Professional Development Programs

Introduction to Leadership Embodiment 8:30 am – 4:00 pm (2days, in-person)

Much of the effect we have on others is communicated non-verbally by our physical presence. How we show up and the physical postures we hold are the key to lowering emotional reactivity, while increasing our power, resilience, and flexibility. Leadership Embodiment introduces participants to straightforward practices to effectively enhance our embodied leadership.

This 2-day, in-person course equips participants with tools that enable them to: 

• Project a powerful, open, and expansive leadership presence. 
• Create an inclusive atmosphere for collaboration and teamwork especially in challenging situations. 
• Receive feedback and listen from a place of open curiosity without taking the feedback personally, and 
• Stand their ground and speak their truth in the face of pressure and resistance.

Leadership Embodiment practices are based on principles from the Japanese non-aggressive martial art of Aikido, mindfulness practices, and posture awareness. They are designed to enable us to navigate the impact of stress and intensity more skillfully with curiosity and compassion. 

Through simple physical exercises that apply light pressure, you will learn to recognize the patterns that arise when you are in stressful situations. Once familiar with your unique pattern, we apply centering practices to help you shift to a more creative, inclusive, compassionate, and skillful state. Working with a partner the learning exercises are examined step by step to create a lasting imprint in the body. Partner debriefs and group discussions create a dynamic, experiential, and supportive learning container. 

“As leaders, we need tools to manage our energy and focus our attention. These are some of the best tools I’ve ever encountered.” – Senior Executive 

Facilitated by Graham Hall, Senior Project Manager with Cornell University’s Project Management Office (PMO) in Cornell Information Technologies (CIT). He is deeply committed to personal and team development.

Delegating for Development and Effectiveness  9:00 – 10:00 am

Delegating responsibility is a powerful statement to employees about how much they are trusted and how competent and valued they are considered to be to the organization.

• Understand the importance of delegation and its impact.
• Learn what you can do to support high performing individuals and teams.
• Understand the impact of development opportunities.
• Consider what gets in your way of delegating and what you might do to overcome it for you own health and wellbeing and to create opportunities for others.

Facilitated by AVP Kathryn Burkgren, Organizational Development & Effectiveness

Key Expectations of Supervisors at Cornell 9:00 – 11:00 am

This session is designed to introduce supervisor expectations and how it aligns to the mission of the university. After receiving this training, the participants will be able to:

• Describe the expectations for supervisors at Cornell.
• Understand how the expectations align to Leadership Skills for Success and University Values.
• Identify leadership behaviors that positively affect employees’ attitudes, performance and well-being.
• Discuss the impact of recognition and motivation for employees.
• Set, communicate and monitor expectations for employees.

Facilitated by AVP Kathryn Burkgren, Organizational Development & Effectiveness

Supervisor Development Program – This is a 7-module curriculum, and it is recommended (but not required) you take these courses in sequence. Courses are 1.5-3 hours each in addition to Supervising@Cornell pre-requisites. Courses can be taken within the certificate program or as stand alone. First course in the series, Key Expectations of Supervisors, begins on February 11. For more information and a complete list of courses in the program, visit the website here.

Supervising at Cornell Pre-requisite courses:

• SUPERHR500 Welcome to Supervising@Cornell
• SUPERHR9001 Understanding the Academic Mission
• SUPERHR6000 Inspire and Articulate a Shared Mission and Vision

Journeying with Generations 2-part series 9:00 – 10:30 am each day

The workforce today includes representation from as many as 5 generations. Have you ever spent time thinking about how this impacts your workplace culture? Your day-to-day activities? Have you ever wondered about how to better understand the perspective of someone from outside of your own generation and how you might communicate more effectively with this person? Please join us for a forum to discuss the ways in which we can improve our understanding of and communication with colleagues in a multi-generational workforce. You will also have the opportunity to learn about additional resources available to you here at Cornell to support you in this endeavor.

By the end of this session, we hope that participants will:

• Feel comfortable having conversations within their own units about their generations and their perspectives through their generational lens.
• Become more comfortable engaging with colleagues of other generations while exploring how to tap into the cumulative experience of all.
• Explore how the intersectionality of generational cohorts, life experiences, and identities come together and create unique dynamics.
• Challenge assumptions and apply strategies for making the workplace more welcoming and inclusive for all generations.

Facilitated by Ari Mack, Senior Management Consultant, Organizational Development & Effectiveness (ODE)

Legal and Policy Aspects of Leading People 9:00 – 10:30 am

This course is designed to familiarize supervisors with their managerial responsibilities to know and follow relevant Cornell policies related to preventing discrimination and harassment in the workplace and supporting legally required job accommodations and leaves. We will briefly discuss the laws that underlie these various policies and help supervisors understand their role in helping Cornell meet its legal obligations in these areas.

Objectives

• Identify the federal, state, and local laws that prohibit discrimination and harassment in the workplace (e.g. Title VII, Title IX, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), etc.)
• Understand Cornell’s anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies and supervisors’ responsibilities under these policies
• Identify the federal and state law that require employers to provide job accommodations and leaves (e.g. ADA, FMLA, etc.)
• Understand Cornell’s job accommodation and leave policies and supervisors’ responsibilities under these policies

Policies/Resources

• Policy 6.9 Time Off and Leaves
• Policy 6.4 Prohibited Bias, Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual and Related Misconduct Policy
• University Policy 6.13 Disability Accommodation Process for Faculty and Staff

Facilitated by the Office of General Counsel, Cornell University

Legal and Policy Aspects of Leading People: Introduction to Human Resources Policies, Wage & Hour and Labor Relations  1:00 – 2:30 pm

This course is designed to familiarize supervisors with their managerial responsibility to understand the basic principles of labor relations and to know and follow relevant Cornell policies related to wage and hour administration. We will briefly discuss the laws that underlie these topics and help people leaders understand their role in helping Cornell meet its legal and policy obligations to its employees. A general overview of Human Resources policies will be provided.

After receiving this training, the participants will be able to:

• Recognize an employer’s primary legal obligations related to wage and hour law and the applicable Cornell policies.
• Have an awareness of the legal underpinnings of labor relations, how labor relations impacts the employment environment, and the collective bargaining agreements at Cornell.
• Become familiar with the topics and location of the University’s volume of Human Resource policies.

Facilitators: Staff and Labor Relations, Division of Human Resources

 Supervising at Cornell Pre-requisite courses:

• SUPERHR8004 Time Tracking, Wage and Hour
• SUPERHR8005 Time Away From Work
• SUPERHR8012 Introduction to Labor Relations

Difficult Conversations 9:00 – 10:15 am

Communication is key to getting what you want, and some conversations are harder to have than others. Learn how to approach and manage difficult conversations.

Facilitated by Organizational Development & Effectiveness (ODE) Sr. Management Consultant & Trainer, Marcus Brooks

Radical Responsibility 9:00 – 11:00 am

Join us for a workshop on Taking Radical Responsibility, commitment #1 from “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership” by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman & Kaley Warner Klemp. This program will focus on thinking through how we might think about our response-ability, our ability to respond to all the things that life has in store for us! We ask that you come prepared to be at least a tad vulnerable, be willing to challenge and be challenged by all parts of the program. Everyone is welcomed to engage deeply, nudge and tug at all aspects of the program for the sake of increasing our respective capacities for radical responsibility.

Facilitated by Marcus Brooks, Senior Management Consultant & Trainer, Organizational Development & Effectiveness (ODE)

Harold D. Craft Leadership Program  Registration Fee: $355

The 5-day, Harold D. Craft Leadership Program (HDCLP) is the first session of a 9-day leadership program. The second 4-day advanced session is Building Teams & Leading Change. HDCLP focuses on individuals as leaders, individual effectiveness, the power of dialogue and communication, personal mastery, & leadership within the Cornell culture. Executive HDCLP is for Band H, I, and unbanded staff. This course requires supervisor approval to register.

Program Goals

• Realize the importance of your role as a leader, developer, and coach of individuals.
• Maximize the potential of the individuals you lead, creating a culture where they can thrive personally and professionally.
• Experience an evidence-based, highly interactive curriculum involving an array of learning formats in a safe and trustworthy space.

Objectives

Lead Self 

• Expand awareness of your leadership style and behaviors and how they contribute to who you are as a leader.
• Take inventory and reflect on yourself as a leader, developer, and coach to understand your impact on others.

Lead Connection

• Learn how to listen deeply, ask open, honest questions and build more trustworthy relationships and teams.
• Participate in meaningful interactions with others that honor differences.
• Deepen your understanding of how psychological safety, communication skills, and conflict management contribute to strong relationships.

Lead Belonging 

• Learn actions, behaviors, and skills to create and lead a culture of belonging and inclusivity where all individuals can thrive.
• Engage in peer-to-peer collaboration, network and community building, teamwork, and reflective practice.