These workshops are for supervisors and managers.
 |
 |
Tools for Managers
Status Report Template
Regularly checking in with your staff members accomplishes several goals:
- Increases connection with staff and their work
- Helps staff keep track of accomplishments, issues, which makes Performance Excellence updates easier
- Shortens meeting time since everything is documented
- Reduces stress because everything is written down
- Helps manager keep track of work and issues
- Helps manager provide more frequent ongoing feedback
Click below to download a standard template in Microsoft Word format.
Weekly Status Report Template
Find more tools for managers in the Hiring Manager's Toolkit
Leadership and Management Series: 2010 Schedule
The series of workshops provides a foundation of leadership principles and tools for Northwestern's frontline supervisors and managers. It is offered twice annually: in Evanston during winter and spring, in Chicago during summer and fall.
Participants register to complete the full six-part series on either campus for $725. A continental breakfast and lunch are provided at each workshop. Listed below are the workshop titles, dates, and the course ID numbers. Workshops may not be taken individually.
| ID# |
Campus |
|
Fee |
|
| HRD950 |
Evanston |
Full series (January through June) |
$725 |
Register online |
| HRD900 |
Chicago |
Full series (July through December) |
$725 |
Registration starts May 1st |
Part 1: Leadership and the Role of Management
This workshop carefully considers the transformation to a manager’s role and the responsibilities of effective management. Participants assess their leadership strengths and development opportunities. The advantages of a flexible and situation-based management style are discussed. The foundation for the entire series will be set through a leadership model.
|
Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
| HRD950 |
1/20/10 |
9am - 4pm |
Evanston |
Norris, 104 |
Part 2: Recruiting and Hiring Great Staff
This workshop uses a blended learning approach where participants learn via a self-study program on their own time, and then attend a live hands-on workshop. The workshop is organized around Northwestern's seven-step recruitment process. Participants not only get great tools and resources for making the hiring process easier and more efficient but also learn how to make better hiring decisions – the most important decision a manager makes.
Click here for Candidate Interview Guide.
|
Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
| HRD950 |
2/18/10 |
9am - 4pm |
Evanston |
Norris, 101 |
Part 3: Performance Excellence for Managers I & II
Participants are provided a slightly condensed version of the Performance Excellence for Managers I and Performance Excellence II workshops. In Part 1 of this highly interactive workshop, managers learn how to initiate the University's Performance Excellence Process and receive valuable guidelines and tools. Participants are asked to bring copies of the formal descriptions of their jobs and of those of the employees they directly supervise. In Part II, managers learn how to complete the Performance Excellence yearly cycle. Discussions and exercises focus on five key leadership responsibilities.
|
Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
| HRD950 |
3/17/10 |
9am - 4pm |
Evanston |
TBA |
Part 4: Effective Delegation and Resource Utilization
Managers and supervisors add value by getting work done through others. Successful resource utilization means making full use of the manager’s skills, the skills of those with whom the manager works, and the resources of the institution. In this context, prioritizing, time management and delegation are the “soft tools” of the effective manager. Participants will identify opportunities and develop the skills to increase productivity, their own and others’, through thoughtful time management, delegation and resource utilization.
|
Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
| HRD950 |
4/15/10 |
9am - 4pm |
Evanston |
TBA |
Part 5: Building Strong Teams
As a leader, you have many jobs. You are charged with helping your team to build strong relationships with one another. You must get results. And, you must set the tone for a cooperative and positive work environment. This session will answer the following questions: How do I get your team moving together in one direction? How can we foster trust and collaboration? How can we surface and resolve conflicts? How can I be inclusive? How can I foster and support my diverse work team? This highly interactive session will help you to: Navigate the phases of team development; Resolve team conflicts; Set your team up for success; Model and embrace diversity; and Practice inclusion.
|
Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
| HRD900 |
11/11/09 |
9am - 4pm |
Chicago |
Wieboldt, 107
Series currently in session. Registration closed. |
| HRD950 |
5/12/10 |
9am - 4pm |
Evanston |
TBA |
Part 6: Dealing with Performance Problems & Taking Leadership to the Next Level
The successful management of people who haven’t been getting the job done is often the biggest challenge for leaders. Personal problems, emotional difficulties, and poor attitudes can affect performance. The Dealing with Performance Problems half-day workshop helps managers to effectively diagnose the cause of a problem and take constructive action. Special attention is given to employee discipline and coaching in turn-around situations. University policy and resources are also considered.
In the Taking Leadership to the Next Level final session of the series, participants get an opportunity to come back together and discuss what insights they’ve had and skills they’ve acquired over the past six months. It’s a time to ask questions and get assistance about how to take those skills to the next level and transfer learning back on the job. It’s a celebration! This workshop is held in the afternoon following Dealing with Performance Problems.
|
Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
| HRD900 |
12/9/09 |
9am - 4pm |
Chicago |
Wieboldt, 107
Series currently in session. Registration closed. |
| HRD950 |
6/16/09 |
9am - 4pm |
Evanston |
TBA |
HRD960 - Advanced Communication Skills: How to Hold Difficult Conversations with your Staff, Peers or Manager
Crucial conversations take place every day in our work. You know the type -- conversations where there are high stakes, differences of opinion, and strong emotion. The difference between mediocre and top performance lies not in strategies, hardware, or even in processes, but in how people handle those difficult conversations. At the heart of all problems in a team or organization are conversations that are either not being handled, or not being handled well.
Key Points
- Identify the conversations that are keeping you from your desired results
- Speak persuasively not abrasively, no matter the topic
- Make it safe for others to share their honest opinions
- Deal with people who either clam up or blow up
- Gain control of your own emotional responses
- Disagree without being disagreeable
- Influence without exerting force
This is a practical and powerful 1.5 day workshop that is geared towards managers, though open to all staff. This workshop typically costs $995 and is called Crucial Conversations , based on the book of the same name, one of the top 10 bestselling business books in 2005.

| |
 |
Manager's HR Toolkit
What Every Northwestern University Manager Needs to Know
HRD755 - How Compensation Works: An Overview for Managers
This workshop provides an understanding of Northwestern University 's compensation philosophy and how the Office of Human Resources Compensation Division partners with Schools and departments to manage and administer a fair, equitable and competitive pay program for staff employees.
This workshop is for supervisors and managers with direct reports, and people who are responsible for the administration of HR policies in their units.
Key Points
- Structuring a job description
- How jobs are evaluated and the use of salary surveys
- How performance relates to merit increases
- Salary ranges: how they're developed and how to use them for salary administration
- When to ask for additional pay
| Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
Fee |
|
| 11/17/09 |
9am - noon |
Evanston |
Norris, 202 |
None* |
Register online |
| 1/26/10 |
9am - noon |
Chicago |
Wieboldt, 107 |
None* |
Register online |
HRD821 -Navigating Difficult Employee-Relations Issues
An employee who is having performance issues shares with you that he has trouble concentrating because he has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). How do you respond?
- Become his confidant?
- Refer him to Perspectives (NU’s Employee Assistance Program)?
- Share with your HR Consultant and/or your manager (in confidence) that he has ADD?
- Tell him he needs to figure it out and improve his performance?
- None of the above
The answer is E) none of the above. ADD is an issue that is protected under the law as a disability. Once we are aware of some employee issues, we are legally placed on notice and must respond appropriately. Does that mean employee performance can’t be managed in these situations? Come learn how to respond to difficult employee issues like these and take the guess work out of knowing the right thing to do, when the right thing isn’t so obvious. You’ll leave this session with the skills and tools needed to face difficult situations without fear or reservation and respond appropriately every time.
This workshop is for supervisors and managers with direct reports, and people who are responsible for the administration of HR policies in their units.
Key Points
- Which employee issues are protected under the law and what response is required
- The legal ramifications of what you do (and don’t do) as a manager
- How to ensure equal and fair treatment of employees
- How to effectively manage the disciplinary process under all circumstances
- How to advise and when to refer Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) issues to HR
- When and how to apply Intermittent FMLA
- When to handle difficult situations and conversations yourself and when to get help from (and refer employees to):
- Perspectives
- Your HR Consultant
- Office of Equal Opportunity and Access
- Office of Work/Life Resources
- Office of Sexual Harassment Prevention
| Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
Fee |
|
| 2/2/10 |
9am - noon |
Chicago |
Wieboldt, 107 |
None* |
Register online |
HRD690 - ADA Accommodations: Step by Step Guidance for Supervisors and Managers
This interactive workshop instructs supervisors and managers on the basic requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its impact on the workplace.
This workshop is for supervisors and managers with direct reports, and people who are responsible for the administration of HR policies in their units.
Key Points
- Understand the definition of a disability
- Identify employees who are protected
- Learn about employer requirements, University policy and procedures
- Determine appropriate responses to performance deficiences that may be linked to a disability
- Determine appropriate responses to requests for accommodations
| Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
Fee |
|
| 2/16/10 |
9am - noon |
Chicago |
Wieboldt, 107 |
None* |
Register online |
HRD820- Work/Life Strategies for Enhancing Workplace Performance
In order to attract and retain the best employees, NU offers a variety of policies and programs that help staff members integrate the competing demands of work and personal life. Whether or not your employees are able to use these programs depends largely on your knowledge, awareness and willingness to support them. Work/life strategies aren’t a nice-to-have perk; they play a pivotal role in the engagement, motivation and performance of your staff. Come learn how to inspire high performance by implementing strategies at the department/team level that enhance work/life integration.
This workshop is for supervisors and managers with direct reports, and people who are responsible for the administration of HR policies in their units.
Key Points
- Why a strong work/life culture matters and why work/life strategies are important to you as a manager
- What work/life resources are available to you and your staff – probably many more than you think!
- Implementing flexible work options: If you offer flex time for one person, do you have to offer it to everybody? (The answer might surprise you.)
- Responding to and maintaining a professional relationship when an employee shares a delicate personal concern
- Customizing approaches that work for you and your employees
- Proactively addressing challenging situations that have work/life components before they impact performance
- Building a culture that supports work/life integration
| Date |
Time |
Campus |
Location |
Fee |
|
| 1/5/10 |
9am - noon |
Chicago |
Wieboldt, 107 |
None* |
Register online |
|
For more information, please contact Learning & Organization Development at 847-467-5081 or training@northwestern.edu.