Leading from Inherent Awareness with Dr. Ruth Zaplin

October 14, 2020

What if we could lead from an undisturbed, inherent awareness, outside of our natural “I, Me, and Mine” frame of reference? This talk explores this question and practices to help “uncondition” ourselves from our natural frame of reference and lead from inherent awareness.

Additional Resources
Watch Session
Presentation Slides

Dr. Ruth Zaplin is an Executive-in-Residence, School of Public Affairs, Department of Public Administration & Policy and Director of International Programs, Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. Dr. Zaplin served as a senior advisor and project director with the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, DC and founded the Academy’s Global Leadership Consortium. As a Senior Manager at BearingPoint, she led enterprise-wide transformation plans, large-scale government reform, workforce restructuring, and work redesign initiatives in both the public and private sectors. 

Read More

Are You a Character-Based Leader or a Character in Leadership Role? with Dr. Reginald Wells

August 19, 2020

High character is not something we are born into, but something we intentionally develop and aspire to. Character is hard to define and boils down to attributes, behaviors, and actions. In this session, we will explore what exemplars of high character look like and answer the following questions pertinent to leaders:

• What does it mean to be character-driven?

• How do high character people win and lose?
• What are the strengths people with high character bring to the table?
• Can a person of low character redeem themselves?

Additional Resources:
Watch Session

Reginald F. Wells was named Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of Human Resources effective July 15, 2002 after serving short tenures as Deputy Associate Commissioner for Disability Program Policy and Senior Advisor in the Office of Disability and Income Security Programs. Dr. Wells also serves as the Chief Human Capital Officer for SSA. In his capacity as Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources, Dr. Wells oversees a staff complement of 400 employees with an operating budget of $100 million. Dr. Wells served as Deputy Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities from October 1994 to April 2002. He shared with the Commissioner full responsibility for planning and directing 25 federal staff and programmatic activities, including the University Centers, Developmental Disabilities Councils, Protection and Advocacy Systems and Projects of National Significance with a program budget of over $122 million.

 

Read More

Leadership Accountability: Do I really want to be accountable for leading others at the next level? with Bob Tobias

July 24, 2020

When contemplating applying for a promotion, the first question I might ask myself is whether I want to hold myself accountable to invest the intellectual energy necessary to obtain the leadership skills I need to be successful, and invest the necessary emotional energy to acquire the level of personal development necessary to be successful at the next level? An equally important second question is whether I want to hold myself accountable to redefine success as a leader rather than as an individual performer, and commit to spending time on the personal and collective development of those I lead rather than on my personal skill development that allowed me to stand out as an individual performer?

Additional Resources:
Watch Session

Robert Tobias teaches courses in public sector leadership in the Key Executive Leadership Programs. He also teaches facilitation and team development, conflict management and alternative dispute resolution, and managing labor management relations. Finally, he is the Director of the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation which brings together members of Congress, political appointees, career federal executives, union leaders, consultants, and academics for the purpose of resolving difficult public policy implementation issues. President Clinton nominated and the Senate confirmed him for a five-year term as a member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board. Tobias received the Paul P. Van Riper Award from the American Society for Public Administration “In recognition of his outstanding contributions to both the theory and practice of public administration” and the Warner Stockberger award from the International Public Management Association for Human Resources for “outstanding contributions in the field of public sector personnel management at the federal level.” 

 

Read More

 

How to be a Catalyst for Positivity & Productivity with Kevin Zachery

July 8, 2020

Using lessons learned from neuroscience and cognitive psychology research, Kevin will describe a performance methodology that will give people insights on how to be a catalyst for more positive, effective, and productive behaviors for themselves and for the people around them.

Additional Resources:
Watch Session

Kevin Zachery was born in Paris, France, and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. He’s been a student of leadership and organizational development since high school, when he was the Commander of his Navel Junior Reserve Officer Training unit. He attended the United States Naval Academy and served 11 years as a Naval Officer, assigned to an ammunition supply ship, a guided-missile cruiser, and an amphibious assault battle group. He also taught leadership and ethics at the Naval Academy, while serving as the Assistant Chair for the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law and helped set up the Naval Academy’s military ethics center. 

Read More