LEADERSHIP

An effective leader is one who strategically sets goals, motivates their team to meet these goals, inspires team members to perform at their highest level, and encourages staff to embrace the organization’s culture, values and mission.  These courses introduce and reinforce critical skills necessary for successful leadership.

To View these Webinars: visit MyPLN at achieve.lausd.net/mypln. Select the search button and search for a course using a keyword from the course title.

Assessing Your Own Leadership Performance In this course, participants will learn about techniques leaders can use to carry out a self-assessment of their leadership performance, such as reflective journaling, surveys and checklists, and 360-degree feedback. They will also learn ways to increase motivation and manage their own learning by creating a leadership development plan. 25 minutes
Becoming an Inspirational Leader People are inspired when they trust their leaders and are mobilized by common goals. When a leader strives to inspire others through their leadership, they demonstrate credibility and create a community with a shared vision. In this course, participants will learn about the characteristics people look for in an inspiring leader. They will explore the traits and behaviors that inspirational leaders exemplify, and how their words and actions can help persuade employees to believe in a vision. Finally, participants will learn about the role of clear, credible, and persuasive messages in inspirational leadership. 30 minutes
Being a Fair and Caring Manager A manager will wear many different hats as they deal with a variety of people. Because they will encounter many personalities, emotions, and practices, it's important to learn how to be fair and caring when managing others. In this course, participants will explore the many facets of treating others with fairness, including how to apply standards fairly. They will also learn how to demonstrate fairness in their communication, decision making, and personal skills such as listening, sharing, and showing concern to direct reports. 29 minutes
Employee Engagement It isn't enough to simply offer competitive salaries and benefits. Employees must be made to feel valued. This challenge focuses on methods for keeping employees engaged in their jobs. 24 minutes
Leading a Cross-functional Team Many organizations have discovered the advantages of using cross-functional teams, such as diversity of skills, perspectives, and experience, to accomplish their goals. While the diversity inherent to these teams can present certain challenges, successfully managing teams is worth the reward. In this course, participants will learn about the benefits of cross-functional teams, including the various development stages of cross-functional teams and the risks at each stage. Also, they will learn about the team leadership skills and abilities a cross-functional team leader should have and best practices for the related teamwork. 32 minutes
Perseverance and Flexibility in Times of Crisis Strong leaders need to demonstrate a careful balance of perseverance and flexibility. They must know when to press on despite obstacles and opposition. And they must also know when to alter course. This Challenge Series exercise explores the various aspects of perseverance and flexibility that leaders need to consider when faced with an apparent setback. 15 minutes
Positive Atmosphere: Establishing a Positive Work Environment A positive workplace is paramount to an organization's long-term success. A manager plays a key role in establishing a positive work culture, and noticing when negativity takes the place of positivity. A leader can foster a positive work environment by communicating honestly, respecting, supporting, and engaging others, and maintaining a good attitude. This course will introduce the participant to best practices for creating a positive work environment. They will learn the benefits of establishing a positive and engaged workforce, its characteristics, and concrete steps to create one. Participants will also explore how to recognize the signs and impacts of negativity, and how to take corrective action if necessary to engage employees. 26 minutes
Succession Planning Succession planning provides an organization with an understanding of critical roles and functions. Here we discuss the strategies that allow a manager to maintain personnel in key areas. 6 minutes
Thinking Strategically as a Manager To resolve many of the threats and challenges that an organization will likely have to face, it’s essential that a manager develop a business strategy that incorporates a clear vision, new ideas, and innovative solutions. This course explores the characteristics of strategic thinking, as well as the traits a manager needs to plan and implement an effective strategy. It also covers how to develop capacity for thinking strategically through creative thinking, being prepared to deal with complexity, and being aware of what's going on inside and outside the organization. 28 minutes