You are known for your leadership in your organization, but are you confident in your abilities to take that next step? You need to focus on what you need to advance to the next level, to prepare you to interact with the C-suite of today. What insights will help you achieve your goals? In this introductory session, you will:

• Work with the technology and delivery methods supporting this and future sessions in the program
• Identify the key problem areas for IT leaders that affect their success when engaging with their business counterparts
• Explore those specific competencies that will transform your leadership in today’s chaotic world
• Describe and create specific actions you can take to clarify and address your own developmental needs

Being able to speak to business clients – and influence their behaviour – is a critical leadership skill that few people get a chance to learn or practice before they enter the room. Can you speak the language of strategy? What is strategy? Learn methods that help you advocate for your ideas and gain resource support to execute them effectively. In this session, you will:

• Understand and reflect the ‘Business Mandate’ that truly matters for the success of your projects and initiatives
• Develop opportunities to influence others through skilled and persuasive presentations
• Cultivate specific language and impactful thought approaches which are adaptive to various dynamic situations
• Practice how to pre-influence and prepare for handling objections to build effective joint sessions with the business

Who defines expectations and how do we manage them? How well do we know our own organization and its people? This session builds skills and confidence in how to better manage expectations and present our ideas clearly to obtain executive-level understanding, buy-in and attention. Explore practical techniques and approaches that help technology professionals find their voice and be heard. In this session, you will:

• Describe how to formalize, then manage, expectations
• Identify the steps to clear, articulate and impactful message creation and delivery of ideas, projects or plans in a face-to-face (virtual or real-life) setting
• Practice the art of presenting to the executive level in your organization and position your message, request or proposal for understanding and acceptance

One of the most critical skills for any IT leader is to have a well-informed knowledge of the financial processes that drive projects. Can you speak the language with your financial counterparts? Project success requires leaders who understand the financial process of the business. In this session, you will:

• Assess your current understanding of the key financial terms every emerging IT leader should know
• Recognize what key financial measures are important and apply these to your projects
• Assess financial elements and risk, and the common steps taken to minimize exposure to failure
• Explore the financial expectations from a business outcome perspective and how IT can influence these outcomes
• Identify the operational financial constraints within IT and how they impact how IT operates

All sectors of the economy are undergoing unprecedented transformation. The need for speed and flexibility has never been greater. As companies navigate consistently uncertain waters, leaders must lead through change in faster, nimbler ways. The future of the business depends on it. Over two sessions, you will learn the essentials of nimble change leadership, and participate in a virtual game simulation that reflects the challenges of today’s world. Participating in these sessions you will:

• Gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to successfully execute change in today’s unprecedented business environment

• Adopt 5 critical mindsets for nimble change leadership in the age of digital disruption
• Boost your effectiveness as a transformational leader with nimble tools, techniques and “game plans” that are highly practical and unique
• Invest your limited time, energy, and influence more strategically when driving change

At the beginning of the program, you will be provided with a real-world situation (case study) that poses a real-world problem. Building on your learning, prior to this session you will submit a written solution of your own, then work in your team to create consensus and generate a response and solution. This session provides you and your team the opportunity to prepare and rehearse for the final presentations.

You and your team will present your solution to a panel of experts and receive feedback. This session provides you with opportunities to integrate, practice and demonstrate the insights that you have gained in the program.