WOMEN STAFF LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Case Western Reserve University Women’s Leadership Development Initiative (WSLDI) is a year-long program offering women professional staff an opportunity to enhance and energize leadership and career development skills through education, coaching, and the building of professional networks.  The purpose of WSLDI is to provide a university-based resource and support system for women professional staff seeking to further their professional skills, including better communication, more collaboration, and the development of trust across university units, helping to create a synergy that promotes the university’s best practices. The initiative is designed to complement the supervisory development offerings provided by Human Resources. Intended to serve the needs of women in a supportive environment, the enrollment is limited to 12 participants per year.

 

Research has shown that women face particular challenges in the work environment. The Program is designed to address women’s issues and challenges within the context of the overall leadership curriculum. While many of the content can and does apply to men as well, we know from similar programs that programs for women that focus on the circumstances of women’s work lives within the overall context of work life are very beneficial to women.

WSLDI Session Summary (All meetings and sessions are mandatory)

• General orientation, mid-year meeting and final wrap-up session
• Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI – 360) (introduction by Denise Douglas and follow-up with coaches)
• Learning Styles Inventory (facilitated by Dr. Tony Lingham, WSOM )
• Four WSOM classes which will earn participants the WSOM Women in Leadership Certificate. For more information, go to:  http://weatherhead.case.edu/executive-education/certificates/women-in-leadership/ 
  NOTE: The Weatherhead program offers 6 workshops from which participants choose four.
  As part of our curriculum for this program, we have chosen the four workshops for the WSLDI participants.
  You will be enrolled in this program by the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women at no cost to you.
• Three workshops focusing on work-place strategies, career planning, and problem solving
• Three individual sessions with a professional executive coach

Pre-program Assignment: Position Analysis and Career Plan (part of application process)

Readings:
We recommend the following book as a background to coaching sessions:
Goleman, Daniel, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, Harvard Business School Press.