The Institute for Excellence For Administrators 2016-17 Application Worksheet Ver 1.0 Sponsored by the Division of Human Resources 1 Institute for Excellence - Administrators 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 Administrators 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 Administrators. 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 2 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 Institute for Excellence for Administrators 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 ………..………………………………………………..……...….10 Reference information …………………………………………...…………..……………..…13 3 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 Using this Worksheet This worksheet has been created to assist you with the creation and submission of your online application for the Institute for Excellence Administrator 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 online 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 4 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 Program Goals 2016-17 Institute for Excellence for Administrators Program Goals The Institute for Excellence for Administrators will accelerate performance through: o Increasing team leadership capacity at the department or unit level o Aligning vision, talent and behaviors for team excellence and change leadership at the department or unit level 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. 5 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 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. 6 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 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 15% 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. 7 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 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 Skills to improve thinking and problem solving Two 360-degree assessments to benchmark your skills and growth Use neuroscience and physiology to build resiliency and mental agility Building trust Applying Emotional Intelligence for increased effectiveness Understanding the role of the leader and follower Using leadership questions for improved team performance Strategies for harnessing diversity to attract and retain top talent Opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills learned through actionlearning 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 8 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 Application & Selection Process To be considered for the institute, an online application must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM, May 31, 2016. The preferred applicant: Manages/chairs a department or unit and/or supervises others 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 within the last year Clear and specific goals for themselves as a result of their participation in the institute Each applicant must submit: 1. A completed online application form 2. The name, phone number and email address of immediate supervisor Candidates with special accommodations should make note of those needs on their 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 9 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 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 address:______________________________________________________ Work History: List positions held at Kent State University, dates, and a brief description of responsibilities, most recent position first. 10 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 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 toward a goal. 3. If your reporting staff or your peers were asked to comment about your leadership style, your leadership strengths, and your leadership weaknesses, how would they respond? What would this discussion reveal about you as a leader? • 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. 11 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17 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. 12 Institute for Excellence – Administrators 2016-17