Mid-level managers of vocational rehabilitation agencies are charged with managing program operations, creating buy-in for agency policies and procedures, engaging with internal and external stakeholders, and managing significant fiscal and human resources. They have a responsibility of providing leadership that is forward-looking, innovative, and responsive. Their positions carry substantial leadership responsibility; however, many incumbents have limited experience for the role. Being strategic in leadership and adapting to meet the challenges and opportunities of VR are increasing demands for mid-level managers.
LeadVR addresses the challenge: LeadVR is Leadership that Empowers, holds self and others Accountable and provides opportunities for Development. Held once a month over eight months, LeadVR is a series of live, interactive online training and professional development modules for aspiring frontline workers and mid-level managers. Each session in LeadVR offers rehabilitation participants the opportunity to explore the current and future face of VR leadership and organizational change.
Coaching Sessions: As the business environment becomes more complex, current and future leaders need support. Participants will be provided three hours of group coaching sessions facilitated by training consultants, with the goal of improving individual performance, developing a plan for individual behavioral change, developing goals for the future, and implementing an action plan to achieve those goals through support, guidance and direction.
Project Work: Participants will be assigned a specific challenge and will work as a team to develop goals, strategies, and an action plan to address the challenge.
Registration: Each LeadVR Cohort is limited to 45 participants. Cohorts are designed to foster cross-agency collaboration. Organizational specific cohorts may also be requested
LeadVR Sessions Overview
Session 1
Leadership Styles & 360 Degree Assessment
What is your leadership style and why does it matter? This focused training allows participants to gain a basic understanding of how personality and leadership assessments play out in real world work settings.
Session 2
Major Issues, Trends, and Opportunities In VR
The challenges of vocational rehabilitation are unmistakable. With an increased need for employment opportunities for people with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation professionals are charged with bridging the gap between employer demand for an educated and skilled workforce and ensuring consumers are trained with the skills necessary for employment success. Funding shortages, performance standards and understanding political structures add to those challenges. This session addresses those challenges, as well as emerging opportunities facing VR professionals.
Session 3
ABCs of Inclusion
Each of us has a responsibility of developing and supporting inclusive work environments, including building our own awareness, understanding the impact of bias, and the role of civility in developing better relationships with co-workers and consumers.
Session 4
Group Dynamics & Communication
Every workplace can foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. As employees and future leaders, we strengthen others by sharing information and power, while setting an example for others by acting in ways consistent with our values, recognizing individual contributions to the success of every project and celebrating team accomplishments regularly. How does language and communication impact your ability to form effective teams? In this session we will examine the importance of organizational astuteness in communication and relationship building with peers, discuss the process of setting cooperative goals and building trust within teams to foster innovative projects that align with the overall goal of VR.
Session 5
Management, Leadership, Productivity & Performance
Leaders create vision, develop strategy, and inspire employees. Management gets buy-in for decisions and executes strategies. But how do you close the loop on communication? In our organizations, all managers must be leaders, but not all leaders are managers. We must adapt to this new workplace, learning to lead virtually, ensuring productivity, and managing for performance. Leaders new to the supervisory role face the additional challenge of managing their former colleagues and friends, while toeing the line on issues of favoritism and inclusion.
Session 6
Organizational Change
This session turns to a discussion of how policies, fiscal governance and bureaucracy impact agency culture and the ability to navigate organizational change. What’s at stake? A VR professionals’ ability to understand and navigate the use of influential tactics to improve his or her personal or organizational interests are essential to gaining leverage in an organization, managing stress and handling the demands of the job. This session focuses on recognizing and assessing an organization’s overall landscape, understanding decision making from the structural, human resource, political and symbolic frame, while developing tools for fiscal accountability, negotiation and conflict management that will strengthen organizational performance.
Session 7
Transformation
This session shifts the focus to the future, the four principals of innovating solutions, building careers and retaining talent, customizing services and expertise, and leading and engaging in collaborative strategies. Vision distinguishes leaders, giving them the ability to see clearly where they are now and where they might go. That sense of vision begins when we’re able to imagine and communicate exciting possibilities and enlist others in sharing and achieving our aspirations. Transformation begins here – learning how to engage others in going from where we are today to our new tomorrow.
Session 8
Presentations and Graduation
Presentations of recommendations/plans and recognition of participants
For more information about scheduling LeadVR with your team, contact UA CURRENTS.