Feb 21,22: Strategic Planning for Councils
and Staff
Presenter: Tracey Lee Lorenson, Paragon Strategic
Services Ltd.
Whether you’re planning strategy with a new
Council, refreshing a plan mid term or developing your plan the first time then
this course is for you! Local governments are facing the challenge of strategic
planning in a changing world. This pragmatic course will address how to prepare
for strategic planning, how to engage Council, staff and key stakeholders, and
how to arrive at consensus on the key organizational priorities. Specific
attention will be paid to how to manage the strategy so that execution is
translated into business planning, and communicating results is easily
achieved, even in small organizations. This course is intended for CAOs,
elected officials, and those tasked with managing the planning process. BONUS: Attendees will receive resources to
prepare and manage their planning processes, the opportunity to use strategic
management software, as well as our summary of the “Top 10 Strategic Planning
Errors”.
REGISTER FOR “STRATEGIC PLANNING
FOR COUNCILS AND STAFF” HERE
March 6 & 7: Interpersonal Skills : Making the Most of Your
Communication with Others
Presenter: Tracey Lee Lorenson, Paragon
Strategic Services Ltd.
Has anyone in your organization ever had a
challenge communicating with a coworker or stakeholder? By obtaining insight
into how we communicate we
are better able to communicate with key individuals
both inside and outside our organization. This session will discuss team
dynamics, and the unique benefits of different communication styles. In an
engaging and practical workshop, attendees from Council, City Hall, public
works, fire departments etc., have obtained useful information to change the
way both individuals and teams interact. BONUS:
Attendees will complete an online behavioral styles assessment and receive a 26
page report of their preferred ways of dealing with challenges, people, change
and rules as well as a separate report on their skills related to
communication.
April 5 & 6: Strengthening Council Staff
Relationships
Presenter: Tracey Lee Lorenson, Paragon
Strategic Services Ltd.
Do you have a fabulous
relationship between Council and staff that you’re trying to maintain, would
like to address small issues that are arising, or do you have significant
conflict? Regardless of the current state of your relationship this course will
be relevant, and we will approach this specifically from the perspective of the
senior staff in terms of what they are able to do to build and maintain the
relationship. Some of the topics we will address include the use of experts to
support decision making, handling “disrespectful” behavior from elected
officials, how to manage conflict between elected officials, senior staff and
key stakeholders and how to handle ethical issues. We will also provide
suggestions that will assist Mayors and Board Chairs in managing the
elected/staff relationship. BONUS:
Individuals will have the opportunity to complete an online assessment of their
conflict management skills to identify their conflict strengths and potential
development opportunities, with a comprehensive summary report with
recommendations.
REGISTER FOR “STRENGTHENING COUNCIL STAFF
RELATIONS” HERE
April 17, 18: Coaching for Top Performance
Presenter: Tracey Lee Lorenson, Paragon
Strategic Services Ltd.
Would you like to have more
productive conversations around the performance of your team? This new course
combines elements of two of our most popular courses – “Coaching Skills for
Managers and Supervisors” and “Performance Management” in a practical and
enjoyable way. Learn how to assess the nature of performance challenges so that
you can apply the best resources to address the problem. We will also discuss
the distinctions between performance and discipline, and work on specifically
how to have performance discussions. BONUS:
Individuals will have the opportunity to complete an online coaching skills
assessment to identify their coaching strengths and potential development
opportunities.
May 1, 2: Essential Supervisory Skills - New and Experienced Supervisors
Presenter:
Tracey Lee Lorenson,
Paragon Strategic Services Ltd.
Our front line supervisors provide
our most critical interaction with employees and yet often they have not had
training on the most effective way to deal with their teams and workload. In
this interactive course we will explore the unique challenges of leading those
that you may have had a peer relationship with, some of the labour issues that
can arise (depending on whether supervisors are in or out of the bargaining
unit), and coaching others in a respectful and supportive manner. In addition,
we will discuss the most effective ways in which supervisors can get the
support they might require from management in the organization, to ensure the
organization operates efficiently and staff feel supported. BONUS: Individuals will have the opportunity
to complete an online assessment of their supervisory skills including: time
management, listening skills, communication, planning and scheduling work,
setting goals, assessing people and performance and coaching skills. This
report provides specific developmental suggestions unique to the individual.
May 8, : Avoiding Indecent Proposals: Competitive Contracting for Local Governments
Presenter:
Tracey Lee Lorenson,
Paragon Strategic Services Ltd. (with Maureen Sullivan, President National Education Consulting Inc.)
Local governments across
Canada spend billions of dollars annually to meet the needs of
their
constituents. The legal requirements for issuing RFPs and tenders are
complex and rapidly changing, with increasing expectations of accountability
and transparency. In this session, we will discuss some of the
significant distinctions between regular contract law and the competitive
contracting process, including specific risks that senior managers must be
aware of. In addition to receiving a clear and concise overview of the
law (including specific cases in the municipal setting) and trade agreement
obligations, you will learn about the most effective ways to run practical,
efficient and transparent processes to demonstrate that your organization
gets the best value.. Specific topics include navigating the risks of political
interference, the unique challenges presented by consulting and service
agreements, and the potential for conflict of interest issues to derail your
major initiatives. BONUS: Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the
most recent issue of NECI’s quarterly newsletter “The Legal Edge”, the leading
management tool for public sector procurement.
May 22, 23: Customer Service in the Public
Sector
Presenter: Tracey Lee Lorenson, Paragon
Strategic Services Ltd.
The unique challenges of
service delivery in the local government sector will be discussed, including
the difficulty of dealing with such a diverse client base. We will explore
whether private sector “customer service” approaches are relevant in the public
sector, and why good service is critical to both staff and Council success. BONUS: Participants will complete an online
assessment of their personal skills and abilities in delivering customer
service.
May 24, 25: Negotiation Skills (NOTE THURSDAY/FRIDAY)
Presenter: Tracey Lee Lorenson, Paragon
Strategic Services Ltd.
While we sometimes think of negotiation as a “big ticket” event, we
negotiate every day with individuals inside our organization and key stakeholders
in the community, including those difficult conversations with individuals with
divergent opinions. Even simple discussions of allocation of resources require individuals that
have an awareness of their negotiation style so that they can maximize the benefits
to their organization in an environment of respect. This course focuses on interest
based negotiation techniques, and is of use to those negotiating, or to those that deal
with difficult individuals. BONUS:
Participants will complete an online assessment of their personal approach to
negotiation.
June 5, 6: Respectful Workplace – Behavioral
and Generational Issues
Presenter: Tracey Lee Lorenson, Paragon
Strategic Services Ltd.
In this session we will be
exploring what is meant by “respectful workplace” and how generational issues
impact organizations. We will be discussing whether different standards of
behavior are appropriate depending on the workgroup (e.g. Inside or outside
staff), and what individual employees can do to support the development of a
respectful workplace. This session will also discuss the unique challenges of
working with and leading different generational styles, with specific practical
suggestions. BONUS: Participants will
complete an online assessment of their approaches (organizationally and
personally) to diversity.
