Leading Strategic Initiatives (Program Management) with Greg Githens
What You Will Learn
Upon completion of this training, learners will be able to:
- Apply the “four driving questions” to program initiation and benefits realization
- Develop perspective on personal leadership competencies, expertise influence, strategic thinking, question asking, and story telling
- Apply communications techniques to better convey benefits, value, opportunities, and promises to stakeholders
Description
This training’s primary purpose is to provide proven leadership practices, skills, and insights specific to strategic initiative programs. Learners will gain tools, perspective, and confidence to make instant positive contributions.
The content is grounded in real-world examples of strategic initiatives. The course provides a structured set of recommendations for applying tools from the program management toolbox.
Strategic initiatives are distinct, bold, and scalable endeavors. They are not tactical projects intended to improve business operations.
An important feature of strategic initiatives is that they must cope with unpredictability in the external business environment: e.g., emergence, volatility, and ambiguity. The path to success is not classical planning, but rather an approach that embraces tools that allow the organization to experiment and pivot as it gains insight into the business environment.
We will address common myths about strategy execution. By recognizing the essential principles, we will show how to deliver impact and deliver important benefits to stakeholders.
Prework
AGENDA
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- Introductions
- Developing a career narrative that shows your potential to lead
- How analogies help us to think strategically and communicate
- Better questions spark better strategy
- Program Management
- Programs versus project distinctions
- Six performance domains (BAGEL-C)
- Unpacking ends, ways, and means of strategy
- Governance and decision-making: Managing the choice cascade
- Communicating the program brand
- Personal Leadership
- Leadership isn’t bossing, it’s influencing
- The LIDDS model of program leadership
- Initiative means getting off to a good start
- Loosening the anchors of status quo bias
- Metrics
- Psychological safety
- Prioritizing issues
- Leadership isn’t bossing, it’s influencing
- Introductions
-
- Real world example (Change-the-Business video case study)
- Leveraging the culture’s strengths
- Recognizing good strategy
- Context-sensitive expertise
- Closing performance gaps
- Using culture’s strengths
- Translating strategic decisions into tactical decisions
- Definition of strategic initiatives
- Delivering a Rolling Wave of Benefits
- Sustaining commitment
- Economic and emotive benefits
- Benefits are experienced
- Benefits map, traceability and incremental delivery of benefits
- TACOS model and story tools for communicating benefits
- Real world video case study #2
- Application
- Setting direction in complex systems
- Real world example (Change-the-Business video case study)
The instructor was articulate, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The session was very interactive and insightful. I'll definitely attend more of such sessions, especially those facilitated by Greg. I learned a lot and I can confidently say that the seminar was valuable to my personal development, as well as career development.
January 2023 Attendee
It was new content for me and I felt I learned a lot of practical information to be able to take back to my current role.
January 2023 Attendee
The course materials, case studies, classroom exercises, and reference library of books all complement each other very well. It's clear that the instructor has given this topic decades of thought and research.
June 2023 Attendee
PDU Allocation Table
| Ways of Working | Power Skills | Business Acumen | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPM® / PMI-CP™ / PMP® / PgMP® | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14.00 |
| PMI-ACP® / Agile* | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11.00 |
| PMI-SP® | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10.00 |
| PMI-RMP® | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10.00 |
| PfMP® | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11.00 |
| PMI-PBA® | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10.00 |
 |  |  |  |
Instructor(s)
Gregory D. Githens PMP
Greg Githens’ mission is to upskill individuals to make positive impact by delivering useful ideas and new perspectives. His engaging enthusiastic style has earned him the reputation as one of PMI’s most popular speakers.
Greg is the author of How to Think Strategically: Sharpen Your Mind. Develop Your Competency. Contribute to Success. This highly rated book explains that strategic thinking is an individual competency composed of 20 microskills. Because strategic thinking is rare and valuable, those who demonstrate it have more value to their organizations and are more promotable.
Greg has been a featured speaker at PMI congresses, PMI chapters, The Management Roundtable, and elsewhere. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University (USA) and a master’s degree from Miami University (USA).