WHCA/WiCAL Leadership Academy

Leadership is a Choice

At its most fundamental level, leadership is about the ability to make a decision. Since we all make hundreds of decisions each day, everyone has leadership characteristics. Just having these characteristics does not mean that we are consistently good at exercising them.  Like a muscle, leadership strength is developed through deliberate focus on the skills and behaviors that build leadership acumen. As your self-awareness of leadership matures, your impact and potential will grow.

WHCA/WiCAL has designed this Leadership Academy for the unique needs and demands of health care professionals. Professionals at any stage of their career are invited to join this cohort-based model for an immersive experience unlike other training and development opportunities you may have experienced. You and your peers will engage in the exploration of fundamental leadership skills and behaviors, and then apply your learning in the workplace as “homework”. In addition to growing confidence, personal efficiency and effectiveness will emerge.

The need for strong leadership in long term care has never been greater. We have a choice: we can hope that someone else will step in to fill the void and solve the problems that hinder our performance – OR – we take responsibility for our own future and narrow the gap between our performance and personal potential. Leadership is a choice.

The Next Academy will start in May 2024 – please email jena@whcawical.org with any questions. 


2023 ACADEMY DATES: May 23, June 21, July 19, August 16, and September 13. Graduation/Recognition of Accomplishment held on October 19.

LOCATION:  All sessions will be hosted in Milwaukee. Graduation/Recognition of Accomplishment will be held at the Osthoff in Elkhart Lake during the Awards Luncheon on October 19, 2023.

May 23 Location: 640 North Vel R. Phillips Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53203 (located in the same building as the Northshore Corporate Offices)

June – September location: 275 W Wisconsin Ave Ste. 210, Milwaukee, WI 53203 (located inside of the The Avenue)

TUITION/ENROLLMENT: $1,750 for the entire program; this includes the curriculum & education, breakfast/lunch during each session, indefinite access the Leadership Academy archives, tools, and recourses, and $200 off Fall Convention Registration. Additionally, this program is approved for continuing education through NAB. **All registrations received by 5 PM CST on May 12 will automatically receive a $500 scholarship, which brings the cost of the academy down to $1,250**

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: A minimum of two full $1,750 tuition scholarships will be awarded. Scholarship winners will be notified no later than May 12.

 


LEADERSHIP ACADEMY BENEFITS

  • Measurable changes in individual leadership capability and personal effectiveness
  • Broader, more skilled pool of internal candidates for leadership positions, as well as an enhanced ability to retain high potential employees and a committed workforce
  • Improved relationships and personal networks that strengthen the organization’s capacity to work cross-functionally on important projects, initiatives, and requirements
  • More collaborative behavior that supplants competitive behavior resulting in more successful outcomes for residents, their families, and other stakeholders
  • Service innovation projects designed to improve current operations and/or strengthen the facility’s ability to thrive in an ever-changing environment
  • 2023 Leadership Academy Graduates also receive a $200 discount on full registration for the 2023 Fall Convention & Expo
  • All 2023 Leadership Academy participants will graduate and be honored during the Awards Luncheon on September 28, 2023 at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake.

Are you interested in fostering future leaders in your organization? Are you an existing leader looking to enhance your leadership techniques? Are you a new long term care leader looking to develop your leadership skills? Are you hoping to become a successful and engaging leader one day? Are you a provider looking to improve workforce retention? Then the 2023 Leadership Academy is a perfect program for you! Scroll down to complete the Leadership Academy Application.

Email Jena Jackson if you have any questions regarding the Leadership Academy!


ACADEMY APPROACH AND CURRICULUM

Leadership is a complex competency which requires practice and development. This is precisely why WHCA Leadership Academy is a series of courses taught over a 6-month period and not just one week. We want participants to reflect on what they have learned, try it out and come back to discuss what they have learned. Actual lecture during the courses selected is limited because we want a majority of the class time to be taken up with discussion, exercises, and case study analysis. We also stress direct application to work situations in all academy exercises and discussions. Case studies, which are developed for each course, are created using the ideas of academy work teams. These teams are charged with generating problem scenarios that are relevant and ongoing for the Academy.

Leadership involves more than what you say; it’s about what you do. To keep aligned with this principle, the WHCA/WiCAL Academy begins with a leadership self-assessment designed to provide feedback in four key leadership practice areas. Participants are asked to develop a leadership goal early in the Academy. Participants report back during each session about the progress and challenges encountered in reaching their goals. Our focus in the Academy is on taking action, trying new things and pushing you to reach your personal potential, not just talking about leadership.

Testimonials

TESTIMONIALS

“The Leadership Academy is one of the best leadership classes I have ever been a part of. I love that all the members of the academy are Wisconsin long-term healthcare providers so we are able to discuss our struggles and strategies as a very specified small group. The presenters seem invested in each of us individually and are ready to provide advice and guidance. I really look forward to attending the sessions every month!” Lori Post, LNHA

“The academy has helped me have a healthier view of failure – using it as a tool for success rather than something to fear or something that stops me from implementing change. Failure is inevitable so we must use it to learn from.” Jennifer Burklund, NHA Executive Director

WHCA/WiCAL Leadership Academy Faculty

MEET THE FACULTY

Brett Remington

Brett Remington: Brett Remington is a true blue rock star at Blue Rock WI. Brett’s focus on enterprise-based performance improvement considers all the factors that drive outcomes in complex environments in order to achieve meaningful and sustained improvement. These include leadership effectiveness, organizational governance, strategy development and deployment, customer and market knowledge, information and knowledge management, work systems design, change management strategies and employee well-being, business process design and continuous improvement methods.

Course Curriculum

COURSE CURRICULUM

The Leadership Academy is comprised of five (5) separate courses, each focused on a different aspect of becoming an effective leader. Each course is a full day of education, interaction, and discussion, with built-in opportunities for action learning and time to address actual long term care issues, concerns, and problems.

WHCA/WiCAL Leadership Academy: What You Can Expect

Session 1: Strengthening Your Practice of Leadership

  • You will assess your current leadership strengths and opportunities to grow
  • You will better understand when to manage and when to lead when facing a problem

Homework Challenge:  Develop a new leadership habit to strengthen your effectiveness as a leader


Session 2: Leading Innovation and Change

  • You will develop new problem-solving skills involving creativity/design thinking
  • You will learn new tools and approaches for implementing and effecting change in complex environments

Homework Challenge:  Initiate an innovation or change project at your facility that will improve a process, improve employee engagement or impact resident satisfaction


Session 3: The Leader as a Master Communicator

  • You will how common behaviors interfere with effective communication
  • You will learn how to use the power of stories to communicate with legislators

Homework Challenge:  Apply your learning to have a candid conversation back at the facility with someone who is holding back the team


Session 4: Leading High Performing Teams

  • Learn how to motivate your team to excel every day
  • Learn how to give every day feedback that sticks

Homework Challenge:  Create a User Manual so team members know what you expect when they are working with you


Session 5: Leading a Focus on the Future

  • Learn the principles of effective decision making and setting priorities
  • Discover methods of aligning your team around goals that matter

Homework Challenge:  Demonstrate the leadership acumen you have developed through the academy by presenting your project story in a concise and impactful way

Participant Expectations

PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS

Participants are expected to attend all academy sessions and complete assignments provided at each. Participants will also be expected to complete a performance improvement project for their facility. Discussion of what kind of facility improvement project and how to manage it will take place and time will be allocated for discussing projects at each session.