EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
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Competing Through People: Leading for Enhanced Performance
Competing Through People: Leading for Enhanced Performance, formerly known as The SMU First-Line Management Program, is a 9-week certificate program that provides concepts and tools to master the people side of management. It is ideal for new managers and supervisors as well as those making the move into management - providing a solid base in management techniques. The program is also excellent for more experienced managers who may not have received formal training or education in managing others. This course focuses on knowing your own management style, managing your subordinates, and managing your peer and boss relationships.
Scope and Purpose
Most people enter management with a wealth of training and experience in specific technical areas, but with little or no skills in managing people. This program, Competing Through People: Leading for Enhanced Performance, is a ten-session series, held over nine weeks. It provides managers with a solid foundation in essential management competencies. Using small group activities, assessment tools, and skill building exercises, you'll actively convert concepts into people skills.
Who Should Attend
Technical managers, entrepreneurs, and experienced managers who have taken on additional people responsibilities or have not had formal training in people management.
Program Time and Place
The program begins with a comprehensive, mandatory full-day session. Thereafter, the Dallas session meets on Wednesday evenings from 6-9pm at the Cox School of Business on the SMU campus. The Plano session meets on Tuesday evenings from 6-9pm at SMU-in-Legacy.
SMU Certificate
Certificates of Completion are awarded to participants who attend the introductory full-day session and at least six of the eight evening sessions. The program is also approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Program Content
Motivating Others
Competent managers know what motivates each employee and use that knowledge to benefit both the individual and the organization. In this session, managers learn how to set expectations and create an environment that leads to greater productivity and employee satisfaction.
Leadership Versatility
This session provides you with the skills to maximize your performance and the performance of your subordinates and team. You will assess your leadership style flexibility in specific work-related situations and determine the level of effectiveness. You will explore and differentiate characteristics and expectations of effective leadership, management, and followership. You will leave with a precise understanding of your strengths and identify areas of development needed to enhance your career.
Selecting the Right People
Managers succeed through the efforts of others, and selecting the right people is crucial. This session focuses on how to prepare strategically for the interview and how to use behavioral questioning techniques that get the interviewee to give you the answers to help you better predict future behaviors on the job.
Team Building
Learn the skills necessary to successfully lead your team. Explore the value that common goals and role definition add to successful team performance. You will also learn to recognize the pitfalls that can lead to dysfunction in teams.
Leveraging Individual Differences
You have a firm grasp on the technical aspects of your job -- it's peer and employee behaviors that present the biggest challenge. This session focuses on helping you get a better understanding of how differing styles, experiences, cultures, and motivational needs affect performance.
Managing for Performance
You were promoted for being an outstanding individual performer. Now your responsibilities have expanded, and you're evaluated on the performance of others. In this session, you'll explore various strategies to evaluate and develop employees, including skills in coaching, counseling, and additional ways to deal with non-performers.
Resolving Conflict
Conflict is a natural part of any work environment, whether you're working one-on-one or as a team member. You'll examine the many sources, causes, and types of conflict often found in the workplace. You'll also learn how to use conflict resolution techniques to gain positive outcomes in many difficult situations.
Communicating for Results
This session will enhance your listening and presenting skills. Identify barriers that prevent you from listening effectively and polish small-group presentation and communication skills by focusing on how to influence and persuade. Finally, learn how to manage meetings to make them an effective and productive use of time for all involved.
Managing Through Influence: Successful Peer/Boss Relationships
Real leadership means exercising influence well beyond your formal authority. We often have responsibility for projects and outcomes without having the formal authority we might need. This session focuses on leveraging influence to create more productive and even more enjoyable relationships with your boss, peers, and employees. Participants will learn strategies to help communicate their ideas and needs to others in productive and convincing ways while ensuring the needs of the organization and others are also met.
Implementing Change: Don't Forget the People
Most change efforts look good on paper. The problem is that change initiatives happen in the real world and affect real people. Change efforts fail because managers fail to create a sense of urgency, fail to get buy-in, and tend to focus on only organizational benefits. In this session, you will learn the skills necessary to be a successful change agent.
How You'll Benefit
The goal of this program is to provide a base of essential management skills and techniques from which you can effectively draw. In a unique, highly participatory environment, you will:
- Become a more effective leader and manager
- Learn how to empower yourself and your employees
- Develop and maintain performance standards that others are willing to follow
- Increase your ability to inititate and work with change
- Enchance your interpersonal skills to better utilitze the abilities of others
- Evaluate and measure your own personal growth
- Develop a foundation in essential management skills upon which you can continue to build your career
- Transfer new techniques and sills directly to the job through your individual project
Program Faculty
Tom Perkowski, Academic Director for Competing Through People: Leading for Enhanced Performance and Director of the Executive MBA Program at the Cox School of Business at SMU
Tom Perkowski is a Lecturer in the Management and Organizations department at the Cox School of Business at SMU where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. He is a primary instructor at the Edwin L. Cox Business Leadership Center and also teaches Executive Education programs. Prior to coming to SMU, he spent 16 years with Pearle Vision, Inc., and founded the Pearle Eyecare University where he served as its first Dean. He was a Divisional Vice President for Pearle from 1989 until 1991. He owned and operated a Pearle Vision franchise for three years in Plano, Texas. He received a BA from The Pennsylvania State University and an MA in Organizational Management from Dallas Baptist University.
Jennifer Brown Elbert, Corporate Trainer and Management Development Specialist
Jennifer Brown Elbert is an experienced manager, facilitator, and trainer with over 17 years of management development experience. She specializes in interpersonal communication, management development, customer service, and presentation skills. For 11 years, she worked in sales, marketing, customer service, operations, and training for Texas International and Continental Airlines. Her career has also included leadership roles with corporations undergoing mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, and rapid growth. She has designed and implemented hundreds of training programs for top executives as well as front-line managers for clients such as ARCO, BankOne, The Dallas Morning News, Exxon, Harris Methodist Health Plan, IBM, Lennox Industries, Neiman Marcus, Octel Network Services, SABRE Computer Services, and Texas Instruments. She holds a BS in Education with special studies in labor relations from the University of North Texas.
Jerry E. Magar, Director of Organizational Effectiveness at SMU
Jerry E. Magar has over 13 years of experience in individual and organizational consulting. In addition to his work with SMU, he is a founding partner of People Systems Consulting Group and works with clients such as MCI Telecommunications, Shell Oil, Chase Bank, Dell Computer, and Southwest Airlines. His areas of expertise include leadership development, strategic planning, interpersonal communications, and change management. Currently he is an adjunct faculty member of the Cox School of Business at SMU where he teaches organizational development and change. He holds Certifications and Master Certification for over 25 programs and assessment instruments. He has experience in marketing, public relations, and business development. His educational background is in communication and organizational development. He holds a BA in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University.
Jovie Masters, Corporate Trainer and Management Consultant
Jovie Masters is a manager, facilitator, and trainer with 20 years of experience in the corporate community, primarily with Southwestern Bell Telephone, and, recently, as an independent consultant. Her areas of expertise include train-the-trainer, presentation skills, management development, conflict management, interpersonal and business communication, customer service, and team building. She has taught executives at all levels for clients such as Abbott Laboratories, The Dallas Morning News, Fidelity Investments, IBM, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Motorola, Octel Network Services, SABRE Computer Services, Sandia National Labs, Southwestern Bell Telephone, and Texas Instruments. She received a BS degree in Speech Pathology from The University of Texas at Austin.
Jim Roach, Director of Workforce Performance for Verizon Communications
Jim Roach is Director of Workforce Performance for Verizon Communications in Irving, Texas. He has developed and implemented leadership development and work environment strategies that have helped improve business results at Verizon. He directs the design, development, and implementation of Verizon's workforce performance strategies inlcuding organizational effectiveness, work environment and employee engagement, leadership development, performance management, and organization culture initiatives. Mr. Roach has been a featured speaker at several human resource conferences. He holds a BA and an MS in Economics from teh University of Illinois.
Paula K. Strasser, Director of the Cox Business Leadership Center at SMU
Paula K. Strasser is an Adjunct Professor in the Management and Organizations department and a leadership consultant to various organizations. She was Director of International Training and Development and Director of Communications for Pearle, Inc. and served as the Director of Pearle Eye Care University. Prior to Pearle, her experience includes Director of Training and Assistant Vice President for two major bank holding companies, Educational Therapist for a psychological academic center, and Personnel Manager at the University of Kansas. She received a Master's degree in Educational Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources Management and Psychology from the University of Kansas.
