Coaching Skills for Leaders and Managers
with Amy Kohut
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
10-12 pm
$40
Via Zoom

Managing and leading people is a complex process.  How do you make sure team members achieve their fullest performance potential? How do you empower them with skills and tools to do the job instead of telling them how to do it?

Coaching is one of the key components of managing modern teams. It is a model in which managers ask questions and give support and guidance rather than instruction. Employees learn how to adapt and respond in ways that unleash fresh energy, innovation, and learning.

This interactive workshop will teach managers effective coaching techniques and when to use them to maximize employee learning and growth.

Attendees will:

• Understand the difference between directing, mentoring, advising and coaching, and when to use each
• Learn a coaching framework that can be used in one-on-one coaching conversations
• Practice coaching skills using real work situations
• Enhance their coaching, management, and leadership know-how

About the Presenter

Amy Kohut has been skillfully leading groups and individuals towards their professional goals for over 25 years. She is the founder and owner of 1 Step Coaching and Consulting, LLC and former director of Cornell University’s Team and Leadership Center.

Amy teaches leadership classes at Cornell, is a Leadership Coach for Cornell Executive MBAs, and is certified in the EQi 2.0 model of Emotional Intelligence. She has studied with Daniel Goleman at the Omega Institute and is a member of The International Coach Federation. Amy also serves on the Board of Directors of the Experiential Training and Development Alliance.  She offers group workshops and one-on-one coaching in utilizing Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Development and Team Dynamics.

Improving Cross-Cultural Communication – An Introduction
with Dr. Ednita M. Wright and Karen Brown
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
9:00 – 11:00 am

The ability for health and human services workers to communicate effectively and compassionately with their clients is essential to the provision of high quality care and service.

But what happens when we serve people from different countries or cultures? Cultural norms impact how your clients perceive you and how they may respond to information you provide. Learning to communicate across cultures allows you to build a rapport with people from different backgrounds which leads to better understanding, better service, and more equitable care and service.

In this session, participants will:

• Understand the concept of health literacy and the impact of lower health literacy skills on health outcomes
• Understand the importance of effective cross-cultural communication
• Explore cross-cultural communication as a universal precaution strategy for improving outcomes
• Be introduced to the RESPECT model (from Think Cultural Health) as an effective method for cross cultural communication

About the Presenters: 

Ednita M. Wright (Dr. Nina), Ph.D., LCSW, CASAC recently retired from Onondaga Community College where she was a Professor in the Human Services/Teacher Education Department, Chair of the Department and Program Coordinator of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling Program. She leaves academe after teaching for thirty-five (35) years in various public and private academic institutions.  Prior to her academic career she worked as a social worker in community agencies that served individuals with HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, domestic violence, housing, and mental health issues. 

Dr. Wright has consulted for over twenty-five years with community agencies and academic institutions regarding issues of bias with the primary objective of moving away from tolerance to authentic inclusion, for all.  She recently contributed to the review of the Health Literacy training, offered by the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute which focused on language, and its importance in decreasing exclusion and stigma. Dr. Wright believes to serve humans with love, there must be a solid and unwavering commitment to inclusion and the rooting out of all practices, norms, procedures, etc. that perpetuate any form of exclusion.

Karen Brown holds a master’s degree in social sciences and serves as the current Programs Manager, at Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, located in Ithaca, NY.  Karen is a 2018 Health Literacy Leadership Institute Fellow from Tufts University’s school of Public Health.   

Karen currently works as a health literacy and cultural competence consultant for various organizations across upstate New York.  Karen is especially passionate about advocating for the provision of health care literacy competencies among health care professionals.  

In addition, Karen has recently designed a training program to address the low health literacy levels of individuals receiving Medicaid benefits in 15 counties, within Upstate New York, with funding through the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program (DSRIP). This training program has demonstrated, and continues to demonstrate its sustainability and efficacy for the promotion of health literacy. 

All registration sales are final.

Diversity and Inclusion at Work – How to be Part of the Solution
with Debra Turner Bailey
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
10-12 pm
$40
Via Zoom – a link will be sent to your email upon registration

Diverse and inclusive work environments help employees show up each day without fear of being their true selves. They also foster higher degrees of engagement, productivity, and innovation.

Each of us has a role to play in fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace. Understanding and adopting your natural role can help bring lasting change to your workplace – and a ripple effect to the broader community.

In this workshop, attendees will:

• Learn about the value of a diverse and inclusive work environment to them and their co-workers
• Understand the different roles employees play in creating an inclusive work place culture
• Help participants self-identify their individual roles in the process
• Learn how to leverage these roles to help foster diversity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace

This session is based on the material from, “Empowered Living: Another Seat at the Table.”

About the Presenter

Debra Turner Bailey is an inspirational leader who mobilizes people with a deep commitment to inclusion, engagement and empowerment.  A true visionary, she is equally comfortable working to create a robust initiative from a blank slate, or tackling a complex, intractable problem to find a win-win resolution.  In both cases, she looks for creative, practical, people-oriented solutions, and motivates others to passionately move a project or agenda forward.

Debra spent the first ten years of her career in higher education, specifically concentrating on peer and group learning outside the classroom, and on adding a global perspective to student services, programming and curricula.

Since joining Corning Incorporated in 1989, Debra has built a legacy as both an individual contributor valued for her ability to make a deep impact on a focus area, and as a leader who excels at strategic thinking, leading collaborative efforts, and coaching others to realize their full potential.  In 2013, Debra retired from Corning Incorporated as their Global Diversity Officer. In that role she was responsible for developing and implementing Corning’s global diversity strategy.

Debra has worked with the Center for Applied Research (CFAR) since 2020 as a coach and facilitator. She also consults and trains within a variety of organizations including corporations, educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations.

Debra holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology (minor in women’s studies) and a Master of Public Affairs from UNC-Greensboro.  She also earned a master’s degree in human resources studies from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

All registration sales are final.

Compassion Fatigue & Self-Care
Workshop and Group Coaching Series
This workshop is being provided through the generous support of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

Tuesday, March 16, 2021
9:00 – 11:00 am
Plus, three 1-hour coaching sessions for continued self-care support!
via Zoom

FREE

Attendance is limited to 30 so please register early. If the event is full, please email registration@hsctc.org to be placed on a waiting list. If demand is high, a second session may be scheduled.

Before you can care for others, you must care for yourself. Compassion fatigue is a term that describes the psychological, emotional, and physical costs of working in helping professions like human services, mental health, social justice, and child care. 

This type of work requires a high level of emotional labor on behalf of those you are working with – and this can cause high levels of stress and fatigue. The good news is there are healthy, productive ways to combat these stressors, build positive defenses against secondary trauma, and strengthen your well-being.

This workshop will teach you how to tend to your own needs so you can continue to be there for others.

You will:

• Learn what compassion fatigue really is and what causes it
• Help you understand how workplace stressors and traumas may be negatively impacting you and your work
• Learn practical strategies on how to identify compassion fatigue in yourself (and others) and how to combat it
• Gain insight into your strengths and start to develop your own self-care practices as you begin to develop your own self-care plan

Group coaching cohorts (optional)

Participate in a group coaching cohort to help develop your self-care tool kit with guidance from expert coaches and support from your workshop colleagues. Put into practice the skills you learn in the workshop for more sustained relief and resilience.

Each cohort has three, 1-hour coaching sessions. Your full participation in all three sessions is expected.

Session ONE

Wednesday, 3/24 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Wednesday, 3/31 from 10:30 – 11:30 am
Wednesday, 4/14 from 11:00 – 12:00 pm

Session TWO
Wednesday, 3/24 from 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Wednesday, 3/31 from 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Wednesday, 4/14 from 2:30 – 3:30 pm

Presenter & Cohort Coach: Audrey Halpern, Human Services Consulting & Training  

Audrey is a highly engaging learning and development professional with a diverse background in Human Resources, instructional design and sales. Since 1992, Audrey has been consulting with clients, developing customized content and facilitating soft skills, emotional intelligence, leadership, and communication content.

Audrey is passionate about soft skills professional development. As a lifelong learner her philosophy is centered on two questions: how can I improve things around me and how can I assist employees in becoming more self-aware? As a trainer, she utilizes activities to build confidence and essential skills for individuals and teams to communicate and collaborate effectively.

Audrey is a faculty member of the American Management Association in New York where she teaches professional development topics throughout the Northeast. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Art History. This creativity infuses her training making it fun, engaging and highly interactive.

Audrey holds several training certifications including Creative Training Techniques, Design Thinking, Leadership Challenge Posner/Kouzes, DiSC, Innovation Women Speaker/Presenter and many others.

Cohort Coach: Sue Mann, Sansu Rising Coaching

Sue is deeply compassionate and courageous coach focused on helping professionals who feel stuck in a toxic environment or with workplace bullying navigate confidently and effectively. Her approach is rooted in the research on trauma, psychological safety, self-compassion and vulnerability as they play out in the workplace. Sue’s 25-year career has spanned continents, roles and industries.

She holds an MBA and Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) from Cornell University. Other certifications and accreditations include: Professional Certified Coach, Board Certified Coach; Energy Leadership Index – Master Practitioner; COR.E Dynamics Specialist – Leadership and Certified Community Resilience Model Teacher from the Trauma Resource Institute.

How to Lead Effective Virtual Meetings

with Erica Marx and Fred Brown
Thursday, March 11, 2021
10-12 pm

via Zoom – a link will be sent to your email upon registration

The ability to run an effective meeting has always been important, In the era of virtual meetings, the ability to run an effective meeting has become more essential.

Poorly-designed virtual meetings are frustrating, inefficient, and squander the already scarce resources of people’s attention and patience. In addition, the shift to remote work has left many teams without the informal and spontaneous time together that is crucial for collaboration and teamwork.

The good news is that well-designed virtual meetings provide unique opportunities for meaningful engagement, trust building, and can be even more productive than in-person meetings. 

This workshop will teach you how to design, manage and facilitate engaging virtual meetings that strengthen teams and produce results.

In this highly interactive workshop, you will learn:

• A simple 5-step framework for structuring your meeting

• Key design principles for online interactivity and meaningful engagement
• Fun activities to engage your team and create connection
• Easy-to-use online tools for specific outcomes
• Strategies for including all voices and managing power dynamics
• Technical tips for running effective online meetings 

You will leave the workshop with personal insights and practical tools to create engaging and productive team meetings.

About the Presenters

Erica Marx, M.S

Erica is an Executive and Leadership coach specializing in creating fun and interactive virtual events that build trust, collaboration, and meaningful relationships. She is the owner of Erica Marx Coaching and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF). Erica is the founder of Ithaca Improv and on the board of the International Applied Improvisation Network. Erica has a MS in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida and a BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University. 

Fred Brown, MFA

Fred is a workplace team trainer and improvisational theater artist. As a facilitator, he has led workshops in team-building and leadership presence for organizations including the Johnson Business School at Cornell University, Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and Google. His creative work focuses on group collaborative processes and co-created performance. Fred has a MFA from the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training and a BA in Classical Philology from Harvard University.

Fee: $40

Online via Zoom – a link will be sent to you upon registration

All registration sales are final.

Help Your Nonprofit Strategy SOAR!

Wednesday, March 3, 2021
9:00 am – 10:30 am
via Zoom – a link will be sent to your email upon registration

Many of us are familiar with the use of SWOT in strategic planning. An alternative process is SOAR, a method that focuses on organizational strengths and future opportunities.

SOAR stands for Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results and was developed out of the field of Appreciative Inquiry. This workshop will introduce the concept of SOAR and provide a forum for you to apply the model to your own organization’s planning.

Techniques for using divergent thinking and convergent decision making will be demonstrated. Tips on how to facilitate SOAR and other strategic planning on a virtual platform will also be shared.

The session will conclude with group discussion on how this process can start and support strategic decision making.

About the Presenter

Heidi Holtz

Heidi Holtz is the Owner/Principal of Stillwork Consulting Group, LLC. She specializes in helping nonprofits and organizations grow their capacity in board development, strategic planning, communications, storytelling, resource development and leadership.

From 2005 to 2018 Heidi was on the senior leadership team of the Gifford Foundation in Syracuse, NY. While there she developed a number of initiatives, among them StoryGrowing, a training program for nonprofits who wish to build their storytelling capacity. Prior to Gifford, Heidi spent 25 years in arts administration including nine years as Director of Communications at Syracuse Stage. She has taught at Syracuse University and Ithaca

Heidi holds certifications in Nonprofit Lifecycles (capacity building system), BoardSource Nonprofit Board Consultant, and as an Appreciative Inquiry facilitator.

Fee: $40

Online via Zoom – a link will be sent to you upon registration

All registration sales are final.

NOTE: DATE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED…

Returning to the Workplace After COVID-19

Thursday, February 25, 2021
9:00 am – 11:00 am
via Zoom – a link will be sent to your email upon registration

Organizations have found themselves faced with numerous human resource related concerns as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Some are beginning to reopen on-site facilities, presenting organizations with new challenges as part of the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This session will discuss areas organizations may want to address as they develop strategies to return to the office. Topics will include paid time off requirements and policies, office space practices, requiring employees to receive the vaccine, and many others. There will be a presentation of leading practices followed by an open Q&A session with expert human resource consultants.

About the Presenters

Ginny Biesiada

Ginny Biesiada served as the Chief Administrative Officer of a Syracuse-based real estate development and property management firm for over 25 years, overseeing human resources, organizational development and planning, training, risk management and marketing for the company and all of its related entities. Currently she is providing human resource consulting services to small and mid-size firms who do not have in-house resources for recruiting, onboarding, benefits administration, coaching and disciplinary issues, policy and procedure design, sexual harassment training and compliance, either on an ongoing basis, or for special projects.

She is a graduate of the University at Albany, earned a Certificate in Human Resource Studies from Cornell University and is a graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse. She is the recipient of the Central New York Women in Business Award, the Thursday Morning Roundtable Award for Meritorious Service to the Community, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York Volunteer of the Year Award, and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central New York Volunteer of the Year Award.

Ginny currently serves as Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Central New York, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Central Library, a member of the Board of Governors of Hillside, and Chair of the Human Resource Committee of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York

Mathew W. Burr, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR

Matthew Burr has over 13-years of experience working in the human resources field. He is the founder and manager of Burr Consulting, LLC, a human resources consulting company and Co-Owner of Labor Love, a Labor and Employment Law poster printing company. He specializes in labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor, and employment relations, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. 

Matthew is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Elmira College, a trainer for several regional colleges and universities, and an instructor for national HR certification organizations.

Among other publications, Matthew has published two books, the most recent in January 2021, “Slay the Student Loan Dragon: Tips and Tricks on How to Conquer the Student Loan Game”. 

Matthew is currently the NYS Society of Human Resource Management (NYSSHRM) Southern District Director and serves on several community boards and committees.

Fee: $40

Online via Zoom – a link will be sent to you upon registration

All registration sales are final.

This engaging, hands-on training is designed for people who provide programs and services to rural individuals, families, and communities. It will include information on cultural competence and why it is important, an introduction to rural culture, and interactive activities to enhance understanding and skills around rural cultural competence that will improve service provision.

Participants will:

• Better understand the common characteristics of rural people and communities
• Enhance their skills in service provision and communication to better meet the needs of rural populations
• Gain access to practical and useful resources on how to measure, evaluate, and improve individual, programmatic, and organizational rural cultural competence

All registrants will receive the Zoom link and a pre-test prior to the training.

Fee: $25

Tuesday, May 12, 2020 from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm online via Zoom.  This is a free session for Nonprofit Board Chairs.  We ask that you register in advance of this session.  You will be emailed an online link to attend the day prior to the event.

As we face unprecedented times, not for profit boards may be wrestling with difficult questions and decisions. Responding in a crisis is not easy. It takes a strong, steady and adaptive leadership and good governance to plan for the needs of the day – not to mention the future. What is the board’s role in a time of crisis? How can the board and staff work together right now? What questions should we be asking? What information should we be reviewing? How can we plan in the face of uncertainty?

Our organizations need good governance now more than ever. Join your board colleagues in a round table dialogue about how our boards can best support our organizations through this pandemic and beyond.