Management Accelerator 3: Managing Strategy

Our Management Accelerators cover a comprehensive set of skills, divided into three management areas: individuals, teams, and strategy. Together, these three Accelerators will equip nonprofit managers to succeed in a demanding environment and deliver value for the organization quickly.

The Managing Strategy Accelerator will elevate managers’ strategic and adaptive skills to ensure mission impact through executional excellence and better partnership with senior staff.

Please note that this Accelerator takes place over five sessions between June 6 and July 11, with a break for the week of July 4.

Note: Management Accelerators are not covered by the NU Subscription plan.

What’s included

Strategic Thinking & Linking

June 6, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

The shift toward a strategic mindset is essential for managers who must help their organizations succeed in an environment of continual change. In today’s dynamic nonprofit environment, managers need to listen as well as tell; watch as well as show; and they must expect employees at all levels to be producers (and not just users) of information, new ideas, and solutions. That means managers need to both understand top-line strategy and participate in developing new strategies for increasing organizational effectiveness, reducing costs, improving service levels, and making a positive contribution to impact. In this workshop, managers will learn to make decisions and take actions in consideration of  short- and long-term challenges; systems and people; and innovation and imitation.

What you will do in this workshop:

• Learn what strategic thinking and linking means, and why it is critical for success
• Explore the Strategic Frame of Reference (SFR) framework
• Practice applying the SFR framework to derive specific, quantifiable measures and time frames
• Use the SFR framework to strategically envision and position your work for the future

Performance Management

June 13, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

The fundamental ideas of performance management are simple: Get great people and develop them; create a supportive work environment; focus employees on the right targets; and free those employees to create their own best methods for achieving. Executing these principles, however, is often more difficult; even the most successful nonprofits can experience breakdowns in effective implementation by managers and leaders. This workshop will help managers learn effective performance management strategies for each step, from assessing and aligning talent to creating a supportive work environment and freeing teams to develop their own workflow.

What you will do in this workshop:

• Learn frameworks that help managers align and promote employees into roles that fit their talents
• Learn and practice techniques that build trust and security in direct reports
• Learn and practice processes that support teams in developing their own workflows and owning outcomes cooperatively
• Assess and discuss the lost potential of least-common-denominator management approaches

Meetings Mastery

June 20, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Optimizing meetings is critical for managers who need to protect and take back time. This workshop provides the skills and confidence managers need to become outstanding meeting leaders. Learn how to engineer optimized meetings that are useful, productive, and energizing – even when you are not in charge.

What you will do in this workshop:

• Learn the responsibilities of being a meeting owner
• Learn a framework for productive meetings, covering structure choice, agenda sequence, and timeboxing
• Learn and practice the “4P” meeting model to focus a group from the outset
• Learn and practice with effective tools for keeping meetings on track
• Gain a powerful meeting closure strategy that generates ownership and action
• Learn tools and tactics for engaging participants
• Practice techniques for intervening when something goes wrong

Leading Change

June 27, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

When managers understand the science behind change, they can equip their teams to be more adaptive, resilient, and agile. In this workshop, you will learn everything you need to know to lead change. We’ll explore change curves, what happens neurologically when we experience unexpected shifts, track different coping styles and how to respond to each, and practice easy techniques for reducing resistance and increasing commitment and action – both in yourself and others. You’ll also practice devising solutions and crafting communication using a change template that will make you a more effective and inspiring leader.

What you will do in this workshop:

• Discuss the science behind change curves and coping styles
• Learn about the stages of change (freeze, unfreeze, refreeze) and collect tools to help stakeholders adapt faster to change within each stage
• Practice communicating change initiatives to reduce resistance and increase commitment
• Learn to set up change initiatives so that they are more likely to succeed
• Discuss how to turn what you learned in this workshop into action

People Development

July 11, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm (no class week of July 4)

Do you know how to bring out the best in your direct reports? This workshop will help you structure the types of conversations your direct reports crave. You’ll walk away with tools for coaching your reports, finding opportunities for growth, and creating a skill development plan that pulls your entire team toward higher levels of impact. You will also learn how to handle common issues (like gaps between skills and perceived ability) and how to develop a succession and growth plan for your team, leading to continual strategic development.

What you will do in this workshop:

• Learn how employee engagement and retention is linked to how supported they feel in their growth and development
• Discuss common challenges managers face when it comes to developing their reports, including how to handle skill gaps
• Practice each component of a career coaching conversation, including helping direct reports think through growth opportunities using a 3Es model (experience, education, and exposure)
• Practice moving people toward taking action, overcoming obstacles, stretching, and “naming the win”
• Learn how to think strategically about team-wide development, including succession planning and the future skills needed to hit ideal targets
• Practice turning any conversation into a development opportunity by understanding “adaptive development,” a way of helping people develop skills quickly in uncertain times or shifting roles
• Discuss how to put what you learn in this workshop into action in the week ahead

Learn more about our Management Accelerators here.

Questions? Reach out to us anytime.