Ashley – Square Peg Solutions

Own Your Today – and What About Tomorrow?

By Ashley | January 25, 2023

Last week, I had the privilege of turning over my command in the US Navy to my successor. I have been in charge of a 50+ sailor reserve LCS (Littoral Combat Ship) Maintenance Unit for the last 2 years, and at my Change of Command, I gave the following speech. I challenge you to think about how you’re owning your today – and challenge all of us to review our concerns for tomorrow. Instead, adopt the mantra as suggested here by President Roosevelt, “How Exciting”.

Change of Command Speech – January 22, 2023

Commander Prisant

When I started my command two years ago in 2021, how many of you were here?

Not many. When I started, this unit was called the LCS SUW Mayport. Now we are the mighty LCS Met Det C (Maintenance Detachment Charlie) Tampa. But more on that later.

What does it mean to own your today? Well, I’ll be honest, the original expression is not my own. Ever heard of Charles Schwab? Their motto is “Own Your Tomorrow”. I believe it comes from the idea that YOU are responsible for what happens in YOUR future (in this case, for retirement, etc).

Owning your today does not mean life is perfect and that you should see everything through rose colored glasses. It means you recognize where you are today – and you take it with you. Don’t let someone else own YOUR today. Don’t let them take it from you. Own yours. How will you do it? How will you take it to your tomorrow?

Owning your today means taking charge of what’s yours. Full Stop. You have the opportunity to do what you’re doing. Right. Now. Whether it’s leading a division as a First Class PO or learning the Fire main System on an LCS – YOU get to do those things. Maybe your personal life isn’t 100% of what you want. But you have elements that you built, friend or family that you appreciate and choose to continue to develop those relationships. It’s a sailor in this unit that’s going to school, managing a family and trying to get advanced because he knows he should at least try. And he succeeded.

Maybe you’re not in the place where you want to be in your civilian job – but you do have a job that you have attained in some way. It’s a sailor that took on the Det C leadership role even though her civilian job was just starting, and she didn’t even know if she could manage both – and she did.

That’s your start point. You take it from there. You own your today.

As many of you know, I tend to teach from experiences, and this is no exception. The unit was very different at the beginning. I was different. That first year was hard. There was a lot of learning, of growth, and yes, a lot of pain in the ass. I will admit that I struggled. There were broken processes and rules being broken on a regular basis. I wanted to blame someone. I wanted to push it on the previous command. On “it’s not me… so why do I have to deal with it”? When things are difficult, our first instinct is to play the blame game – “it’s not fair”, “who came up with this process?”

And then I realized – that doesn’t matter what others did before me. It matters what I do now. Maybe I didn’t get the perfect place to start. The place I wanted to start. But I did get a place to start – my place to start – and that was saying something. I got the opportunity to make this my own – to make an impact and make the change. Saying “it’s not fair” or someone else has it better than me gets me nowhere. This was my opportunity, and I was going to take it. I was going to own my today.

How will you own your today? How will you take charge of what is yours, right now?

As for your tomorrow – I know many of you can’t even bear to think of a Det C without CDR Prisant (I know, I know) – but for those that may wonder what to do next or may be worried about the chance you may take, I leave you with this little story.

Anyone ever watch the movie “Night at the Museum” with Ben Stiller? At the end of the 2nd movie, he realizes his time as a museum guard is coming to a close, and he’s visibly nervous about what tomorrow will bring. He says worriedly to Robin Williams, playing museum statue President Roosevelt, “I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow”. Robin Williams replies with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes “How exciting”.

So thank you. To each and every one of my sailors in MET DET C. I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow and maybe you don’t know either.

How exciting.

Own your Today

By Ashley | December 5, 2022

I will say this in advance – this is not a plug for Charles Schwab, but I have to say I do like the company’s motto, Own your tomorrow. They are an investment company that makes their living on helping others get to their financial goals – typically in the distant future. The motto is strong because it empowers the customers to think they own a part of their future, their “destiny,” if you will. That not everything is left to chance – you can take ownership.

With the current events as they are these day, I would like to respectfully build on Schwab’s motto a little and say Own your Today.

There is a lot going on in the world: inflation, layoffs, and a dozen eggs that cost $6. We continue to be challenged in a variety of ways. However, you are not a victim. You are not subject to the fates of the world. You do have the ability to own what happens to you.

For example, let us say you are laid off because of job reductions. It has happened to many in the recent months. You could be a victim and say “Woe is me” … or you take it as an opportunity to do something better or maybe something you want to do. I have a former student that this recently happened. She could go on LinkedIn and complain and beg for anyone to connect her, to help her find something since she is a victim of circumstance. She has not done that. She has taken it upon herself not only to share her viewpoint and her challenges as she moves forward and look for “what’s next,” but to challenge others to improve themselves as well.

It could be a promotion you did not get. A fight with someone you are close to that you did not start. That what got you here, that you worked so hard to get or did not get you there, or someone in your life that just has it easier than you. It does not matter.

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. Eleanor Roosevelt said that. Take her words to heart and take a chance by Owning your Today. Don’t wait – no one else can own your today – but you.

Let go now: The Power of a Non-Virtual Experience, aka ’Put the Electronics Down’

By Ashley | October 11, 2022

When is the last time you went an hour without any electronics? Not counting the obvious (sleeping, driving, etc) – that you SHOULDN’T be texting… Could you do it for a day?

If you cannot, you’re not alone. Nearly 50% of All Americans say they can’t go without their cell phone, and that includes people that don’t even have them, like small kids, older adults, or people that realize there’s more to life than a phone!. There is now new words in the dictionary – like “phubbing” (basically snubbing someone by being on your phone, instead of talking to them) and the emergence of cell phone addictions – as well as ways to fix those addictions.

We are losing touch with touch itself! As a leader or a manager – how often do you use IM (instant messenger) or an email to say what you just don’t (or can’t) say? As an employee – how often do you “project” yourself by firing off an email to a co-worker instead of having a face to face (or Zoom to Zoom)?

This month – When you get ready to open your phone – I challenge you to 3 questions by Kevin Roose, New York Times columnist. If you can’t CLEARLY articulate an answer, then I challenge you to PUT the phone down and make a tally of every time you chose yourself, your team, family, friends – your Non-Virtual Experience – over the latest Twitter feed, email update, or FB trend.

What for?
Why now?
What else?

You may just learn something.

You may just see something you haven’t seen before (and wouldn’t if you were looking down).

And before you know it, you may just be a bit happier & a bit less stressed.

Try it.

Turning Leadership Challenges into Questions … and lose Control

By Ashley | August 31, 2022

Lose Control? Should you want to do that as a leader? Should you ever just “let go” of the reigns, and give control to the people? Won’t they just run amok and act out scenes from the Caine Mutiny if that’s the case?

I had the benefit of listening to Dr. George Kohlrieser, organizational and clinical psychologist and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland and former hostage negotiator, in the last week. He recounted a variety of stories that talked to working through challenges in the most daring of situations and a few things stuck out for me.

He talked about working with a kidnapper in a hostage situation that was very particular about his needs and refused to listen to anyone. Dr. Kohlreiser began asking him a series of questions – do you want to stay on the floor you are on to talk with others around, or go to another floor? Would you like to use the phone or a video camera to call? He continued to ask questions of the kidnapper, even to the point where he knew he would be arrested, “Would you like to be handcuffed in the front or the back?” and “Do you want someone to walk you out, or do you want to do it on your own”?

Even under these terms (and I’m leaving out some for brevity!), knowing the kidnapper had done egregious things, Dr. Kohlreiser gave him control of the situation, or perceived control. Did Dr. K really care which way the handcuffs sat? No, he just wanted them on the kidnapper. However, in giving the kidnapper the questions, the power, and the perceived control – he built trust with him, a rapport – and empowered the kidnapper to answer the questions, and go willingly with what Dr. K wanted him to do.

How does this apply to your leadership? Next time you have a challenge on your hands – or you don’t know how to answer someone asking how to move forward on a situation or project – ASK QUESTIONS. Give them the POWER OF CHOICE. The questions don’t have to be hard, or particularly impactful – but by allowing them to control their own direction, you will help them move closer to the course you’ve charted for you both.

The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II

Additional information: Dr. George Kohlrieser created and directs the International Institute for Management Development (IMD)’s flagship High Performance Leadership (HPL) program. He is also the author of the award-winning bestseller Hostage at The Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others and Raise Performance and Care to Dare: Unleashing Astonishing Potential Through Secure Base Leadership. George has been a guest on the BBC, CNN, ABC and CBS, and his work has been featured in the WSJ, the NYT, and the Economist.

Hold the Flashlight – Showing the (simple) spectrum of leadership

By Ashley | August 15, 2022

Open up any business book or magazine and you’ll find it. Elusiveness is its main descriptor for those that are trying to succeed in it consistently. And anyone good in business has definitely done it wrong because you just can’t get them all right, all the time.

It’s the Simple Spectrum of Leadership

Leadership is the art of influencing another person. It doesn’t mean that you actually are the boss or manager, but means that you have the ability to influence another person to do what you want (whether or not they wanted to do it in the first place is somewhat irrelevant). The reason that leading is hard is because of the spectrum of leadership – the fact that every person is different- with different goals, focuses, experiences and motivations. You being the manager of me would require a different style to be successful than me being the manager of you. We have different personalities, places in life and desires.

So How Do We Navigate the Spectrum?

Over upcoming articles, we’ll explore some of the key elements that will not tell you how to “do leadership” (although many out there try to say it’s just following step 1-2-3) but it will give you ideas on how to approach best courses of action based on certain criteria (such as your personality, the others’ personalities, motivations, goals, projects, etc).

Today, It’s About Holding the Flashlight

When I was an Ensign in the Navy, a brand-new officer who barely knew how to put on my rank correctly, I was assigned to be the Gunnery Officer on a destroyer. I was (on paper) in charge of the 5” gun on the front of the ship. (Side note – do not let the 5” mislead you into thinking it’s a small weapon; it is quite large, shoots very large bullets and makes a whole lot of noise!). I did not know how to fix the gun. Heck, I didn’t even know how to operate the gun. That’s what my Gunner’s Mates and Fire Controlman did.

One night, right before a major gun shoot exercise – the gun went down. Hard. It was a major inspection and we had to get it going. So, it was all hands on deck. Everyone worked through the night to get the gun repaired. But… although I was the one in charge, I could do nothing. I literally had no ability to fix that gun. So – I could have gone to bed. It would be great to have the Gunnery Officer well rested before the precision gun shoot in the morning. Maybe it’s what I should have done.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I went to where my sailors were, and stood there. I held the flashlight as they needed it…as they troubleshooted and fixed various parts of the gun. I talked to them when they got tired, listened to their stories, listened as they bantered back and forth. At the time, I didn’t realize that my presence there did anything – I didn’t do anything. I just held the flashlight.

But in the morning, when the gun was fixed, and the Gun Shoot & Inspection went off as planned, my senior enlisted Chief Petty Officer came to me and told me how much I did for my team, and how my being there helped make that day a success. Shocked, I asked the question – “What did I do?”. He said that I led by example. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t fix the gun or find the right tool. It matter that my team, my sailors, knew I was there for them. And would back them up. That meant much more than just fixing the problem.

So…. I challenge you. How do you “hold the flashlight” for your team? Where do they need to know that you’re just there… supporting them … even if it’s from the background?

Pulling the andon: How to have a 1 on 1 …… The 5 steps to success – whether you’re the boss or not

By Ashley | June 26, 2019

How do I have a solid, productive 1×1 (one on one – typically a meeting between a leader and his/her employee)?

What does a good 1×1 looks like?

How do I have a good 1×1 with my boss even though it’s obvious they don’t know how to have a productive one?

In the last few weeks, I have been asked by different people – both managers and employees – enough times that I took a moment to step back. In the operations world, after recognizing an error in a system, an “andon”, or an alert to notify of a problem in the system, is pulled. It’s a way to go “all stop” when something that is important to the department’s function isn’t working. The system is stopped until the problem has been fixed.

It’s time to pull the andon. 1×1’s are vital to individual success à therefore … they are even more so to the department and organization.

Why have a 1×1?

It’s communication, stupid – How do you know if you don’t ask and they don’t tell you?
Get on the same page – It is guaranteed you aren’t – you’re not the same person; you have different perspectives. You must continuously ask/ tell to bridge those gaps.
Never be surprised – What’s the status of the 3 goals that were assigned 3 months ago? Don’t be surprised – use the 1×1’s to talk about development and roadblocks.
You have no idea how far you can go – In this case, the “you” is plural. You and he/she do not know how much can be done unless you talk through objectives, issues, problems. Your job is not static.
Get to know them – Last, but certainly not least. Connections will get you everywhere. Find something that you and he/ she have in common. Learn about what they enjoy – family, hobbies, work.

Leaders: How do you effectively run a 1×1?

Have a plan – This should be agreed on.. they should know what to expect. Create 3-5 bullet items that you will cover. Questions to ask: What do you struggle with? Can you elaborate further?
Stick to it – Once you set the agenda, do as you say – don’t move around a lot – your employee expects that. You can be flexible once your topics have been discussed but don’t go down a rabbit hole unless you believe it will get back to one of the reasons you’re having the 1×1. This manages expectations – not to mention, your very limited time.
Shut up and listen. Build Trust. – Unless you have a photographic memory, take notes. You’ll want something to revisit during the next 1×1. Did they work on what they said they would? Did you? Ask the question, “To make sure I understand, you are (working on/ struggling with) XYZ?”
Don’t talk about work – The 1×1 is not a time to get a report out or an update from the employee. The 1×1 is ABOUT them. If they decide they want to bring up a specific project as it relates to your agreed upon plan, allow it to happen… be ok to be candid with them if they are going off topic – especially if you’re on a time limit (and you are!)
Stick to the time limit – Respect their time – and yours. If it’s 30 mins – don’t go over. If you need more time, discuss WHY you need more time – is a 1×1 the best format for the additional need? Or would an email or a discussion with another individual on a specific topic more beneficial? Close with a solid “I look forward to seeing XYZ from you by tomorrow” or “I appreciate you telling me ABC, and will get back to you by Friday”

How do you lead the 1×1 – if you’re not the leader?

Have a plan … but be flexible – your boss should have an agenda. If he/she doesn’t – be ok to listen to points beyond what you want to discuss. One of them could relate to a goal that you want to focus on later… you just have to be patient and wait a little.
See it from the boss’ point of view – Do you know what other objectives or goals is in front of him/ her – what’s on their priority list? What’s important right now to his/ her boss?
Talk…. And listen – What’s being said? What’s NOT being said? Look beyond what he/she is saying. How is it being said? What is the reaction to what you’re saying? Be able to recognize different in emotions & moods – you may not want to bring up a certain point if you can recognize your boss doesn’t have the mindset to listen because he/she is overwhelmed that day.
Focus – This 1×1 has a timeline. Stick to the plan. Don’t feel you’re supposed to be proving yourself through the 1×1. It’s about your development, your career, your path to your goals. Stay on it.
Follow up – Whatever is discussed – take notes. Keep up with them… send a f/u email to your manager – “this is what we talked about… this is what I will be working on… this is what you said you would do/ help with…” – and date. This is a record and tracker – to keep you both honest!

1×1’s are a powerful tool to bridge the gap between manager and employee. It’s an ongoing process, and both sides should continue working on it to get the best results.

Discussion: What has worked for you? What hasn’t?

Nightmare Teams: Four ways to prevent your department from being the next Game of Thrones

By Ashley | May 23, 2019

In a discussion with my leadership class this semester, a topic of “Nightmare Teams” emerged, and faster than a Targaryen dragon looking for his next meal, a list of terrible team members emerged:

How many of these have you seen on your team? By identifying these characters on your team, you can start to understand the best methods for bringing them back in the direction you’ve set:

Egotist – Arrogant – believes he/she is the smartest person in the group and is open with that opinion, closed to other perspectives – disrespectful
Polarizer – actions or behaviors create factions or divisions among team members – social destructor
Soloist – constantly jockeying for center stage, self-centered – takes full credit for team success but no responsibility for failure, displays a ‘better alone than together’ attitude
Pyromaniac – starts fires (problems) so that he/she can put them out (solve)
Saboteur – disingenuous, disloyal, untrustworthy – disrupter who works against the team’s success
Free-rider – team hitchhiker, not here to contribute, just along for the ride
Undertaker – gets results but leaves behind lots of collateral damage in the process
Ostrich – low tolerance to stress or ambiguity – buries head in the sand at the first sign of trouble (propensity to duck and run)
Distractor – personified speedbump – chronically disrupts progress with unfounded or pointless sidetracks – counterproductive obstacle (roadblock)
Catfish – morally or ethically compromised – actions reflect/discredits the integrity of the whole team

What happens if you experience multiples of these – at the same time. Here are 4 specific actions to attack your nightmare dragons now:

Communication – this is the #1 reason, time and again, that people turn into a version of Cersei, or your own nightmare. How well do you know your own communication style? How well do you know others? Do they match?
Delegation – is there a chance that your employees don’t have enough to do – or don’t feel they have the recognition they deserve? How well are you able to give them the things they need to feel empowered & part of the group?
Conflict – will happen. Actually – conflict is good – it means that you’re challenging yourself, and the status quo. However, with your team members, and left unchecked, it can become worse than a night with the Night King, and a place you wish you had another place to run. What is your primary conflict style? How do you best manage the situation? Find out here.
Motivation – The root of every person. It’s why we do what we do – and it can go well beyond Maslow’s pyramid. Do you know what motivates your team – or on the flipside – what doesn’t motivate them? How do you harness their motivation to move in the same direction – instead of the opposite?

Note: Special thanks to @Arnold Kaluza & @Rob Saunders who created the original discussion on this topics!! If you want to join us in future projects, please Like and send a PM.

Want more? Learn how to slay all these dragons with Leadership 9 Box skills within 1 month

Born or made: Three areas of leadership you don’t have

By Ashley | March 6, 2019

Summary: Learn 3 areas of leadership that you are probably not aware of and should improve

Where are you challenged, personally, as a leader? Do you (accurately) know the areas that you can improve on as a leader?

Good leaders recognize there is always room for improvement, and learning skills is a key part. They know they are not infallible and should continue learning to improve their breadth of experiences. To admit you are still learning is not a fault – it’s a desirable trait that strong, confident leaders such as Bill Gates and many other CEO’s admit freely.

So… if we all agree that we should learn as leaders – how do you do it?

In school? Perhaps … but at best, you can only be taught leadership – you can’t learn or absorb it that way. You have to experience it. There’s no feedback loop – until you practice it.

In OJT – on the job training? Yes – this can be done – if you have the time, and the other individual training you have the experience to develop those skills you need.

In online training? If you don’t have time, this is the fastest and most flexible track to boost only the leadership skills you need to improve on the job. This is a short circuit way to download information quickly.

Or do you? Do you know what areas your leadership abilities are the strongest – or they areas that need work? How do you know you really know it?

Henry Mintzberg developed 3 areas of leadership that many people overlook:

Administrative – the ability to lead through management of tasks and duties
Interpersonal – the ability to lead through interacting with others
Conceptual – the ability to lead through vision and insight

Managerial Roles: Interpersonal, Decisional, Informational. Ashley Prisant

In general, many leaders overlook their skills in these areas because they see their skills as a whole – or believe that leaders are made – and you’re built with the skills you have. Or.. they feel they have been “trained” without demonstrating their abilities. Perhaps it’s to themselves as leaders or others, and they falsely believe they have leadership skills they don’t. They end up falling grossly short – resulting in missed goals, missed opportunities, and failing employees.

Ok… so this is great in theory (literally) – but how do you practice? How do you – or your managers – know – you understand these concepts?

Developing your skills is an ongoing process. You can do it on your own time – but the importance is getting it done. Leadership 9 Box helps develop your skills AND give you the feedback in the most important leadership skills – such as conflict management, motivation, innovation, communication and delegation. You get immediate feedback and are guaranteed to improve your skills because you build on the experiences you have, with the knowledge you build.
Get a mentor – or 2. Reach out and get feedback on the skills you need to develop – and listen. Feedback is the best form of flattery. Good leaders value feedback as a way to learn and improve – both themselves and their team.
This week – aim to get feedback from 3 different sources about a specific leadership skill (such as communication, delegation or conflict) and reflect on their differences or similarities. How can you build on what you’ve learned?

Get exclusive pre-release access to our upcoming Leadership 9 Box online leadership and training – create your FREE account in the next week and get 3 free leadership assessments and access to 3 courses, activities & discussions with Leadership SME’s (subject matter experts)

Published on LinkedIn

Leadership 9 Box: Quick-start Guide

By Ashley | March 2, 2019

Summary:

How is Leadership 9 Box set up?
How should I get started?
What if I have questions that aren’t answered here? What if something is incorrect? How do I give feedback?

How is Leadership 9 Box set up?

There are a total of 4 sections in each module, with a total of 9 Modules (9 boxes, 9 modules!).

Each section contains the following:

A short 10-question survey to understand your current skills as a leader. You can choose to give this to your manager/ peers for a 360 review.
Goals/objectives of the section to clearly state the purpose. If it is not a section you need, simply move on to the next one!

A section can take between 15 minutes to 1 hour to complete. Some will find it will take them longer to master the content and will choose to go back to the section.

	Leadership 9 Box
Conceptual	G. Tactical Operations	H. Business Acumen	I. Innovation Leadership	Conceptual
Interpersonal	D. Communication	E. Strength & Motivation	F. Leader & Conflict	Interpersonal
Administrative	A. Time Management	B. People Management	C. Delegation & Organization	Administrative
	Level of Primary Influence ——>
	Individual	Group	Organization

How should I get started?

Getting started is easy! Follow the steps below:

Go to the course catalog
Choose the course(s) that interests you and challenges your leadership skills! Register for the first section. For example, if you wanted to improve your communications skills, you would register for D: Communications for Leaders
- Note: You will have two options for each course:
  1. Course only – You will have access to the 4 e-learning sections of the module & pre/ post assessments
  2. Course + SME Access – In addition to access to the 4 e-learning sections of the module and pre/post assessments, you will also have access to all activities & discussion. You will have the opportunity to review & turn in activities to a Leadership SME who will evaluate and give tailored feedback. Upon completion of the module, you will get a L9B Certification for the module, which can be immediately posted on LinkedIn as an official LinkedIn certification.
Take the assessment. Each Section 1 of a module (A1, B1, C1, etc.) has a short 10-question assessment aimed to help you self-identify your current abilities of the topic. Be honest. There are no right or wrong answers. You will get a score at the end.Note: A score of 50 does NOT mean failing (this is NOT a college course, after all) – but it shows your areas of strength and opportunity.
Take the course. Review each section. Learn the material and read the additional information.
Complete the activities. Each section has 2-5 activities aimed at building SPECIFIC skill strengths. Some may require you to talk to others at work, to reflect on a specific time, or to do specific activities.

Turn in the activities. Once you are done with each activity, turn it in via the Activity portal in the section. If you have the Leadership Influence or Elevate (silver or gold) plan, a Leadership 9 Box SME will give you feedback within 48 hours.Note: Leadership SME’s will evaluate your material based on content and how well you completed the assignment. The scores range from 1-5:

Score	Description
1	Well done, above average understanding of the activity.
2	Good job, the leader understands the activity, but could work on specific areas if desired.
3	Good, but not enough to pass – the leader has some understanding of the material, but may be short on content, or missing a key component.
4	Fair, not pass – the leader may have some understanding of the material, but is missing large parts of the content or several components.
5	No pass – the leader has not shown understanding of the material, and is missing large if not all parts of the content and many components of understanding.
Note	If you get a 3, 4, or 5, the SME will give specific instruction on what was missing and what is needed to pass.

Join the discussion! Each section has a discussion board – aimed at sharing specific topics relevant to the discussion. Share your viewpoints and experiences, and give feedback to others
Get your certificate! For each section you complete, you get a certificate automatically added to your Profile. You will be given a choice to:
- Download the certificate
- Share certificate on LinkedIn (you will need to login to your account using the credentials of your profile)

What if I have questions that aren’t answered here? What if something is incorrect? How do I give feedback?

Leadership 9 Box, Questions and Feedback on TalentLMS, Steps 1-7

All you need to do is send a message to the L9B team using the L9B Portal. Follow the steps outlined below:

Sign in to your Leadership 9 Box (L9B) account and point to Messages on the top navigation bar.
On the drop-down list, click Send message.
Click the Recipients field to choose who receives your message from the drop-down list.Note: Select the group that best answers your questions:
1. System administrators – for LMS Platform issues, courses incorrectly loading, general feedback https://www.squarepegsolutions.org/shop-courses-online/
2. Course instructors – if you have specific questions about a specific course, feedback on the course, or question on the evaluation that goes beyond one activity
Type a Subject for your message.
In the Body text area, type your message.
If needed, you can also add images or attach external files to your message.
Click Send message.

Leadership 9 Box

By Ashley | March 1, 2019

What is Leadership 9 Box?

Leadership 9 Box (L9B) takes a hybrid approach to building your leadership skills both online and through a customized approach with real, live subject matter experts chosen for your specific development. You will find Leadership 9 Box will focus on strengthening your core of conceptual, interpersonal, and administrative skills as based on Henry Mintzberg’s management theory.

A leader must have some level of competence in all 3 areas to remain successful, and yet, many leaders continue to fall behind because they have not received, learned, or understood the basics on the skills of leadership.

You determine the pace of your journey, and Leadership 9 Box is here to provide you with the tools and expertise you need to take both your career and your personal development to its highest.

You have the flexibility to alter your subscription plan at any time, whether that is asking for more insight or to scale back. We want you to be successful and can help advise which tier works best for your needs. We can’t wait to join you.

	Leadership 9 Box
Conceptual	G. Tactical Operations	H. Business Acumen	I. Innovation Leadership	Conceptual
Interpersonal	D. Communication	E. Strength & Motivation	F. Leader & Conflict	Interpersonal
Administrative	A. Time Management	B. People Management	C. Delegation & Organization	Administrative
	Level of Primary Influence ——>
	Individual	Group	Organization

Why Leadership 9 Box?

Whereas many other leadership programs deliver great content, few have a built-in feedback loop* designed to guarantee** that the material learned is not only learned¸ but the leader also has the ability to immediately apply the skills.

Feedback loop – Ever been to a class where you passed just by sitting there? How much did you actually learn? With the L9B course – you will get a real-time evaluation from experts in their field – so you will know how well you can use specific leadership skills.
Guaranteed skills – Every leader that has used the techniques in this course has improved their leadership skills. Some say they are better equipped to handle difficult situations or can communicate better. Others say they have up to an hour back in their day (nearly 15% improvements). L9B is not for everyone, and the leader must be willing to learn new ways beyond their normal areas they typically operate.

What level of Leadership 9 Box is for me?

Three subscription levels of L9B empower you to choose what works best for you:

Leadership Impact (LI) Bronze Level – You will be able to take part in all sections, modules. You will be able to do all of the activities and join the discussion
Leadership Influence (LIN) – Silver Level – In addition to Leadership Impact (Bronze), you will also be able to take part in all of the activities. Once you complete the activities, you will have a highly experienced leadership SME (subject matter expert) focusing on your answers and evaluating them for leadership effectiveness, understanding the content, and the ability to apply it in a real-time leadership situation.
- Upon completion of all activities and discussion in a module, you will receive a Certificate of Completion that you will be able to share with your own leadership team, post on your LinkedIn profile and in your office to confirm your higher level skills as a leader in those areas.
- Certificates will be given for each module, each course area (Conceptual, Interpersonal, Administrative) and overall “Certified 9 Box Leader.” You have the ability to post this certification on your LinkedIn profile to show others your leadership abilities.
Leadership Elevate© (LE) Gold Level– The highest level of opportunity for a leader in Leadership 9Box. You will receive everything in the previous two levels as well as up to two hours of one-on-one training with a highly experienced leadership SME.
- These sessions can be focused on specific subject areas, or developed and tailored around your specific leadership career needs.

How does Leadership 9 Box work?

There are four sections in each module, with a total of 9 Modules (9 boxes, 9 modules!), provides:

A short 10-question survey to understand your current skills as a leader. You can choose to give this to your manager/ peers for a 360 review.
Goals/ objectives of the section to clearly state the purpose. If it is not a section you need, you can move on to the next one.

The section will take between 15 minutes to an hour to complete. Some will find it will take them longer to master the content and will choose to go back to section. Once you purchase, at any level, you will be able to visit all sections as many times as you wish.

Once you are in the section, you will find three main parts:

Part 1- Instruction – 15-30 minute information on section topic
Part 2 – Discussion – on various topics on the section topic
Part 3 – Activities – to confirm knowledge of the section topic

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Author: Ashley