Executive Education Today

Last week, Interim Dean- Manuel Laguna wrote a blog about our new program offered through Executive Education, called The Business of Sports Certificate Program (BOS). His blog was titled Creating Opportunities in Sports and Business. This brand new two-month, 6-credit intensive program offered by the Leeds School of Business is a business "boot camp" for students interested in pursuing careers in the sports and recreations industry. In the morning, students will focus on business principles; in the afternoon, students will work on research-based projects designed by our contributing partners. The program will be offered from June 1-July 23, 2010 (M-F, 9:00 am-5:00 pm) and is open to college juniors, seniors and recent grads. There will be 30 spots available and each prospective student will need to fill out an application and registration form which will then be reviewed by a panel.

Registration and application forms will be available on February 1, 2010. If you would like to receive more information on BOS, please e-mail me at Robin.Miglarese@colorado.edu.  We are very excited about this program and are looking forward to having a great group of students in it.

 

Robin

Interim Director of Executive Education

This weekend I saw the Genghis Khan exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Most of us think of Genghis Khan as a major brute. Yes, that's true, but he also had some great leadership skills and was open to learning new things. He promoted people based on their ability, had an extensive army-which helped create one of the largest empires, allowed people to practice any religion, allowed various cultures to flourish, created cities for the non-nomads, and loved new inventions. He is still revered in Mongolia today as a leader.

Most of us will not become statesmen or military commanders-but a lot of us are looking on how to improve ourselves and the lives of people around us. Leadership is a 'soft' skill and doesn't always receive the kudos it should, because the ROI is much more difficult to track.

In the workplace, if you have great leaders, you will then most likely have a team stay with you especially when our economy recovers. That impacts your bottom line because you are not spending thousands of dollars replacing and training new employees. If the leaders can help create a positive environment when times aren't so good-imagine what will happen in the future. So if you are a manager, encourage your key employees to be involved in the community and life-long education.

If you want to see what our department offers, please check out our website and we can help you discover the leader within. Our next leadership class, Peak Performance Leadership, starts on January 22.

Executive Education Classes.

Our colleagues in the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship recently posted this blog on social entrepreneurship that I thought you might enjoy. 

http://www.cuboulderblogs.com/deming/

I wish more of the media would cover the amazing things that people are doing to help others on this planet. So I would like to ask our readers...which social entrepreneurship organizations do you like to support? 

Have a Happy and Safe New Year.

Heather 

 

 

Even with the very "lovely" weather, over 600 people attended the 45th Annual Economic Outlook on December 7th. 

Please check out the Business Research Division (BRD)'s blog for a quick summary in addition to downloading their presentation. 

 

BRD Blog

 

Economic Outlook Presentation

 

 

We are excited to announce that we will be attending the 2010 Economic Outlook Forum on Monday, December 7, 2009! The event is being hosted at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1750 Walton Street in Denver by the Business Research Division (Leeds), Leeds School of Business and BBVA Compass.

 

The event is going to inform Colorado's business professionals about the economic changes we'll observe in specific counties and regions across the state, as well as an annual forecast for state wide labor, trade, population and growth trends. Also, the session concludes with the opportunity to participate in a discussion session on state budgets, real estate, and alternative energies. For the past 45 years the forum has been on the mark of economic trend direction.

 

The best part? Anyone is invited to come! The event starts at 1:00 PM - We are looking forward to meeting you there!

 

More info?

Event Site

Exec Ed Info

Business Research Division Info

Leeds School of Business Info

BBVA Comapss Info

Recently I went to see WICKED and one of the thoughts that came to mind is that it's not easy being green.  A lot of us have this perception that Galinda/Glinda was the good witch and Elphaba was the evil, green witch, but watching the performance, their roles are actually reversed.  Who we think is good is actually more 'evil' than the wicked witch and voilà-our perception of Life in Oz is switched around. 

Which then led me to wonder...what are some ways that people can save green while being green?  Granted in a lot of university communities the green lifestyle is strongly encouraged and buying green products can be less expensive than buying products conventionally made.  I'm fortunate to work and live in a place where being green is very much the lifestyle and there's a myriad of choices!  This is especially beneficial to me, since I have a very restricted diet in addition to buying majority of food and skin products that are better for the environment and for my health.  Because of this, I have learned that most of my groceries are actually much cheaper (at least 20%) at places like farmer's market, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, etc. than buying at a conventional store.  In addition, I stock up whenever non-perishable items are on sale-especially gluten-free products!

So what can you do if you don't live in an eco-conscious place and still save money while doing some good...especially with the winter holidays around the corner?  Keep in mind who you are buying for...quality is much better than quantity.  Don't purchase or make a gift unless you know the person would use it-most people still put unwanted items in the trash instead of thinking of donating it.  Think of long-term value or an experience (annual membership or tickets) that will stay with them for a while versus one-time use.   

Buy locally when you can.  Extra bonus points if you purchase free-trade or sustainably made products.  If you do buy from a big chain, then support those that contribute to their community.  If you buy gift cards, look into the company and see if they will still be around in a year or two (or encourage the person to use them right away!). 

If you want something tangible to give to someone-think of purchasing them a reusable drinking container ($8-20).  This is equal to at least 8 bottles of water purchased at a convenience store or 2-3 cases of water (it takes quite a bit of water just to make a one-time use plastic bottle).  If they are a coffee or tea drinker-buy them a machine for their office and give them a mixture of fair-trade coffee or tea and put it in a reusable shopping bag.  

But most importantly, think of organizations where you can give a donation in someone's name instead of a gift.  Non-profit organizations are receiving a lot less money.  Think of donating to Toys for Tots, shelters, your local food bank (cash goes a lot further than you purchasing meals), local cultural organizations, and international aid organizations (i.e. solar stoves, water purification systems.  In developing countries, water usage averages a few gallons per person-while in the US we each use about 75 gallons a day). 

If you have children, install in them the importance of giving back.  Pick out a toy together for a child that needs it more. 

While 'wrapping' up these gift ideas, think of ways you can cut back on wrapping paper.  Use reusable shopping bags, comics, articles/ads from their favorite magazines, or fabric to wrap up the gifts.  Or at the minimum-don't use ribbons or bows and use wrapping paper that can be easily recycled.  Have a wonderful holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by. 

-Heather

 

Now you may have learned something new about culture in Colorado-but what does it mean in economic terms?  Every other year, the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA -www.cbca.org) works with SCFD on collecting information from over 90% of SCFD grant recipients.  Deloitte and DualDraw then analyze and interpret the data in terms of economic impact.  Here are some key findings from the 2008 study (based on 2007 figures): 

·         Denver's arts and cultural community created $1.69 billion in total economic activity in 2007 up 19% from 2005.

·         $330 million was generated from cultural tourism.

·         Metro Denver cultural and scientific organizations enjoyed attendance of over 16.4 million in 2007, an increase of 17% over 2005.

o    This includes 3.5 million contacts with school children in 2007.

·         Combined payroll, seat and sales taxes paid in 2007 by arts, cultural and scientific nonprofits were $21.3 million, up 31% over 2005.

·         40,000 people contributed their time and talent by volunteering in arts, cultural and scientific nonprofits.

I could go on and on about the importance of culture-but I don't want to bore you.  If you would like to have a list of more resources, please e-mail me at Heather.Owens@colorado.edu. 

Thanks for reading.

-Heather

I have to provide a disclaimer...I love culture-especially art-related.  Since living in Colorado (fall 2007-present) my volunteer work includes being on the Denver Art Museum's junior board (CultureHaus) and Boulder 2140 social & cultural committee.  I'm a member of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Kirkland Museum, and a few art associations of the Denver Art Museum along with being an alumni of Leadership Arts which is organized by CBCA.  When I lived in Chicago, I volunteered and worked for the Art Institute for more than 5 years and was very active on the cultural scene as a member of various young professionals groups.  I have also been very fortunate to travel extensively and have visited at least 100 museums in North America, Europe and Japan.  The art medium I work with is photography. 

This Friday, November 6, is the kick-off of Denver Arts Week (www.denverartsweek.org) organized by VISIT DENVER (Convention & Visitors Bureau) and support is also provided by the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and SCFD (see below).  November 6 is also our last 50 for Colorado session of the year-Arts and Entertainment (impeccable timing!). 

There has been a long-held perception that cultural institutions are ivory towers and only people that have a lot of money can support them.  That is simply untrue.  There are numerous organizations that have a mission of making culture accessible to everyone. 

For example, the Denver Metro Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD - www.scfd.org) has done a lot over the past 20 years to provide general operating support to more than 350 organizations and granted approximately $42 million in 2008 from the .1% sales and use tax (1 penny on $10) in the Denver Metro Area.  As part of SCFD funding, all Tier 1 institutions provide free days/ performances.  The Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Center for Performing Arts, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Zoo are all considered Tier 1 as identified in SCFD's statute.

Besides the SCFD free days, there are a lot of other ways to enjoy culture at a low price point or even better-free!  Go on a gallery walk (usually First Fridays of each month), check out public art, attend a performance/visit an exhibition at a university/college, visit your local library or bookstores, and/or volunteer.   Volunteering (especially on a board) adds a lot to your own professional development and builds leadership skills while helping out organizations that have very limited resources.   

Please check out part 2 (coming soon) on economic impact and more importantly - add some culture to your life!

-Heather

I recently sat down one of our past Peak Performance Leadership participants, Mario Vidalon. Mario is the director of the University of Colorado's Center for Advanced Engineering and Technology Education (CAETE). However a mouthful, CAETE is one of Boulder's most impressive Centers for Excellence, offering numerous masters degrees to students in every corner of the globe. Currently, Mario and his team are using digital technology to educate US soldiers in Iraq and oil workers in Venezuela (among others).

Mario has held an executive leadership position for over 15 years, which begs the question: Why was he compelled to take our PPL course? According to Mario, he's "constantly looking for new learning opportunities and self-renewal."  Jim LoPresti, professor of Peak Performance, provided just that - a chance for participants to critically look at their leadership style, the role of servant leadership in everyday life, as well as general self-awareness. Mario pointed out that Jim was a "great presenter, but an even better listener, which to [Mario] is half the battle."

 

 

Peak Performance Leadership is one of our most sought-after courses, aimed toward mid- to senior-level managers who want to develop an authentic, strengths-based management philosophy. Our next session of PPL is coming up in January '10; for more information visit our website, or shoot us an e-mail.

Ronda Phillips, Managing Partner of Client services for S3 Talent Management, describes how the class will help you transition into a successful manager and leader.

Successful leaders today understand how to select, hire, engage and retain top talent. Leaders know that the higher they rise in organizations, the more dependent they are on others for their success. Therefore, ensuring they have the best direct report teams possible is a critical enabler for attaining key results. Leaders must know how to recognize and attract talent and be confident in their ability to assess against both functional/technical skills and cultural fit. They must understand how to drive the highest levels of performance from their talent, using research-based approaches to ensure engagement and commitment and keep top performers retained in the organization.

Learn More: http://bit.ly/K4Hdq