Soft Skills for Hard Times:
The People and Relationship Skills Leaders Need Now

The era of the “boss,” as we know it, is over.

Gone are the days when one person ruled supreme over a department or company. And bosses who are still in that mindset either don’t get very far or don’t last very long.

Why? Because smart leaders recognize that the bulk of the talent, information and expertise in any organization is in the base of that organization – just by sheer numbers and workers’ exposure to day-to-day problems that regularly need solving.

And the way for a company to get ahead is to use and develop that talent and expertise, rather than try to squash it for reasons of pride or ego or just plain ol’ bad management.

In these hard economic times and new 21st century mindset, people are starting to recognize that service and leadership are actually two sides of the same coin. To lead is to serve. Real leaders get the best out of their teams by supporting and inspiring them – by recognizing their talents and strengths and using them to reach group goals.

In the end, it’s how we work collaboratively with the people around us that determines how we get ahead in this world.

And that’s where James Strock’s principles on serving and leading come into play. In this new and accredited business leadership training session, James Strock speaks directly to supervisors, managers, and anyone in a position of leadership who wants to be a better, more inspirational leader and who wants to help his or her team pull together and accomplish more.

Everyone can lead, because everyone can serve. This isn’t just an ideal. It’s a practical, down-to-earth reality. The emphasis now is on building relationships: relationships among co-workers, relationships with stakeholders. How is doing the right thing for employees, customers and stakeholders now giving companies a competitive edge?

Want a sustainable, vibrant company? Want to be a leader who brings results to the table time and time again? Sign up today for this out-of-the-box business leadership training session, and find out how serving those around you will make you a better leader.

Learning Objectives:

• What’s the new definition of leadership in today’s modern, rapidly changing workplace?
• What’s important to know before you act in the emerging “relationship-based” business world?
• How can you be sure to prioritize limited management resources effectively?
• What are the best ways to communicate effectively in the new workplace environment?
• Who are the up-and-coming potential leaders on your team? How developing and sustaining them serves them, yourself, and your team better.
• How to use the Four Questions of the Serve to Lead® System to foster and sustain a vital, learning, ever-improving organizational culture.

Presented By:

James Strock

James Strock is a recognized authority and renowned speaker on leadership. The leadership principles he shares are applicable in any setting – corporate, new and small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, government and military – and across all functions.

His newest book is Serve to Lead®: Your Transformational 21st Century Leadership System. It has been praised as “the essential guidebook for 21st-century leadership.” Mr. Strock is also the author of Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership and Reagan on Leadership. Each book is widely used in business and not-for profit organizations, educational institutions, government agencies and the military. He is also a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Leadership (Goethals and Sorenson, eds.), and has written the articles on Winston S. Churchill, Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt.

Mr. Strock’s consulting business includes companies in various sectors, as well as government agencies, NGOs and the military. He has also served on corporate and not-for-profit boards of directors. He also has extensive experience at high levels of government, including as the founding Secretary for Environmental Protection for the state of California, chief law enforcement officer of the U.S. EPA, and general counsel of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Mr. Strock is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, and Who's Who in Finance and Business. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Authors Guild.

Mr. Strock was educated at public and private schools in Austin, Texas, and New Orleans, as well as at Harvard College (Phi Beta Kappa) and Harvard Law School. He served as captain in the USAR-JAGC.

Guy Harris

Guy Harris’ career includes service as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy Submarine fleet, various supervisory/managerial roles in the chemical industry, and personal business ownership. In the early 1990’s, he began to actively pursue the practical application of leadership, communication, team building, and conflict resolution principles.

He is a Certified Human Behavior Specialist, a Master trainer in the DISC Model of Human Behavior, and a Conflict Resolution Subject Matter Expert. As a trainer, consultant and coach, Guy has worked with businesses, non-profit organizations, leadership academies, and schools including: Sun Chemical Company, Ivy Tech Community College, The Good Samaritan Society, Redbox, Purdue University, Delta Career Education, The American Farm Bureau Association, and Butler University.

Guy is the co-author of Sell Naked on the Phone (Personality Insights Press, 2007); Sell Naked in Person (Personality Insights Press, 2009) and The Behavior Bucks System (iUniverse, 2005). He has been a contributing author, content developer, and editor on other books and training materials including: Presenting With Style (Robert Rohm and Tony Jeary); Leadership @ Work, Leadership Brief and To The Point, and Leadership: It’s an Inside Job (Personality Insights).

Guy publishes a bi-weekly electronic newsletter, Positive Principles, and he writes a blog, The Recovering Engineer to provide tips, techniques, insights, and resources that help individuals "get out of their own way." In addition, Guy is the co-developer of and frequent contributor to the collaborative blog, Ugluu.

Because he has worked in supervisory and management roles in highly technical organizations, he understands the struggles and frustrations of technical people in roles requiring the use of "soft" skills. He has spent many years helping other technical people grow in their understanding and application of the principles governing human behavior.

Guy and his family live in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He holds both a B.S. with honors from North Carolina State University and a M.S. with honors from Rutgers University.

Who would benefit from this program:

• HR Managers
• HR Executives
• HR Professionals

Continuing Education:

• This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Recertification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at the HRCI homepage.