The Organizational Resources Development (ORD) team at CU*Answers is preparing for the newest set of employees that will attend the newly branded “Leadership Core Skills Series” classes beginning January 21, 2020. After a successful pilot program in 2018-19, the team will welcome 30 employees to a 10-session series of weekly classes, each designed to help current and emerging leaders build basic leadership skills, including interviewing, hiring, and onboarding new team members, coaching and communication skills, strategic planning as a manager, and building a team. Each class also includes video interviews with members of the Executive Council to emphasize these concepts, as well as between-class homework to amplify the learning process.

Leadership Core Skills Series co-developer and instructor Michael Cirivello sees the classes as a chance for every employee to self-examine. “These classes are an excellent way to think about and discuss the required skills that encourage effective leadership, regardless of title,” he said. “At some point, everyone in this company is expected to step up and move the ball forward.”

The classes are part of the People Development Life Cycle (PDLC), which describes the philosophies and day-to-day, year-after-year processes that ensure CU*Answers is building the leaders and resources for their future. Other courses include the “Executive Development Series” and “Business Development Series”.