CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (05/11/2011)(readMedia)-- Among the many lessons of the recent recession is the certainty that preparation can help an organization be more responsive to marketplace changes to arrive at more favorable outcomes. Businesses equipped with employees that can pivot seamlessly into new roles, assume new responsibilities, or fill operational voids can reduce common barriers that might otherwise slow down valuable response time. Barriers may include inefficiencies, communication failures, and lack of clarity around expectations or performance. All serve to distract leaders from their core assignments and if not managed properly, can potentially damage employee morale and satisfaction. It seems strong training programs may not only impact revenue directly, but indirectly as well.

Penny wise, pound foolish

So why are training and mentoring programs getting cut, when they serve an organization's short and long term objectives? Moreover, with more women active in the workforce now than ever before, why aren't there programs that address the dual roles that women play as significant wage earners and nurturing caregivers? *

A December 2010 survey by Catalyst, Inc. cites that while women represent 46.8% of the American workforce, only 2.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. This glaring disparity indicates a huge opportunity for organizations looking to prepare women to take more significant roles at executive levels. **

Training prepares workforces to be tomorrow's leaders

Mindy Seiffert, Client Consultant at Skywalk Group, believes there are consequences to the lack of support structures for professional women. "You can't be it if you don't see it," said Seiffert. "Humans learn through observation, when we see things in practice and then adapt it to fit our own needs. It's extremely challenging to be an effective female leader in an ecosystem devoid of effective female leaders. Women inherently face different challenges in the workplace than do men."

When asked why she believed training to be so essential, Seiffert continued "In today's busy world, made further complex by the recession, it's easy to marginalize or overlook some of the critical steps that a leader needs in order to enhance productivity and engagement in the workplace. But when leaders are trained to focus on behaviors while maintaining an employee's self-esteem, workplace performance and morale increases. This, in turn, positively impacts the bottom line."

To help businesses train more effective women leaders, Skywalk Group is conducting The Leadership and Development for Women Workshop. It takes place at Skywalk Group's Training and Development Center on May 12, June 2, and June 23. Each session will begin at 8:30am and conclude at 12:30pm. Additional e-learning sessions (up to four) are included with the program; content will vary according to the individual needs of each participant.

The first session was held April 21. New attendees joining the program will receive an additional e-learning class to cover missed material.

Attendee Liz Mathis, Chief Information Officer of Four Oaks, believes training shouldn't stop at any point in one's career. "No matter what business I may work for, learning to be a better manager and leader creates a return on investment and measureable outcomes. This workshop has helped me focus on essential skills that will help me be proactive, rather than reactive. I'm learning to break through and excel in a way that will position me to manage at an executive level."

Program Details

The program is broken into four main parts: Leadership Essentials, Communication Essentials, Goal Setting, and Providing Performance Feedback. Outcomes of attendance include:

• Improved communication with peers and superiors
• Setting strong examples to mentor and develop others
• Improved productivity, greater motivation and personal ownership

Persons interested in learning more or registering for the Leadership Development for Women program should call 319-743-9830 or visit http://bit.ly/fs0pF9.

Group sessions are being live tweeted by Skywalk Group under the hash tag #SKYLDW. Persons using Twitter can follow along for training highlights in 140-character bursts.

*Source: HR Management: http://www.hrmreport.com/article/Schools-Out/

** Source: Catalyst, Inc.: http://www.catalyst.org/publication/206/women-in-us-management

###

Skywalk Group is a professional services organization specializing in human resources management, recruiting, IT staffing, and training & development. The leadership team and professional staff at Skywalk Group have extensive human resources and executive experience providing critical human resources strategy and support for companies of all sizes. Find out more about Skywalk Group at www.skywalkgroup.com.

Posted Wednesday May 11, 2011 at 08:00 am by Insights & Ingenuity
Last Updated Thursday May 19, 2011 at 11:32 am