The Institute for Excellence
For Individual Contributors 2016-17
Application Worksheet
Ver. 1.0
Sponsored by the Division of Human Resources
To prospective participants of the Institute for Excellence:
I am pleased that you have an interest in Kent State University’s award winning
Institute for Excellence for Individual Contributors 2016-17. We have incorporated
some exciting new elements into this year’s curriculum. The Institute for Excellence is
Kent State’s leadership development initiative with the mission of developing and
promoting a culture of excellence for faculty and staff at the university. The Institute for
Excellence is comprised of two unique but related programs. Each of these programs is
designed to accelerate performance for a specific audience. The two programs are:


The Institute for Excellence for Individual Contributors
The Institute for Excellence for Administrators
The materials in this packet have been carefully assembled to help you assess both your
willingness and ability to fully participate and meet the demanding requirements of the
Institute for Excellence for Individual Contributors. Please review them carefully.
The university’s strategic plan states that developing and recognizing our people is a
priority. The Institute for Excellence represents a commitment on the part of Kent State
to do exactly that. I promise you will not regret participating should you be selected.
Regards,
Willis Walker
Interim Vice President for Human Resources
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Institute for Excellence for Individual
Contributors 2016-17
Application Worksheet
Table of Contents
Letter from Willis Walker, Interim VP Human Resources………………….....…….…..…..2
Using this worksheet……………………………………………………………………………….4
Program goals,….……..……… …………...……………..…………..……………………….…5
Institute guiding principles………...………………………………………………….………..6
Institute dates, topics and department benefits………………….……………………...……7
Application & selection process……………………………………………………..………….9
SAMPLE Application form ………...………………………………………………..………..11
Reference information …………………………………………...…………..……………..…13
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Using this Worksheet
This worksheet has been created to assist you with the creation and submission of your
application for the Institute for Excellence Individual Contributor program. Please read
through this document in its entirety before you begin to create your application. This
document contains important background information that will be essential to you as
you compose your responses. When you have read through this document you should
better understand what the program entails as well as what information Human
Resources is seeking in the application.
Here are some things to consider as you begin the process of submitting your
application to participate in the Institute for Excellence:



This document is a worksheet. It is NOT an application. All applications are
done online. Visit the Institute for Excellence webpage for those details. Human
Resources will not accept a written or typed copy of this document as an official
application.
The application will require some reflection and thought to complete. Allow
time to compose your responses.
Type all your application responses into this document ahead of time. This will
allow you to save your responses and then cut and paste them into the online
application form quickly and accurately. This will be important as you cannot
bookmark or save your progress on the online application.
Most questions can be addressed by reading through this document. However, should
you need clarification on anything, please contact:
M. Renee Romine
Interim Director, Learning and Organizational Development
Kent State University
330.672.0898
mromine@kent.edu
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Program Goals
2016-17 Institute for Excellence for Individual Contributors Program Goals
The Institute for Excellence for Individual Contributors will accelerate performance
through:
o
Increasing personal excellence – the ability to be your best for your group;
o
Aligning personal leadership within the university – your ability to
provide leadership in your work setting, regardless of title.
The Role of the Participant
The Institute for Excellence is not training! Unlike traditional training workshops, a
development program such as this one requires the participant to assume the lead role in
determining the areas where they need to grow. Once he or she has identified those
areas, they must create a set of ongoing experiences to practice and develop leadership
competencies. The Institute for Excellence provides the framework to develop but it is
the responsibility of the individual to apply what they have learned. Individuals
seeking to be accepted into the institute must be introspective and open to receiving
feedback. Additionally, participants must come prepared to challenge their previously
held beliefs about how they can best display leadership at Kent State. This commitment
to change opens the door for growth opportunities.
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Guiding Principles
Jean Leslie, a senior fellow with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), sites these as
the 10 most valuable interpersonal skills for effective leaders.
1. Self-awareness: Leaders must have an accurate picture of their strengths and
weaknesses.
2. Learning agility: This is an individual’s readiness, willingness and ability to
learn from experience.
3. Emotional intelligence: Emotional intelligence is a constellation of abilities that
help leaders deal with their emotions and the emotions of others.
4. Resiliency: Bouncing back from adversity.
5. Building relationships at all levels: Being able to show compassion, sensitivity
and have a sense of humor with others — above and below in organizational
structure — and being able to cultivate these relationships toward positive
business performance.
6. Political savvy: The ability to influence people to obtain goals. The heart of being
politically savvy, according to CCL, is networking, reading situations and
thinking before speaking. Not every leader likes politics, but it’s present in every
organization.
7. Motivating and engaging others: How many leaders have been successful when
they cannot motivate their teams?
8. Building and leading effective teams: This is one of the top challenges CEOs
report, according to CCL. Building trust, setting strategic direction and breaking
down silos are some of the micro skills needed.
9. Creating a culture of trust and respect: This has become a big challenge since the
rise of virtual communication, yet trust and respect among team members — and
chiefly among leaders — is paramount.
10. Communication: Voicing goals and inspiring others is vital — but so is listening.
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Program Dates, Topics and Department Benefits
Individuals selected to participate in the institute are expected to be present for each
session in its entirety. Applicants with work schedules that do not allow for time away
from the office may want to consider postponing their candidacy for the institute. While
unforeseen circumstances can always occur that may necessitate missing a session, in
general, missing more than 20% of the total sessions is considered a significant absence
and those individuals may be asked to withdraw. While Human Resources will make
every effort to adhere to these dates they are subject to change.
Dates:
Dates to be announced shortly.
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Program Dates, Topics and Department Benefits (cont’d)
Participant topics include but not limited to:
 Discussions with President Warren and other Kent State officers
 Opportunities to interact with external leaders
 Two 360-degree assessments to benchmark your skills and growth
 Skills to improve thinking and problem solving
 Use neuroscience and physiology to build resiliency and mental agility
 Building trust
 Increased business acumen and financial literacy
 Applying Emotional Intelligence for increased effectiveness
 Increased ability to innovate and influence
 Higher levels of self motivation by unlocking and unleashing your potential
 Opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills learned through action-learning
Departmental benefits of participation include but not limited to:
 Measurable and visible increase in leadership capacity
 Individuals who can better articulate and align with the strategy, mission and
goals of the university
 Improved decision-making skills
 Improved “bench strength”
 Individuals who are better prepared to lead change now
 Individuals with increased critical thinking skills
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Application & Selection Process
To be considered for the institute, applications must be submitted online no later
than 5:00 PM, May 31, 2016.
The preferred applicant:
 Does not manage a department or unit and does not supervise others (although
he/she may provide guidance to student employees)
 Has one or more years of experience at Kent State in a full time capacity
 Is performing at a high level and in good standing with the university with the
most recent performance evaluation having a rating of “meets expectations” (or
equivalent) or higher
In addition, applications will be evaluated based on the quality and thoroughness of the
following criteria:
 A demonstrated commitment to learning over the last year by achieving
certifications, completing job-related training or self-educating on a job-related
topic
 A demonstrated ability to contribute/lead change at Kent State over the last year
 Clear and specific goals for themselves as a result of his/her participation in the
institute
A panel consisting of members of the university community will be convened to assist
Human Resources with evaluating applications.
Each applicant must submit:
1.
2.
A completed online application form
The name, phone number and email of your immediate supervisor
Candidates with special accommodations should make note of those needs on their
online application so appropriate arrangements can be made.
Questions can be directed to:
M. Renee Romine
Interim Director, Learning and Organizational Development
Kent State University
330.672.0898
mromine@kent.edu
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SAMPLE Application Form
To be completed by applicant:
Name:
Department:
Position:
Campus Address:
Campus Phone:
E-mail address:
__________________________________________________________
Date of Hire:
Supervisor’s Name:
Supervisor’s Position Title:
Supervisor’s email:
Work History: List positions held at Kent State University, dates, and a brief description
of responsibilities, most recent position first.
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SAMPLE Application Form (continued)
1.
For a period covering the last year, please list all certifications you have
achieved, job-related training completed or areas where you self-educated on a
job-related topic. Also indicate how you have applied what you learned and
how this learning has increased your performance.
• Why this is important: The IE is a development program where the individual is
responsible for charting and achieving their goals. Individuals who have shown
the desire to learn and the ability to stay open to new ways of thinking are in a
strong position to benefit the most from the IE.
2.
For a period covering the last year, describe the projects with which you have
demonstrated your readiness to lead or make contributions to change at the
university. What was your specific role? What challenges did you personally
face? What was the outcome? What did you learn from the experience?
• Why this is important: The IE is not just theory-based curricula. It’s about
“doing” and applying. Individuals who have demonstrated a significant
contribution to change have shown that he/she has the skills to respond to the
occasionally ambiguous and unchartered territory that is the future and make
progress towards a goal.
3.
If your peers were asked to comment about your work style, your strengths, and
your weaknesses, how would they respond? What would this discussion reveal
about you as an individual?
• Why this is important: Individuals with a healthy amount of “self knowledge”
have shown to be able to more readily solicit and process feedback and act on it in
meaningful ways. This will be a critical capability in the institute.
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SAMPLE Application Form (continued)
Personal Goal(s)
After carefully reading this document, please provide a written statement indicating
your short term and long term objectives in participating in the institute. Please include
information on how you intend to apply the new knowledge and skills on the job.
1. Short term goal (how you intend to apply these skills this year):
Why this is important: A thoughtful and specific statement of what you wish to achieve in the
immediate future and longer term will be helpful in determining the level of fit between what the
Institute for Excellence will help facilitate and what you wish to accomplish. A well-crafted and
precise statement of goals also indicates that the applicant has given careful consideration
regarding their participation in the institute.
2. Long term goal (how you intend to apply these skills in the next 2-3 years):

Why this is important: Long term goals are helpful as they indicate your self-perception
on how you can elevate your performance at Kent State in the longer term. The Institute
for Excellence is a program for high performers who also have the capability to increase
their leadership contribution at the university by advancing one or two levels in the next
2-3 years.
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