Your leadership philosophy encompasses your core values and beliefs that frame how you make decisions. Although you may not see yourself as a leader in your early career, building your leadership philosophy from the start of your professional life can help set you up to make intentional choices about your career trajectory. In this session, you’ll examine your personal leadership style, along with your values and goals, to come up with what you want from your journey as a leader and a professional. We recommend coming to this session having taken a personal assessment to better understand your leadership style. One option to take ahead of time is Academic Impressions’ Five Paths to Leadership® self-assessment. You could also attend an upcoming results debrief session to deepen your self-awareness. This event is part of Developing Leadership Skills in Your Early Career to help you build leadership skills as an early leader. Learn more about the series, how it works, when the other sessions will occur, and who it was designed for.
Young alumni constitute one of your most influential and important alumni groups. If your shop can engage them while they are still students, and further inspire a habit of giving soon after they graduate, the likelihood that they will become committed alumni volunteers and major or lifelong donors increases significantly. As such, it’s crucial to have a robust and meaningful young alumni program, since it can often translate to greater long-term financial health for your institution. Join us online to learn how to intentionally engage young alumni from the time they are students through 10 years post-graduation. This virtual conference is a must if your institution wants to establish strong, lifelong relationships with its newest alumni, in which our expert speakers bring a track record of young alumni engagement and inspiration. Take part in this two-day event to gain useful, practical content that will teach you how to:
Influencing your Provost and other senior leaders is a key function of your role as academic dean. It’s your responsibility to provide input and perspective on decisions that will shape your unit—as well as the entire institution. As leadership transitions become more commonplace in higher education, it becomes more difficult to know how to effectively influence “up.” Not only are you learning how to navigate newfound relationships, you’re also responding to emerging strategic plans and changing unit-level priorities. Some days, it may feel like everything is a moving target. In this environment, where everyone is experiencing a higher level of stress, and where attention is split in so many different directions, it can feel difficult to know how to develop trust and credibility with your senior leaders. Join us online and learn how you can better engage with, support, and influence senior leaders such as your Provost. Using the Five Paths to Leadership® as our framework, you’ll learn how to: This workshop will give you an opportunity to reflect on an existing relationship you have with a senior leader, and we’ll then share tips and strategies you can apply to that relationship to nurture trust. We’ve also designed this training […]
Visionary leadership in higher education is essential for driving innovation, creating inclusive culture, and advancing the institutional mission. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why we often focus on the urgent and immediate rather than the big picture—like entrenched traditions, complex governance structures, budget constraints, short-term pressures, resistance to change, external influences, and the need to balance diverse stakeholder interests. Join us for an interactive discussion with President Shari McMahan of Eastern Washington University to hear how she has developed a visionary approach to leadership along with the lessons she’s learned in the process. This one-hour discussion offers a space to engage in open dialogue, ask questions, and learn from one another in a supportive and inclusive environment. Explore how you can cultivate visionary leadership in higher education, navigate challenges, and leverage your unique strengths to drive positive change and innovation within your institution. President McMahan will share strategies and personal lessons learned for how to: Ultimately, you’ll walk away with a renewed commitment to yourself, your values, and the importance of leading consistently.
Agenda topics are subject to change based on ongoing collaboration between IUI and Academic Impressions. Please revisit this page for updated pre-work and other information in advance of each session. November 1, 2024 (3:30pm – 5:00pm ET) | Five Paths to Leadership℠ December 6, 2024 (3:30pm – 5:00pm ET) | The Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership Leadership requires the constant evaluation of a series of trade-offs. For instance, you may ask yourself questions like, “Do I lead as a faculty member or as a department head?” “Do I focus on the immediate or the long-term?” “Am I a colleague or a supervisor?” This session introduces the “balancing act” or “seesaw” as a framing device that will help you to navigate these inherent trade-offs by orienting your leadership choices and helping you to customize your choices to the situation, opportunity, and problem at hand. Pre-WorkBefore the session: Resources to Bring with You to the Session Make sure you have: After the session: The three Seesaw videos shown during the session can be re-visited as needed in the Table of Contents section above. Recommended Trainings: January 10, 2025 (3:30pm – 5:00pm ET) | Leadership Responsibilities You serve in a critical and visible […]
As a trusted member of your campus community, there may come a time when a student or colleague turns to you, sharing their experience of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking. In those crucial moments, it’s essential to be prepared to respond thoughtfully and sensitively, avoiding any actions or words that might inadvertently cause further harm. This video course is tailored for faculty and staff who do not have a mandatory obligation to report incidents of sexual harassment to their designated Title IX Coordinator but wish to support those who come forward. You will learn at least seven effective conversational strategies that will empower you to engage in informed and empathetic discussions, while also understanding the potential risks of miscommunication. Through real-life scenarios and practical exercises, this course equips you with the skills needed to navigate these sensitive conversations with confidence and compassion, ensuring that you’re ready to provide meaningful support when it matters most.
Agenda topics are subject to change based on ongoing collaboration between IUI and Academic Impressions. Please revisit this page for updated pre-work and other information in advance of each session. October 8 and 9, 2024 | In-person Workshop The materials for this session can be found by clicking the “View Workshop Materials” button on the right. They include the agenda, slide decks, and outputs from the activities: Five Paths Meetings and the Appreciative Interview. November 19, 2024 (1:00pm – 2:30pm ET) | Report-out from October session During our previous workshop, you established a leadership commitment for yourself. In our upcoming session, you’ll do the following: No specific preparation is needed, nor do you need to bring anything specific to the training. Just come prepared to engage in conversation with your colleagues. Recommended Training: Leaders as Coaches: Improving Employee and Team Performance In this three-part webcast series, you’ll learn a variety of essential coaching techniques, all of which will help you motivate and build trust with your team members. Skills include the following: December 17, 2024 (1:00pm – 2:30pm ET) | Five Paths to Leadership℠ Continued Learning To prepare for this session: You’ve been introduced to the Five Paths to Leadership℠ […]
October 17-18, 2024 If you missed the in-person workshop or if you would just like to review, please watch this course: Understanding Your Five Paths to Leadership℠ Assessment Results – Academic Impressions November 19, 2024 | Debriefing Your CommitmentsThis session is designed as a follow-up to the October workshop and it will help the group continue to build momentum and community together. We’re confident this session will allow you to continue to: • Learn from each other, thus strengthening the community and support they receive from each other.• Build their coaching skills through practice. January 9, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Interpersonal Trust February 11, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM | The Secret to Great Feedback March 11, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Time Management and Delegation April 15, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Preparing Your Leadership Philosophy Statement + Perfectionism May 19, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM | Full Day Workshop
Team, committee, and group-based work abounds in higher education. But many struggle to collaborate effectively in these settings because not everyone comes to the table with the same understanding, expectation, and collaboration style. While teams are often designed to bring together different voices and perspectives, most leaders default to a singular approach to teamwork that works well for some, but that also causes frustration, withdrawal, or conflict for others. In this event, we’ll use the Five Paths to Leadership® as a framework to introduce the four different collaboration styles that are at play within any given team. We’ll walk you through a detailed explanation of each path and provide tactics that leaders and team members alike can use to approach collaboration and group-based work more effectively. You will leave with a more nuanced understanding of the collaboration types that yield the best results based on the outcomes you are trying to achieve, rather than defaulting to one style based on comfort or personal preference.
We’re thrilled to announce that Academic Impressions is beginning a new partnership with Verticomm, a managed hosting service provider. This collaboration is set to enhance our IT support capabilities, particularly in desktop support and troubleshooting. Verticomm brings a wealth of experience and resources that will allow us to streamline our IT operations and provide more efficient solutions to our needs. Whether it’s resolving technical issues or offering proactive support, their team is here to help us ensure smooth and effective use of our technology. In this course, you’ll meet Verticomm and learn how to engage their team for support.
