Essential Leader Program (ELP) has been created specifically for employees who want to become better leaders and learn key leadership skills. This program is open to all employees wanting to make the most of their changing job expectations as well as potential career opportunities. You do not have to be in a supervisory position to enroll in the program!
You do not have to be a supervisor to be a leader. Each one of us is a leader at some point by serving on a committee, working on a project, training or mentoring a new employee, or volunteering our skills in community activities.
Participants are required to take 21 certificate eligible courses over a two year period. You may begin the series at any time and take courses in any order.
Designed around seven leadership competencies, the program is demanding and the skills learned are immediately applicable in the workplace. Competencies include Communication, Teamwork, Creative Problem Solving and Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Professionalism, Resolving Conflicts and Leadership. Each competency consists of a total number of ELP units which include required class offerings.
How do I register?
You can register for our program in the myUK portal.
Under the Employee Self-Service tab, follow the myUK Learning link. Once loaded, search for "the essential leader program" and enroll.
You may contact our Training and Development staff with any questions, train@uky.edu.
Communications
Course |
Description |
Communicating Across Cultures |
Becoming more aware of our cultural differences and similarities will help us communicate with each other more effectively. Read more »
When faced with an interaction that we don’t understand, it can make us uncomfortable. We communicate the way we do because we are raised in a particular culture and learn its language, rules and norms. Becoming more aware of our cultural differences and similarities will help us communicate with each other more effectively. By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
· Recognize the six fundamental patterns of cultural difference
· Recognize the importance of nonverbal communication in multicultural interactions
· Apply guidelines for multicultural collaboration
· Identify and apply techniques to communicate through language barriers
· Recognize and use tactics for removing cross-cultural communication barriers
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Communicating With Success |
Learn communication skills to help you drive effective decision making, teamwork and action. Read more »
Your communication skills can help you succeed — or hold you back. In any business role or function, you must be able to convey your ideas in ways that drive effective decision making, teamwork and action. Thankfully, communication is a learned skill that needs to be developed and sharpened on an ongoing basis. By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
· Identify and describe the three modes of communication
· Distinguish and define the common barriers to communication
· Identify and apply techniques for more effective communication
· Use active listening skills to improve communication
· Recognize and apply important concepts of nonverbal communication
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Effective Business Writing |
Using clear, concise, and professional communication is essential to effective business writing. Read more »
Whether you are writing an email to your boss or crafting a proposal for your next big project, using clear, concise, and professional communication is essential to effective business writing. Employers today are looking for professionals who can communicate effectively across multiple channels. By the end of this course, participants will be able to: (1) plan and prepare effective business communications (2) identify and utilize best practices for formatting business communications, (3) create clear and concise business communications, and (4) practice techniques for proofreading business communications.
Watch in myUK Learning
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Personality Differences |
Explore what personality differences mean and how to turn stress and irritations into understanding and productivity. Read more »
As long as you live you will have at least some unwelcome and unproductive friction with others. Scientists have discovered that 75% of the population is significantly different than you. In this workshop, we will explore what the differences mean and how to turn stress and irritations into understanding and productivity.
At the end of the session, the participants will be able to:
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Identify their personal communication/personality style.
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Describe their personal style strengths and weakness.
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Explain backup behaviors and their consequences on others.
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Identify the personal communication styles of others.
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Flex to different communication styles.
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Understand the underlying motivations that can initiate "difficult" behavior.
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Discover ways to deal with challenging behaviors of others.
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Manage the specific problem behaviors of coworkers according to their personalities.
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Presentation Practice |
This workshop provides the opportunity to put into practice what was learned in Presentation Principles. Read more »
This workshop provides the opportunity to put into practice what was learned in Presentation Principles. During this session you will deliver a live, six-seven (6-7) minute presentation to the other workshop participants and instructor.
Presentation Principles is a pre-requisite for Presentation Practice. You have ninety (90) days from the date of Presentation Principles to complete Presentation Practice.
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Presentation Principles |
This workshop is designed for the professional who occasionally, or frequently, makes presentations. Read more »
This workshop is designed for the professional who occasionally, or frequently, makes presentations. By using the techniques discussed in this training, you will find your presentations are smooth and focused, and your professional standing and credibility will be enhanced through the positive visibility you receive as an accomplished presenter.
At the end of this workshop, the participant will be able to:
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Consider presentation issues of requirement, role, audience, setting, and timing
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Plan and draft the presentation, including visual aids
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Conduct rehearsals of the presentation
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Manage stage fright
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Handle questions from the audience
Presentation Principles is a pre-requisite for Presentation Practice. You have ninety (90) days from the date of Presentation Principles to complete Presentation Practice.
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Teamwork
Course |
Description |
Leading Effective Teams |
Learn positive steps you can take to create an empowering climate and influence your team to succeed. Read more »
Great leaders rely on their work groups to create success. But effective teamwork doesn't occur in a vacuum of leadership. Leaders must take positive steps to create an empowering climate and influence the team's direction.
By the end of this workshop, leaders will be able to:
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Recognize the challenges and benefits of a team
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Recognize barriers to team behavior
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Identify the ten C’s of teamwork
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End the cycle of dependency
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Recognize common team behaviors
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Manage poor team behaviors
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Keep the team organized
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Empower teams to take the lead
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Teamwork in a Changing Workplace |
Explore just why working together as a team is so important to the success of the university as well as your personal success. Read more »
Why bother with teamwork? After all, isn't it simpler to just do your job and not worry about what anyone else is doing? During this workshop we will explore just why working together as a team is so important to the success of the University as well as your personal success.
By the end of the session, you will be able to:
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Understand why change happens.
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Understand who is responsible for change.
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Deal with the four phases of change.
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Examine behaviors that are obstacles to change.
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Understand why teams have become so important to American companies.
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Demonstrate your understanding of the four stages of team development.
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Understand how to deal with challenges to your team's communication.
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Understand how to cope with conflicts in your team.
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Choose to take the initiative through supporting the team.
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Take responsibility and take action.
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Creative Problem Solving and Flexibility
Course |
Description |
Facing the Challenge of Change |
Discover your personal change style and better understand resilience and coping strategies for nonstop change. Read more »
We are all confronted with unwanted, stressful change. It is a part of modern life and work. Why do some of us seem to be able to roll with the punches and survive (maybe even thrive) in times of high change? Why do some of us feel stuck and lose our way? The difference may be in resilience. Some of us have learned to cultivate a group of attitudes and skills that help us build on stressful circumstances, not be undermined by them. After this training, you will be able to:
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Evaluate change in a new way
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Identify your personal change style characteristics
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Select methods to cope with the nonstop change in your organization
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Discuss resilience and identify it in yourself and others
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Express transformational coping skills
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From Deciding to Doing |
Learn how to think critically about your goals and how you can prepare, so that any goal is within reach Read more »
How successful are you at achieving your goals? During this training, learn how to think critically about your goals and how you can prepare, so that any goal is within reach. Some goals can be very challenging, but with proper preparation, anything is possible!
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Group Problem Solving |
Explore an in-depth and inclusive approach to problem solving. Read more »
You and your co-workers encounter a wide range of problems at work. During this workshop, we will explore an in-depth and inclusive approach to problem solving.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
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Identify the five components of a resilient and enduring solution/initiative
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Engage everyone in designing a collective future or result
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Develop innovative strategies that can be implemented and spread quickly
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Increase resilience and the ability to absorb disruptions
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Build the capacity to rapidly adapt to changing circumstances
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Thinking Critically |
Learn how creativity connects to critical thinking and how to use both to identify and solve root problems. Read more »
Reasoning is the process of examining data (facts, information, evidence, observations, and experiences) and drawing inferences, judgments, and conclusions from the data. Some people argue that by definition reasoning is always critical. However, the reality is that we confine much of our reasoning to the surface; we quickly identify the problem and then implement a solution that seems to solve it. Too often, we attack the symptom of the problem short-circuiting the reasoning process and any creativity.
By the end of this workshop, you will learn to:
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Understand the basic principles of critical thinking.
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Consider the implications of the problems and proposed solutions.
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Practice applying principles of critical thinking to a problem.
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Examine ways to enhance creativity.
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Understand and learn how to avoid mental bias.
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Recognize obstacles to creativity.
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Practice applying creative thinking to a problem.
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Interpersonal Skills
Course |
Description |
Basics of Diversity |
Learn about all the dimensions in which individuals are different and how to create an environment that encourages appreciation of diversity instead of biases. Read more »
In order to understand diversity, it is important to understand how individuals are different. We must explore the four major layers and all the dimensions we all have in order to identify our biases towards other individuals. In order to build and sustain trust in the workplace, we must move beyond the fear of not knowing what to expect to creating an environment that expects and encourages the greatest contribution from all employees.
This session is designed to help participants to:
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Define diversity.
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Identify personal biases.
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Identify the dimensions of diversity.
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Understand the System of Advantage.
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Examine their own cultural background.
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Develop personal steps to appreciate differences.
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Building a Climate of Trust |
Learn your role as a supervisor or leader in developing a trusting workplace environment and strategies to make it happen. Read more »
This workshop is intended for those who lead others, including managers and supervisors, and deals with creating a trusting workplace environment.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
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Recognize the leader's role in developing a climate of trust.
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Identify their negative assumptions and the impact their assumption have on the behavior of their employees.
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Identify the steps involved in the Cycle of Mistrust.
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Develop strategies to build trust in the workplace.
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Generations in the Workplace |
Learn how each generation defines success and investigate the differences that impact communication and relationships in the work environment. Read more »
Generations in the Workplace is a three-hour workshop that describes the characteristics, values, and motivations of the five generations in the workplace. This workshop will identify how each generation defines success and will investigate the differences that impact communication and relationships in the work environment.
During this workshop we will:
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Define the five generations and their workplace characteristics
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Identify the common drivers and value systems of each generation and how those drivers and values affect motivation and behavior in the workplace
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Illustrate generation-based workplace conflicts
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Describe how each generation defines success and understand how the differences affect communication and relationships in the workplace
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Professionalism
Course |
Description |
Developing a Winning Image |
Learn how to build your personal brand, grow and nurture your network and more. Read more »
Every day at work is a chance to boost your reputation; every project or committee, an opportunity to enhance your skillsets; every business interaction, a continuous and cumulative interview. Your resume should be the list of all of your knowledge, talents, expertise, skillsets, experiences, and values. But if you were a product, your resume would only be the list of ingredients or parts included on the back of the box.
After this seminar, participants will be able to:
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Build your personal brand
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Create a personal statement
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Sharpen your social skills
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Be likeable and have a positive attitude
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Grow and nurture your network
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Find a mentor or coach
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Resolves Conflict
Course |
Description |
Managing Staff Conflict |
Learn how to diagnose conflict issues, identify the three stages of conflict and apply five conflict management strategies. Read more »
Every workplace has conflict. We all see it, and at some point, we all feel its impact. The word conflict often carries a negative connotation, but not all conflict is bad. Most often, the problem arises when conflict is ignored, and people just hope for it to go away on its own. Effective conflict management is an essential skill for every leader. When harnessed productively, conflict can be beneficial for your team. By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
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Diagnose conflict issues using the GRPI model
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Identify the three stages of conflict
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Manage staff conflict effectively
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Identify and apply the five conflict management strategies
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What to Do About Bad Attitude Behaviors |
Learn how you can contribute to reducing bad attitude behaviors in your work area. Read more »
Employees with bad attitudes are in total control of both their perceptions and their actions. Bad attitudes can be changed only when beliefs are changed and will exist as long as the employee wishes. However, you can contribute to reducing bad attitude behaviors in your work area. During this training, you will learn to:
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Identify common causes of bad attitude behaviors
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Address and understand established norms
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Limit negative nonverbal behaviors
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Understand the 5-step strategy to reducing bad attitude behaviors
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Leadership
Course |
Description |
Basics of Leadership |
We'll explore the topic conceptually and practically to become the best leader each of us can be. Read more »
What is a leader? Can you become the leader you envision? During this training session, we will address the issue of becoming the best leader each of us can be. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
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Compare management to leadership
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Describe what it takes to be a good manager
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Identify key leadership traits
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Discover individual leadership style preferences
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Recognize leadership’s responsibility for workplace climate
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Understand the connection between morale and followership
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Create a vision statement that will inspire and guide your group
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Coaching and Feedback |
Uncover talent, strengthen your team, and positively and constructively guide employees. Read more »
A leader’s job is to build people. Everyone is born with unique talents. Sometimes, a person’s talents are clear and just need a little polish. Other times, a person’s talents may be concealed by uncertainty or a lack of self-awareness. Leaders who provide targeted, ongoing coaching to their employees can uncover talent, strengthen their team, and add value to their organization. How can you positively and constructively guide and influence employees?
During this session, participants will learn to:
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Compare and contrast key leadership functions like managing, coaching, training, and mentoring
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Identify best practices for providing feedback
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Identify the purpose and function of coaching
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Apply a seven-question framework for developing a coaching habit
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Identify situation-based coaching practices
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Meeting Focus |
Meetings can get a bad reputation when they're not effective – make your meetings enhance productivity. Read more »
Meetings have a bad reputation – mostly because they are often conducted so poorly! Effective meetings build communication and enhance productivity. In this on-demand web-based training (WBT), you will learn how to accomplish the following:
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Establish your meeting purpose and goals
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Schedule meetings effectively
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Plan a powerful agenda
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Assign roles
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Facilitate effectively
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Evaluate meeting effectiveness
Take this course on-demand, anytime in myUK Learning.
Watch in myUK Learning
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