Leadership Seminar Progress Report
Development of the leadership seminars for supervisors and first-line managers is progressing on schedule. One seminar will be conducted at each of the four Indiana plant sites. The primary objective of the seminars is to have the participants understand the following points:
The importance of having leaders at all levels of the corporation.
The definition of leadership.
How leadership traits are developed for use within the corporation and the community.
That various styles of leadership exist and that there is no one best leadership style.
Seminar Presenter
Three staff members observed training sessions conducted by five professional training and development companies before selecting the firm to conduct these leadership seminars. Derme & Associates, Inc., a local consulting firm specializing in career enhancement seminars, has been selected to develop and conduct the four seminars.
One reason for selecting Derme & Associates is that they will develop the content of the seminars around Odgers and Keeling's definition of leadership[Editor1], which we want to emphasize with employees.
Seminar Development
We have had two meetings with partners of Derme & Associates since the signing of the agreement two weeks ago.
The first meeting was held so that we could learn about the content of leadership seminars that Derme & Associates, Inc., has presented for other clients.
The specific content of the four seminars was identified at the second meeting. Also, we decided to use the prepared content for each seminar except for the changes we suggest. These suggestions will be based on the feedback we get from the participants at the end of each seminar.
Seminar Dates
The first seminar will be on October 15 at the Logansport Plant; the second will be at the Muncie Plant on October 22; the third meets at the Fort Wayne Plant on October 29; and the fourth will be at the Evansville Plant on November 5. The 85 employees who are to attend will be notified of the dates and times by the end of this week. Instructions will be given for arranging coverage during the attendees' absences.
Seminar Content
The seminars will focus on leadership characteristics and styles that are applicable to most work and community environments.
The following four characteristics will be targeted for development:
Social and environmental responsibility.
International awareness.
The importance of honesty.
The consistent leader[Editor2].
Styles of leadership, ranging from autocratic to democratic, will be presented and then role-played in the seminar. Participants will be encouraged to try all styles and to adapt leadership style to given situations rather than to adopt one “best” style. Much of this material will be based on Fulton-Calkins and Stulz’s explanation of leadership as:
. . . the process of influencing others to achieve group and/or organizational goals. Effective leaders operate by a clearly defined set of values. Those values are centered on what is right for an organization, the constituencies it serves, and its employees. When leading, individuals must use wisely the power entrusted by the organization[Editor3].
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[Editor2]Insert second citation here.
[Editor3]Insert third citation here.