic glass entrances. Computer screens are cleaned constantly. Keep the environment clean, open, and uncluttered.
    
    Source: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/#axzz27UgqWTei