CAS Leadership & Inclusion

Art of Communication I/II

I know what I want and say how to get my message across! As managers, we have to write texts and present key messages again and again. A lot depends on the result, but there is often not enough time to prepare. How do we convince others in writing or in a presentation?  And how do we achieve a convincing result as quickly and efficiently as possible? In this module we train to plan writing processes and presentations strategically and creatively as well as to execute them skillfully and successfully. We question our habits, break routines and expand our repertoire of strategic and operative leadership communication with goal-oriented strategies and practices.

Learning Objectives

• Structure presentations clearly
• Deliver convincingly in front of a heterogeneous audience
• Arguing clearly and with presence of mind in the Q&A
• Using crises communicatively

Leading Yourself & Others I/II

Leadership starts with ourselves – which is why we deliberately focus on self-leadership before external leadership. Based on the internationally recognized Big Five personality test, an individual coaching session for self-reflection on our leadership personality takes place before the module. We learn how to promote our strengths, overcome inner obstacles and deal with weaknesses. In addition to self-leadership based on personal values, the module focuses on efficient self-management. In this context, we look at resilience and antifragility, among other things. The more aware we become of our own leadership personality, the more successful and confident we become in our dealings with employees.

Learning Objectives

• Understand self-efficacy and its positive influences on interactions with others
• Develop strategies for self-organization and make sustainable decisions
• Learn to deal with uncertainty and loneliness at the top
• Cope with setbacks and leave a crisis with new strength

Diversity & Inclusion I/II:

Individual equality of opportunity refers to the fair opportunity for every single person, regardless of their personal characteristics, background or circumstances, to have equal access to a wide range of resources such as inclusion, further training or career progression. An inclusive and diversity-promoting culture therefore not only aims to prevent discrimination and create equal opportunities, but also offers much more (“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance”). And not without reason: it has long been proven that diverse teams can be more successful – if they are managed correctly. In this module, we therefore focus on the benefits and opportunities, but also the challenges, of diversity in teams and companies. It deals with topics such as psychological safety and dealing with weaknesses and using strengths in the team. We also want to create a common basis for assessing different behaviors and responding to them professionally. For example, we discuss different communication patterns so that all parties can support each other better in future and deal with challenging situations skillfully.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the dimensions of diversity and the underlying mechanisms for dealing with diversity
• Be able to justify the added value of individual equality of opportunity and psychological safety
• Recognize communication patterns and be able to respond to specific situations
• Identify best practices and adapt them to your own situation

Leading Yourself & Others II/II

Leadership means working through employees – but how do we do this successfully and sustainably? How do we deal with leading diverse teams and other challenging leadership situations? Here it is important to reflect on which values and thought patterns guide us in shaping leadership relationships and how our ideas about leadership or being led that we have learned in the course of our biography influence our leadership actions, reflecting on selected leadership models and with reference to the topic of authenticity. The “positive leadership” approach gives us a new perspective on our leadership actions. Using the specific example of “employee loyalty”, we also want to explore in greater depth the relevant influencing factors at team leader level in order to strengthen loyalty to the company/organization. We will also look at various trends in flexible and virtual working environments and their influence on the design of our leadership actions and our leadership relationships.

The afternoon before the module is reserved for a workshop on “Leading Resiliently”, which focuses in particular on dealing with challenging personality types & teams.

Learning Objectives

• Be able to assess the explanatory value and practical relevance of selected leadership models
• Track down your own ideas and thought patterns about leadership
• Understanding authenticity as a concept
• Reflect on core elements of strength-oriented leadership for your own practice
• Understand factors influencing employee loyalty
• Derive success factors for mastering leadership challenges in flexible and virtual working environments

Art of Communication II/II

Managers negotiate at different levels every day. In addition to professional expertise and emotional intelligence, convincing and sustainable negotiation results require efficient and structured negotiation skills. The attitude with which we approach our counterpart is also important. A successful negotiation result is achieved when all parties involved can make a profit. In this module, we therefore take an in-depth look at negotiation skills and the importance of diversity and strategies for challenging negotiation situations.

Learning Objectives

• Conscious planning and successful execution of negotiations and meetings
• Successfully integrating the cultural context into your own negotiating position
• Dealing professionally with negotiation stress
• Mastering negotiations with several parties with confidence

Diversity & Inclusion II/II

A culture that promotes diversity and inclusion must build a shared understanding. On this basis, a corporate culture can be created in which all employees are perceived and can contribute so that we live for each other instead of against each other. Together, we will examine developments in society, economy, technology and demographics as well as the importance of diversity and inclusion in the context of innovation and competitiveness in the age of New Work. We will then address current challenges and develop solutions on the way to a shared and sustainable corporate culture.

Learning Objectives

• Understanding economic and social developments relevant to the world of work
• Understanding and overcoming cultural operational obstacles
• Know sustainable diversity and inclusion strategies
• Promoting a common culture in the company and dealing with resistance