Leadership for the Quad Cities

Developing Your Leadership Potential -  In this session, participants will consider their current understanding of leadership, reflect on their best leadership experiences, and engage in self-evaluation using a well-researched leadership framework, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. We will learn about the power of modeling, how to build shared vision, and ways to equip people to chase after the vision. Since leading is about change, we will explore ways to challenge the status quo and encourage others to do the challenging and exciting work of creating positive change. Course includes a 360 degree peer evaluation feedback analysis.

Strategic Management - During this session, leaders will learn to formulate and implement business strategy in all levels of their organization. Participants will learn to build on fundamental concepts of program management and visionary leadership to propel their organization to the next level with proactive planning and thought leadership.

Analyzing Organizational Culture - Leaders will gain an understanding of organization culture and the ability to identify the defining charateristics within their current organization. Participants will be able to recognize the role of organizational culture on employee engagement, work quality, and productivity. Utilizing this knowledge, leaders will increase their ability to communicate with, understand and motivate individuals and groups.

Implementing Organizational Change - Organizations operate in an ever-changing environment. In order to remain competitive in today's marketplace, organizational leaders need to recognize the need for change as well as guide and shape their organizations through the change process. This session will examine the change process and strategies for successfully navigating organizational change to ensure buy-in from and develop adaptability in employees.

Effective Communication - Strong communication skills are crucial to effective leadership. During this session, participants will learn how to effectively utilize various mediums of communication. Session will discuss elements such as verbal and written communication, non-verbal signals, active listening, leading difficult conversations, and utilizing emotional intelligence to maximize leadership impact. 

Creating and Managing High Performing Teams - Teamwork and collaboration are the new norm. Studies show that problem solving, innovation, and profitability improve when people work in teams. However, our personal experiences show that our team experiences are somewhat inconsistent. How do we get the most out of our teams while having a more enjoyable experience? This session will engage in a hands-on experience while offering the latest insights into leading effective collaboration within teams.

Improving Decision Making with People Analytics - Decision making in modern business requires leaders to analyze critical data, come to informed conclusions, and share their results. This session will enable leaders to assess an organizations' internal environment for strengths and weaknesses, formulate strategic questions, and determine appropriate data sources including financial, consumer (marketing), and employment data to gather information. In addition, leaders will learn to utilize statistical models to answer their strategic questions, interpret their analyses, and utilize their results to answer business and strategic human capital questions to inform business decision-making, strategic planning, and financial performance.

Managing a Remote Workforce - According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost a quarter of the U.S. workforce worked from home at least part of the time in 2019. Since the pandemic began in the spring of 2020, that number has grown exponentially. Managers need to be equipped to handle the myriad challenges that remote employees face which include a lack of face-to-face supervision, lack of access to information and resources, social isolation and distractions at home. During this session, leaders will learn to provide structured support to their employees through proactive communication and expectation setting.

Creating Engagement in the Workplace - Employee engagement can lead to substantial organizational benefits, yet statistics suggest a majority of employees are still unengaged at work. In this course, leaders will be introduced to theoretical and practical perspectives on employee engagement. Challenges to employee engagement will be explored and tools and strategies to build employee engagement in the workplace will be articulated.

Dr. Dan Ebener - Professor, St. Ambrose University

Dr. Dan Ebener has been practicing leadership and developing leaders in churches, businesses, and nonprofits since 1975. He teaches leadership theory, strategic planning, leading change, dialogical skills, conflict resolution, team-building and servant leadership, especially for the Master in Organizational Leadership program. Dr. Ebener also provides leadership training for churches, nonprofits, and businesses and has conducted strategic planning for over 160 organizations. Dr. Ebener has traveled to 67 countries and teaches leadership each summer in Croatia and every other summer in Germany. He is the author of two books on servant leadership, co-author of a book on strategic planning, and author of a fourth book on parish leadership.

Dr. David O'Connell - Professor, St. Ambrose University

Dr. Dave O'Connell serves as a consultant and trainer in the areas of strategic planning, employee job satisfaction, and supervisor development. His research includes contingent employment success factors, team development, leadership, adaptability and case pedagogy. Dr. O'Connell is published in the Journal of Management Education, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Leadership and Organizational Development Journal, Organization Management Journal and The CASE Journal. Dr. O'Connell is actively involved in the Midwest Academy of Management, serving as chair of two tracks: Case Research and HR & Careers.

Dr. Jennifer Palar - Assistant Professor, St. Ambrose University

Dr. Jennifer Palar consults in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, with a primary focus on strategic planning, workforce development, HR auditing, and labor relations. Dr. Palar has over fifteen years of industry experience in Human Resources and holds multiple designations including Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SCP) from the Society for Human Resource Management.

Dr. Marianne Fenn - Associate Professor, St. Ambrose University

Dr. Marianne Fenn teaches general education courses in communication and special courses in social media. Dr. Fenn's research interests involve understanding how people articulate and communicate identities across cultures via social media. Specifically, she investigates how people negotiate personal, social, and work identities across cultures. Dr. Fenn is a member of the National Communication Association, the Western States Communication Association, and the Popular/American Cultural Society.

Michelle Luebke - Principal HR Consultant, Highlight HR Consulting

Michelle Luebke is the founder of Highlight HR Consulting. She has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of HR, including HR process design and implementation, coaching at all levels of management, global HR management, and compliance. Prior to the consulting business, Michelle worked in a variety of HR roles at John Deere, most recently as the HR Operations Lead for the U.S. Agriculture and Turf Division. She is known for being a compassionate, collaborative, results-oriented leader with strong communication skills. Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and French from the University of Iowa and a Master of Science in Business Management, Leadership and Strategy from Michigan State. She is a certified coach from the NeuroLeadership Institute and achieved "elite coach" and mastery coach status at John Deere. Michelle earned the Certified Compensation Professional from World at Work and is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Great River Human Resource Association (GRHRA).

Dr. Monica Forret - Professor, St. Ambrose University

Dr. Monica Forret teaches MBA and DBA courses on Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, Research Methods, Leadership, Careers, Training and Development, and Organizational Culture. Prior to her academic career, she was a CPA and worked in Minneapolis as an auditor for Deloitte & Touche. Dr. Forret has taught at Long Island University, Franklin College in Switzerland, the University of Cologne, and has been an invited speaker at multiple colleges and universities in India.

Tony Morales - Adjunct Professor, St. Ambrose University

Tony Morales is a Business Development Executive with a passion for sharing professional and personal learnings and has a proven ability to define successful business strategies while motivating teams and individuals to learn in business and academic environments. Tony culminated his Alcoa (now Arconic) career as Global Marketing Director of Aerospace & Defense where he was responsible for strategy and profitability of a $1 billion enterprise. Known as a results-oriented and assertive manager delivering profitable business solutions, Tony applies decades of experience in global marketing, negotiation, strategy creation and implementation, new product development, program leadership, and sales. Since 2015, he has taught four different courses for the St. Ambrose University College of Business and created two courses in the Sales curriculum. Tony earned a BS in Materials Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, holds six U.S. patents, and holds wine educator certifications from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (London UK) and Society of Wine Educators (Washington, DC). He is also founder of Earned Growth LLC, a business consulting firm.

Fall 2022 LFQC Cohort Dates: September 7, 21; October 5, 19; November 2, 16.

Format: In-person, 9am-4pm on Wednesdays. Each day is broken into a morning and afternoon session, focusing on a unique topic with a subject matter expert (see curriculum and instructor information). Come early to share a light breakfast and networking, enjoy a catered lunch and downtime from 12-1pm, join your cohort for networking after hours, if desired. 

Location: St. Ambrose University Professional Development Center, 1950 E. 54th Street, Davenport, IA 52807*

Cost: Early Bird Discount $2,050; Regular Price $2,250 (begins one month before course start date). Payment plans and group discounts available upon request.

Register Now or email pd@sau.edu to learn more. 

*In person courses follow St. Ambrose University COVID-19 visitor protocols.