The Essence of Trust Series

	What does Essence mean?
	Strictly speaking, the term "essence" refers to the attribute (or set of attributes) that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is. Understanding the essence of a thing is critical because it allows us to recognize both what it is and what it isn't in different situations.

	Audiences
	Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Trust but verify."

~ Russian Proverb (as quoted by Ronald Reagan)

Trust is more about the journey than the destination.
Organizations seek trust not for its inherent goodness (though it's certainly a good thing), but because it is essential to helping people work better together to achieve high performance. With trust, individuals and teams can execute on their respective missions with confidence that their direction is based on foundation of sound principles and priorities.

Trust is more than behavior we exhibit toward one another; it represents the quality of our judgment at work. One cannot simply learn "what trust looks like" and blindly mimic that appearance. We learn to trust and to distrust mostly through our experiences. We give and take trust in a variety of ways each day, not just in what we say but, more importantly, in what we do. In fact, trust can take any number of different forms depending upon the context in which it is required, so it is critical that leaders learn - not just the form - but the essence of trust.

Series Objective:
Participants develop an understanding of the judgments required to identify, build, sustain and earn trust as a leader; rather than simply promote a delimited set of trust-building behaviors. This gives participants the confidence to take ownership of and accountability for their own decisions.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is Trust?
Romano Trust Model
The Empathy Factor
Revealing Blind Spots
Teach the Boss a Lesson
Demonstrating Trust
How do you trust?
The Apology Typology
Restoring Investor Trust
Discovering Undiscussables
The Lost Art
Tools for Trust

Building "A" Teams Series

	Leadership Priorities
	"Putting Employees First" means more than just serving their needs. It means building a team of "A" players and holding them accountable to performing to their potential.

	Audiences
	Frontline Leaders Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"You bet on people, not on strategies."

~ Larry Bossidy

The single most important driver of organizational performance is talent, yet talent alone cannot lead to organizational flourishing.
Building "A" Teams provides organizations with the framework for dealing with this paradox. It seeks to supplement the traditional notion of an "A" player with a heightened emphasis on teamwork, accountability and planning. Only by ensuring that they have the right talent working in the right position with the right people, can an organization fulfill its mission, vision and strategy.

Series Objective:
To help HR professionals and other organizational leaders to develop a systematic process for Finding, Hiring, and Retaining an "A" team of employees at each and every level of the organization.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

Conducting a Talent Search
The Selection Process: Objective Assessments & Interviewing
Effective On-Boarding
Team Evaluation
Coaching: Cultivating "A" Talent from Within
Proper Performance Measure and Management
Developing a Comprehensive HR Strategy
Successful Succession Planning

Change Management Series

	Change Management
	Organizations should *thrive, not just survive! A thriving organization is growing ... and growth means change. Change can be difficult to manage, but with a solid framework of Priorities, the decisions and their probable impact become clearer to see. All change involves Risk and Discovery. We help your organization to understand the stage of growth or decline that your organization is experiencing. Utilizing the principles of Priority Thinking*, we help you to identify and implement the fundamental priorities required for your business to thrive!

	Audiences
	Corporate Leaders Senior Executives Mid-level Managers
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind.

To the fearful, it is threatening because it means that things may get worse.

To the hopeful, it is encouraging because it means that things may get better.

To the confident, it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better."

~ King Whitney, Jr.

Change is inevitable; but the process of preparing for change and managing change will reduce the stress and help achieve the desired outcome.
Properly aligned Priorities provide the foundation for clear decision making, higher levels of sustained performance, and an improved ethical framework. The application of Priority Thinking to understanding the dynamics and impact of managing change is a critical skill for any organization.

Series Objective:
To assist Leaders and their organizations in increasing their understanding of the realities of the change process, and implementing changes more effectively.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is Change?
Why Change?
From What ... to What ...
The Vision
The Conflict of Change
Aligned Priorities
Leadership Priorities
Understanding Risk
Culture and Change
Know versus Do
Preventing a Crisis
Grow or Die!

Crisis Leadership Series

	Crisis Anatomy
	Machiavelli said, "Never waste a crisis" because he saw opportunity masked by the crisis. Another way to say this is that sometimes you need a crisis to fix a problem. Recognizing the anatomy of a crisis is key to successful leadership.

	Audiences
	Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"A crisis is unvarnished reality presenting itself with unmistakable urgency."

~ Unknown

Are you ready to respond to a crisis? Most of us do not wake up each morning ready for a crisis. Back on September 11th, 2001, many of us woke up to what we thought would be another normal day. Clearly, history shows, that was not the case. Spectacular events that generate crises are visible with the benefit of hindsight. Yet other crises occur even with the benefit of foresight. Ask any average person if our country is in crisis and they will likely respond, "yes!" Why? There are a variety of reasons ...

Most people are optimistic by nature. It is their way of dealing with uncertainty and difficult or vexing problems. In some cases, it is self-deception; avoiding the reality of things. In those situations, the proverbial "day of reckoning" arrives and we are forced - without the luxury of time - for reflection; to make decisions to flee or simply become frozen by the situation. A crisis is an uncertain and precarious time in the history of any organization.

Good leaders recognize that every company will face a crisis at one point or another. However, most leaders acknowledge that they are unsure or, even worse, don't even know what a potential crisis may look like for their organization. In fact, many leaders do not have a crisis management plan to address known risks or weaknesses within their organizational model. Since the complexity of organizational life is increasing, the healthiest organizations understand where their weaknesses exist and the impact on the survival of the firm.

A crisis is the reality of risk revealed. Some risks you cannot anticipate, but many can be responded to in ways that are both simple and effective.

Series Objective:
Our Crisis Leadership Series is designed to introduce leaders to the nature of crisis, the different type of crises, and the various ways that leaders should not only respond to crisis but prevent future crises from occurring. We take your organization through a real crisis and discuss the impact of the crisis as it affects the employees, the assets of the firm, and relationships with customers, shareholders, suppliers, and distributors. We also discuss how it affects you, the leader, who your people are depending upon to steer them through to calmer seas.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is a Crisis?
The Four Crisis Factors
Leading through Crisis
The Behavior Priorities
Respondable Risks
The Daily Operating Priorities

Customer Loyalty Series

	Leadership Priorities
	"The customer comes first" is a catchy but misleading motto. If organizations don't make it a priority to develop front-line employees and systems that can properly care for customers, they are doomed to fail.

	Audiences
	Frontline Leaders Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Never treat your audience as customers,
always as partners."

~ Jimmy Stewart

A satisfied customer might come back; but a loyal customer will bring his/her friends!
Thus, customer loyalty is the only true path to sustainable long-term growth. Yet fostering loyalty requires not just meeting the customer's expectations, but anticipating and satisfying needs that the customer may not even have considered. Such responsiveness demands that an organization have Vision, Discipline and the Flexibility to adapt to the changing demands.

The Customer Loyalty Series provides leaders with the tools they need to help their organizations develop these critical attributes and implement a priority framework to effectively guide their employees through the "fog of war" created by hectic daily operations.

Series Objective:
To help organizational leaders develop a priority-driven approach to fulfilling the true purpose of the organization and fostering Customer Loyalty.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

The Daily Operating and Leadership Priorities
Value Creation in Your Industry
Formulating a Vision for Success
Defining Your Customer
The Four Victories
Sustaining a Culture of Victory

Executive Leadership Series

	Executive Leadership
	Great Leaders have earned the trust and confidence of their followers. Right ordered decision making, and ensuring their organization's culture and processes support the right values, are two of the characteristics that Executive Leaders must have to earn the personal trust and confidence of their team.

	Audiences
	Corporate Leaders Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.

But if you must be without one, be without the strategy."

~ Norman Schwarzkopf

Leaders must be of Great Character.
But great character alone does not make an effective leader. At the Executive level, leaders must have a detailed self-awareness of their personal leadership style and characteristics.
The Leadership Inventory is the first step in the process of our Executive Leadership Series. The process continues with a series of programs that engages the Executive's personal experience with the Priority Thinking model to develop a stronger and more effective, ethical leader for the organization.

Series Objective:
To assist the "Chief" and other Executive leaders in an organization to become more effective in driving the changes in performance and corporate culture that will result in long term growth and benefits of both the organization and the leaders themselves.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

The Leadership Inventory
What is Leadership?
Before Ethics
What are Priorities?
Bets against Reality
The Behavior Priorities
Developing an Ethical Aptitude
The Courage Gap
Critical Thinking Skills
What are "A" Players, and how to address "C" Players?
Introduction to Executive Coaching
1-1 Coaching Subordinates
The Power of the Golden Mean

Facilitation Series

	Meetings
	Vince Lombardi once said, "The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual." The effort in facilitation is developing skills to guide and ensure individuals remain open-minded and respectful of each other while working towards their common goal.

	Audiences
	Company Trainers Frontline Leaders Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Coming together is a beginning,

Keeping together is a progress,

Working together is a success."

~ Henry Ford

An individual with great knowledge and expertise may be part of a team yet not have the opportunity to contribute to the effort and outcome of the team.
A misconception about meetings is the thought that getting all the experts in the same room will automatically produce good results. In actuality, getting the experts together is just the beginning. A challenge then exists of getting all the experts to be able to work together effectively.
The Facilitation Series provides the skills for any group that is meeting for a common purpose to function in a way that is effective and successful in meeting the intended outcomes. Leaders can apply these skills to meetings, decision-making, problem solving, strategic planning and many other facets of their jobs.

Series Objective:
To develop the necessary skills a facilitator needs in order to help a group stay focused on its tasks, explore the situation more fully, minimize interpersonal conflict unrelated to the task, work through conflict that is central to the work of the group and build openness and support within the group.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is Facilitation: Core Course
Methods & Techniques Part I: Engagement, Intervention and Decision-making Techniques
Methods & Techniques Part II: Brainstorming and Problem Solving
The Visual Meeting
Facilitation Forms
Facilitation "Role Play"

Frontline Supervisor Series

	Essentials of Leadership
	"Putting Employees First" means more than just serving their needs. The best leaders understand that they must cultivate willing followers by effectively "setting a good example," communicating, engaging, providing feedback, and more ... It means building a team of "A" players and holding them accountable.

	Audiences
	Group Leaders Team Leaders Frontline Supervisors
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Leadership is practiced not so much in words, as in attitudes and in actions."

~ Harold Geneen

The Frontline Supervisor Series provides the framework for the effective and ethical leadership of Team Leaders and Supervisors.
The best leaders understand that they must cultivate willing followers who believe in the core purpose and vision of their organization. Many supervisors get confused about what should get the most focus of their time, energy and resources. Having an understanding of and the ability to apply sound priorities to daily decision-making will allow frontline supervisors to develop an efficient system for completing their daily activities.

Series Objective:
To enable effective, high-performance, highly ethical frontline supervisors through instruction in the theory and application of priority-driven, team-oriented leadership.
To help frontline supervisors develop a systematic approach to their daily activities and responsibilities.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is Leadership?
Essentials of Teamwork
What are Priorities?
Behavioral Priorities
Daily Operating Priorities
Conducting Start-Up Meetings
Problem Solving
Performance/Coaching: Ownership and Accountability

Operational Excellence Series

	Operational Excellence
	Organizations that thrive and are successful in the long term understand the characteristics of Operational Excellence. They have a devotion to do things right and not rest in their current comfort zone. The use of consistent priorities set these organizations apart from the ones that try and implement a one-time program.

	Audiences
	Corporate Leaders Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes."

~ James A. Froude

Operational Excellence.
The tools and skills are both popular and fundamental, so why do so many programs fall short?
The answer lies in the priorities of the organization. If the priority is to implement a Lean Manufacturing or 6 Sigma program, the program will most likely not yield sustainable results. Most organizations lack the consistent priorities that are a prerequisite to achieving Operational Excellence. Our Operational Excellence series helps leaders to "know" and provides the foundations and tools so that they will "do."

Series Objective:
To assist the leaders in any organization to become more effective in driving the changes in sustained performance improvement.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

Building A Teams
6 Sigma
The 4 Victories
Lean Manufacturing
Why 5S is really 6S
How does Lean create additional Capacity?
The "AND" Rule
"Thriving not Just Surviving"
Culture Assessments and Operational Excellence
Addressing Respondable Risks

Organizational Culture

	What is Culture?
	While many complex definitions and models may exist, we believe that Culture is most easily understood as "the way people think and the way things get done around the organization." Such a simple definition forces a focus on the critical role of Culture in aligning the way people think and act with the true mission of the organization.

	Audiences
	Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Culture is a little like dropping an Alka-Seltzer into a glass ...

You don't see it, but somehow it does something."

~ Hans Magnus Enzensberger

At Priority Thinking, we believe that the recent slew of cases of corporate misconduct can be explained as a problem of priorities ... Cultural Priorities.
It's an obvious truth that the actions and behaviors of the members of an organization are strongly correlated with the priorities encouraged by that organization's culture. Whether they are explicitly stated or implicit in the rules, processes or behaviors of the organization's leadership, Cultural Priorities reverberate through the actions of members at every level of responsibility and in every facet of operations. Yet many corporate and organizational leaders ignore this reality and turn their focus to the more technical, quantitative elements of their job.
The Organizational Culture series was designed to help leaders understand the importance of culture and provide them with a framework for sound cultural stewardship.

Series Objective:
To introduce corporate and organizational leaders to an intuitive framework for recognizing, practicing and embedding sound priorities in an organization's culture to generate sustained high-performance and improved ethical decision-making.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

Introduction to Priority Thinking
What is Corporate Culture?
The Daily Operating Priorities
Ethics and Corporate Culture
The Behavioral Priorities
Cultural Leadership

Problem Solving Series

	What ... then How
	In order to successfully problem solve, you need to understand clearly What should be. Once this is understood, the process of How is more easily recognized. Without the what, you are heading towards the unknown of what should be ... not necessarily resolving the root cause of the problem at hand.

	Audiences
	Frontline Supervisors Technical Support Personnel Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."

~ Albert Einstein

The Problem Solving Series provides the knowledge and framework for Leaders and Technical Support personnel to approach Problem Solving with the application of Priority Thinking.
Defining a systematic approach that looks at risk - and how to prioritize actions based on these findings - makes the process more viable. Recognizing and practicing sound priorities in daily decision-making allows Leaders to develop an efficient system for approaching and resolving problems that occur in daily operations.

Series Objective:
To enable Leaders through instruction in the theory and practical application of priority-driven, risk-oriented thinking to efficiently and effectively resolve problems. To help Leaders develop a systematic approach to resolving problems that applies to any facet of their responsibilities.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

Problem Solving for Priority Thinkers
Problem Solving Tools & Techniques
MBF's & Gap Analysis
Analytical Skills
How to Perform Risk Assessment
Interaction Barriers in Problem Solving
Employee Involvement
Introduction to Six Sigma
Tips to Problem Solving

Risk Management Series

	Respondable Risks
	One of the most dangerous mistakes a leader can make is to fail to distinguish between "system risks" and "respondable risks." While any realistic person will tell you that it's impossible to negate risk altogether, it IS possible to negate some of the risks present in any situation. It is the duty of the leader to negate whatever risks he or she can for the good of the organization and the people within. In the words of Colonel Royal Taylor, leaders should "always use your artillery!"

	Audiences
	Frontline Supervisors Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"If you're not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business."

~ Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's

RISK = EXPOSURE + UNCERTAINTY.
Some scholars (skeptics, really) see risk as a purely human reaction that is not a part of reality. They think risk is nothing but a figment of the imagination.

But Realists recognize that business, by its very nature, is a risk-taking activity. For every decision a leader or employee makes, there exists the very real possibility of negative consequences for the organization. Of course, the possibility of many consequences can be eliminated entirely by preventative action ... and some consequences are much less likely than others ... but, on the whole, risk DOES exist.

Our best bet, then, is to manage risk, rather than deny it. The Risk Management Series is designed to help leaders at all levels learn to recognize and manage risk by identifying Respondable Risks, maximizing the mitigation of inevitable System Risks, and communicating clear priorities that both make crises less likely AND provide a clear course of action should a particular risk be realized.

Series Objective:
To help mid-level and senior managers to develop and apply a clear decision-making process for dealing with Risk in their organizational environment.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is Risk?
Leading in an Environment of Risk
The Four Respondable Risks
The Knowledge Priorities
Risk Assessments
Rooting out Respondable Risk
The Daily Operating Priorities

Sales Leadership Series

	Telling not Selling?
	Salespeople are often so interested in what they want to say that they fail to listen to what the customer is actually seeking. This "telling not selling" approach ignores the fundamental purpose of sales ... to meet customer needs.

	Audiences
	Salespeople Sales Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Customers buy for their reasons ... Not yours."

~ Orvel Ray Wilson

The Sales Leadership Series provides the knowledge and framework for Leaders and Sales personnel to approach sales from a "priority" perspective.
By understanding the value of the customer and the service they provide to us, we clearly see how meeting the customer's needs is a priority. But is that enough?
Building a mutually beneficial, trusting and long-term relationship with the customer ... as viewed through the eyes of the customer ... allows us to truly understand and develop a unique approach that surpasses the traditional spoken word that "The customer is the #1 priority."

Series Objective:
To enable Salespeople and Sales Leaders to develop a unique approach to sales. Participants will develop critical skills that will enhance their ability to grow the business. The course utilizes innovative, thought-provoking discussion of practical and theoretical approaches.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is a Salesperson?
What is a Customer?
How to Grow your Business
Techniques for Building Relationships
Sales through the Eyes of the Customer
What Sells; What does Not Sell
Developing a Great Salesperson ("A" Player)
The 1% Factor

Strategy Series

	Strategic Priorities
	Good strategic priorities reflect the unique value proposition of the organization. Developing strategic priorities works best when the organization recognizes and practices sound core priorities.

	Audiences
	Middle Managers Senior Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"Plans are nothing; Planning is everything."

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The essence of strategy is finding opportunity and choosing to perform activities differently from competitors so as to provide a unique value proposition.
To sustain the capacity to offer such a proposition, organizations must develop an efficient system of activities ... each of which reinforces the other.
Our Strategy Series is designed to guide organizational leaders through the entire Strategy planning process: from formulating a Vision - to mapping a Strategy - to executing the Strategy on the front-lines.

Series Objective:
To assist organizational leaders in the systematic development and implementation of a Vision and Strategy to drive long-term growth for their respective organizations.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

What is Strategy?
Steps of the Strategy Planning
Envisioning your Vision
Do you know your value proposition?
Different types of value propositions
Building your Business Model
Financial Modeling and Capital Allocation
GAP Analyses
Operational Excellence within Strategy
Introduction to the Strategic Priority Map
Defining Strategic Initiatives
Building an Effective Scorecard
Aligning Employee Objectives to the Strategy

Succession Planning Series

	Succession Planning
	Organizations that thrive and are successful in the long run: have a clear vision, build up their A Team talent, have a clear plan for the future. They may be surprised by unplanned or even tragic events, but they are never unprepared. Organizations led by Priority Thinkers plan for succession in all key positions: Leaders, Salespeople, Technical skills, and other key people at all levels. This series will prepare leaders and their organizations to plan, prepare, and prioritize for these changes.

	Audiences
	Corporate Leaders Senior Executives HR Executives
	Formats
	Live Group Training (on-site*) Distance Learning
	Our Priority Poller* is available for use with all of our on-site training.

"The only thing constant in life is change"

~ Francois de la Rochefoucauld

Succession Planning.
The orderly transfer of duties, responsibilities, and expected results from one person in a critical role to another is often presumed that it will "just happen" in organizations. The reality is, many organizations fail to properly plan and prioritize for this event. The time to begin succession planning is "Now." Our Succession Planning series helps leaders to recognize, learn and practice key priorities that will provide a sound framework for both them and their organization to facilitate an effective succession. Whether the transition is a long scheduled event, or a spontaneous necessity, the planning and foundation of our series will ensure the "indispensable" person is replaced in an effective and efficient manner.

Series Objective:
To assist Leaders to take proactive measures in identifying potential employees that should be developed and groomed for future organization "key person" needs. This also requires that the organization has a robust process that is capable of smoothly responding to planned - as well as sudden - vacancies in management or other significant positions.

Course Modules Include (but are not limited to):

Building A Teams
Priority Culture Survey
From What ... to What ...
The Vision
Looking at the Competencies needed in the future
Filling the Gap
Knowledge Priorities
Leadership Priorities
The value of exit interviews
The Talent Pool
Risk
Measuring Success and Effectiveness
Onboarding