CERTIFICATESENIOR-LEVEL LEADER
Connecting Leaders, Inspiring Change
PARTICIPANT
2017
Everything you need to know to complete the
Leading Strategic Initiatives leadership
certificate.
HANDBOOK
Courses to support
your leadership
journey 5How to develop your
systems thinking skills Expert tools, tips & resources
COACHING
CONVERSATIONS Get the results you want!
MORE THAN A TITLE
LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM
Are you leading with
Emotional Intelligence?
Page 2 15-Feb-17
CONTENTS 3 WELCOME
4 INTRODUCTION
5 TALENT DEVELOPMENT LEARNING PROGRAMS
8 THE PILOT PROGRAM
9 SENIOR-LEVEL LEADER CERTIFICATE
11 LEADS IN A CARING ENVIRONMENT
13 YOUR PROGRAM
16 LEADS SELF-ASSESSMENT
17 DEVELOPMENT PLAN
18 RECOMMENDED READING
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WELCOME Alberta Health Services is committed to
supporting our leaders with the tools they need to
be successful in effecting change in the best
interest of Albertans. In an effort to contribute to
leading with our organizational values of learning
and performance, welcome to the phase one pilot
of the new internal leadership development
certificate program.
These innovative programs have been developed
specifically for Alberta Health Services leaders
and are aimed at developing targeted leadership
skills. The programs provide an opportunity for
participants to push the boundaries of their skills,
knowledge and experience, and to strengthen
their ability to face the complex challenges
associated with leading in AHS.
The content within these programs aligns
closely with the LEADS in a Caring
Environment leadership capability framework
and our values. Over the course of the
program, you will have the opportunity to
work with your peers, your leader, and
professional facilitators. You are encouraged
to take advantage of this opportunity to think
about new ways to tackle and solve some of
our organizational challenges.
Welcome to the Senior-Level
Leader Certificate program; an
opportunity to effect change in
AHS.
Learning and
leadership are
indispensable to
one another.
-John F. Kennedy
“
”
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Welcome to the Senior-Level Leader Certificate program. This handbook will introduce you to the
Leadership Development Certificate programs,
with a specific focus on the Senior-Level
Leader Certificate program.
It will provide you with information related to the
program components, including the different
courses you will participate in, as well as the
group project and leader-led conversations. You
will also find additional resources related to the
LEADS in a Caring Environment, which forms the
foundation of the Leadership Development
Certificate programs.
Let’s get started.
PREPARE
ENGAGE
APPLY
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The Senior-Level Leader Certificate
program is one of several different
programs offered through the Talent
Development Learning Program
curriculum.
The Talent Development Learning
Programs have been created to build
employee capability, maximize potential
and increase employee engagement and
retention.
The learning is designed to support
employees in their roles and provide a
consistent linkage from the expectations
on the job, to their performance review, to
the AHS goals and objectives.
Courses for employees and leaders
develop AHS talent through a focus on
self-leadership and alignment with AHS
objectives.
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
AHS Orientation: AHS Orientation provides new
employees with information about the organization,
its values, goals, strategic direction and key
initiatives affecting all employees. The orientation
also provides new employees with a structured way
of finding information and resources that will give
them a foundation for success in their new roles.
Employee Development ‘Living Our Values’
Certificate: Targeted to employees, volunteers and
physicians, including courses that may be taken by
leadership. Its focus is to provide solid grounding in the
day-to-day behavior of living the AHS values, with an
emphasis on strengthening skills such as self-awareness,
enhanced communication, working with others as a team,
resiliency, engage self and accountable behaviour.
New Manager Preparation Program: The New
Manager Preparation Program enables the success of
new managers as they begin to engage in the activities
associated with their role. It provides new managers with
access to education, tools and resources as they orient to
and prepare to perform their new role.
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Front-Line Leader Certificate: Targeted to
front-line leaders who have supervisor and
management accountabilities of front-line workers.
Its focus is to provide solid grounding in the day-to-
day behaviour expectations of AHS leaders, with an
emphasis on leadership fundamentals and
discovering one’s leadership potential by
strengthening strategic thinking skills, leadership
ability and managing employees effectively.
Senior-Level Leader Certificate: Targeted
towards leaders who lead other leaders in clinical or
non-clinical areas and hold a position of director or
above. The certificate engages participants in the
exploration of strategy, innovation and systems to
enhance their leadership capabilities across a broad
and diverse organization while building engagement.
Executive Education Program: The Executive
Education Program supports executive director,
senior program, and vice president level leaders by
developing their capacity to respond flexibly and lead
transformational change to successfully meet the
demands placed on Alberta’s healthcare system.
Designed in partnership with the University of Alberta,
the program integrates organizational priorities with
learning.
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THE PILOT PROGRAM
The goal of the pilot program is to
infuse entire portfolios with a culture
and language of leadership, as well
as to help individuals develop their
capabilities within the LEADS in a
Caring Environment framework.
This will be accomplished through a
phased, cascading approach.
As part of Phase 1, you will complete
this certificate program with your
peers in the PLP portfolio. Your
leader will provide direct support to
you over the course of the program,
helping you integrate your learnings
into practice.
Over the next phases of the program,
your direct reports will participate in a
similar certificate program and you
will be expected to support their
development in the same way. This
will not only support their individual
growth, but will also develop the
team as a whole and give you further
opportunity to apply the skills and
knowledge learned in your program.
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SENIOR-LEVEL LEADER CERTIFICATE
The Senior-Level Leader Certificate is
designed for leaders who have broad and
complex accountabilities that include leading
change through others. The purpose of the
certificate is to support leaders in
succeeding in their roles.
As a Senior-level leader, you are:
accountable for several program
areas within a portfolio and lead
diverse groups of leaders.
responsible for developing
strategies for long-term success and
sustainability.
responsible for setting direction,
creating patient/client focus and
ensuring the creation of strategies,
systems and methods of achieving
excellence and innovation.
challenged to create an effective,
well-functioning leadership team
while leading major enterprise-wide
initiatives.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The certificate engages participants in the exploration of strategy, innovation and systems to enhance their leadership capabilities across a broad and diverse organization while building engagement.
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“EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE ON
TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN BUT ALL THE
HAPPINESS AND GROWTH OCCURS
WHILE YOU’RE CLIMBING IT.”
-ANDY ROONEY
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES By the end of this certificate program, you will be
able to:
Describe the LEADS in a Caring
Environment leadership capabilities
framework.
Illustrate how the leader’s emotions or
feelings can affect interactions with others
and design action plans to address
opportunities constructively and decisively.
Practice and Plan for coaching
conversations with others regarding
performance, development and career
plans.
Organize problems into components to
obtain a different perspective and employ
strategies to solve the problem.
Apply tools and techniques to build rapport
and trust with stakeholders and develop a
basis for future interactions.
Apply systems thinking techniques when
considering the implementation of a new
initiative.
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LEADS IN A CARING ENVIRONMENT All of our leadership programs are based on the LEADS in a Caring Environment
leadership framework, which helps individuals define and reach for excellence in
healthcare leadership.
The Certificate Programs are designed to ensure that transferable learning occurs at all
levels of learning offered through the leadership development certificate programs. The
programs are structured upon a healthcare focused leadership framework and our focus is
the development of leaders who are ready to meet the challenge of leading in today’s
complex healthcare environment. The LEADS in a Caring Environment framework
houses five domains: Lead Self, Engage Others, Achieve Results, Develop Coalitions and
Systems Transformation.
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A STRONG FOUNDATION
Alberta Health Services provides leaders
with tools and resources that underpin the
LEADS in a Caring Environment framework
including self-assessment tools and a
behavioural dictionary, both of which are
intended to help leaders recognize the
organizational expectations associated with
their role. Each certificate has been built to
support leaders as they seek to enhance
their leadership capabilities. The
certificates were designed by drawing
together a set of leadership development
courses and targeting particular capabilities
as described in the learning objectives.
A strong familiarity with the LEADS
framework is recommended. If you
would like additional information about
the LEADS framework, please complete
the Introduction to LEADS in a Caring
Environment e-learning module, found on
My Learning Link.
You can also find additional information
about LEADS on Insite. It is also
recommended that you complete the
LEADS Self-Assessment to support your
development of your learning plan for the
program. The LEADS Self-Assessment
is discussed in more detail below and a
Learning Plan template is also provided.
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YOUR PROGRAM COURSES
Each certificate is comprised of five courses,
each one aligned to a domain of the LEADS in
a Caring Environment leadership capability
framework.
Your list of certificate-specific courses is as
follows and provides you with the calendar for
all scheduled courses in the program, including
times and modes. All courses will be run in
Calgary. Specific locations will be
communicated once finalized.
By learning
you will teach;
By teaching
you will learn.
-Latin Proverb
“
”
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GROUP PROJECT
With the support of their leader,
participants will work on a
project as part of the
program. In addition to directly
assisting the organization by
addressing a need or issue, the
project will also support
individual transfer of learning
from the classroom into
practice.
A handbook providing criteria for appropriate
project selection and additional resources will
be provided within the first month of the
program.
Findings and recommendations from the
project will be formally presented at the end
of the program in a Project Report Out
session. The structure and timing of this
session is currently under development.
Once the participant list is finalized, this
approach will be reviewed to ensure it is
feasible. Any changes to the approach will be
communicated prior to program launch.
Participants should estimate committing 15-18
hours of individual time to the project
component over the course of the program
(i.e. approximately 2 hours per month). This
includes both working and meeting time.
Project groups will be formed based on teams (i.e.
those reporting to the same leader will work on a
project together), thereby addressing an issue that will
enhance or advance the current work of their team.
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LEADER-LED CONVERSATIONS
Participants are encouraged to use reflective
practices, such as keeping a leadership journal
throughout the program.
Leader led conversations can assist in moving
reflection to action, and integration into each leaders
practice.
Leader led conversations should begin by creating
goals and parameters for their interactions, and
determine frequency of meeting. It is recommended
these meets occur between scheduled courses over
the duration of the program and that conversations
last approximately 1 hour.
Additional material will be provided to the leaders of
these conversations in order to support their
involvement in this element of the program.
Leader led Conversations are dynamic and
intended to help participants and peers build
their confidence, skill and knowledge, group
efficacy, and achieve the expectations of the
project.
This is an informal, powerful approach in
supporting participants to apply the learnings
from course content, as well as drawing on
existing experiences within the group to
enhance development of self, peers, and the
team.
Conversations occur
between participants,
their team members who
are also participating in
the certificate program,
and their direct
supervisor who hosts or
leads the conversation.
The result is an ongoing,
team-based dialogue to
support individual and
team growth.
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LEADS
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Self-assessment is an important skill to develop for life-long learning, as it allows leaders to evaluate their own performance and determine actions to strengthen their skills and behaviours.
The LEADS in a Caring
Environment capabilities framework
represents the key skills, abilities
and knowledge required to lead at
all levels of an organization. The
LEADS Self-Assessment can help
you reflect on your skills and
behaviours with respect to the
LEADS in a Caring Environment
capabilities framework. This tool
gives you the opportunity to assess
your current level of effectiveness
in each of the competencies
identified in the framework.
The LEADS Self-Assessment is available
to all leaders across AHS and can be an
effective tool on its own. As part of the
Leadership Development Certificate
Programs, the self-assessment is a key
component in helping you develop your
Development Plan, found in this certificate
handbook.
To access the LEADS Self-Assessment,
please complete the e-learning module, ‘A
Leader’s Guide to LEADS Self-
Assessment.’ You may register and
complete this program on My Learning
Link.
Access to MyLearningLink through Insite:
Home>Our Teams>Departments>Human
Resources>Learning>MyLearningLink
Direct access (from home):
http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/pag
e12657.aspx
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Name: Date:
Step 1 – Objectives
Overview:
Objectives: -
-
-
Step 2 – Assessment of Current Position
Overview:
Strengths: -
-
-
Development Areas: -
-
-
Step 3 – Options to Achieve Objectives Priority
Step 4 – Action Plan
Action Measure Support Required Completion Date
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Page 18 15-Feb-17
Leads Self
Bovverie, Patricia E. and Michael Kroth. Transforming Work: The Five Keys to Achieving Trust, Commitment and Passion in the Workplace. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing. 2001.
Badaracco, Joseph L. Jr. Defining Moments – When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 1997.
Badaracco, Joseph L. Jr. The Discipline of Building Character. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 2002. George, Bill (William W.). True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco. 2007.
Engages Others Adler, Ronald B. and Jean Marquardt Elmhorst. Communicating at Work: Principles and Practices for Business and Porfessionals. New York. McGraw-Hill Text. 2002.
Baldoni, John. Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders. New York. McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2003. Marquardt, Michael. Leading with Questions. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass. 2005.
Lencioni, Patrick M. Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide San Francisco. Jossey-Bass, Inc. 2005.
Harvard Business School Press. Harvard Business Review on teams that Succeed. Boston. Harvard Business School Press. 2004.
Achieves Results
Block, Peter. The Answer is Yes: Acting on What Matters. San Francisco. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. 2001. Welch, David A. Decisions, Decisions: The Art of Effective Decision Making. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. 2001. Drucker, Peter Ferdinand. Management Challenges for the 21st Century. New York. Harper Business. 2001.
Develops Coalitions Baker, Wayne E. Networking Smart. New York: Backinprint.com. 2000
Hargrove, Robert. Mastering the Art of Creative Collaboration. New York. McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1999.
Patterson, Kerry and Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzer. Influencer: The Power to Change Anything. New York. Vital Smarts Inc. McGraw-Hill. 2008.
Systems Transformation
Anderson, Dean and Linda S. Ackerman Anderson. Beyond Change Management: Advanced Strategies for Today’s Transformational Leaders. San Francisco. Josse Bass, Inc. 2001.
Kotter, John P. and Dan S. Cohen. The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
Black, J. Stewart and Hal B. Gregersen. Leading Strategic Change: Breaking Through the Brain Barrier. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. 2002
RECOMMENDED READING
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NOTES: