Business Management Institute - Track 3
Earn up to 19.5 CPE Credits

Course Description

The Track 3 curriculum provides a stimulating and challenging environment in which students work closely with colleagues and BMI faculty. The case study method is introduced in this course and applied extensively with cases provided by the faculty and students which are representative of a wide range of typical problems, challenges and environmental conditions faced by college/university managers and administrators. Cases presented have been written specifically for the Institute and its participants. In applying the case study method, the Institute promotes the development of analytical skills and provides a new skill set as well as take-a- ways to the participants to be used in the workplace.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Analyze critically and learn to reflect before you react
• Communicate a challenge/problem effective
• Work cooperatively in teams
• Solve problems in a creative manner while in a risk-free and confidential environment

Course Description

The one-and-only Ted Lasso taught us many lessons post 2020 and we will review leadership through his lens, even if you do not know the full Ted story.  Leadership and the development of the essential skills are more important than ever in our changing world of work.  Your technical skills are foundational, however, you will be called upon to continue to improve your talents to build teams and create new solutions for Higher Education.  We rarely walk alone.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Determine what success looks like for you in your environment
• Re-frame some of the leadership lessons post 2020
• Define and add to Ted Lasso’s Lessons
• Re-examine the list and add/subtract from this list
• Reflect on which areas are your strengths and where are improvements needed?

Course Description

Throughout Track 3, the students meet in small groups of 15 participants to discuss higher education case studies. These case studies were written by the students, according to “best practice” case study preparation guidelines.  The case studies are discussed and dissected at BMI with the other students in their small group.  Each small group has a Track 3 facilitator.  

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Identify managerial problems and challenges that are typical and atypical in higher education.
• Analyze the causes using critical and creative thinking skills.
• Select appropriate strategies for addressing and resolving problems and challenges that are fair, ethical and culturally competent.
• Outline action plans that demonstrate the principles of human resource management.
• Anticipate potential trade-offs and/or ripple effects of action plans

Course Description

At the grocery store, everyone scowls. In the car, even the normally composed NPR hosts seem snippy with you. In your digital-office, you notice the folks in your personal Hollywood Squares games (aka Zoom) look exhausted. After a year and a half of tremendous disruption – it feels like everyone has just about had e-nough. And you see it creating rifts, slowing down important projects, and generally making your work harder. So what to do? Join us as we turn our attention to how to manage workplace conflict successfully in this “next normal” to preserve trust, re-ignite engagement, and get your collective creativity-groove back

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Utilizing a safe outlet to share ideas and voice frustrations:
  • Learn about how conflict has manifested itself in a virtual and hybrid workplace in the last year and a half
  • Gain insight into what we can do immediately to address and/or minimize conflict in this next normal to which we are all still adapting
  • Recognize how to address conflict, be agile, and identify opportunities amidst the chaos
  • Master the strategies for effective communication and building trust

Course Description

Strengths hold the power to unlock one’s potential and facilitate personal and professional growth. Through recognizing and understanding how unique talents create power and edge, individuals can leverage and partner these talents as strengths to consistently and productively build strength in themselves and others. By building upon the first-year and second-year strengths curriculum, participants will further explore the four domains of strengths, understand theme dynamics, and continue enhancing their ability to recognize, leverage, partner, and celebrate their talents and the talents of others. Join us to learn how to partner your talents and leverage as strengths.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Review of terminology and concepts from Year One and Year Two.
• Enhance understanding of theme dynamics to build strength as individuals and teams.
• Learn how to further apply, leverage, and partner themes to showcase your best self.
• Gain further understanding of the domains of strengths and how to leverage those domains to create powerful partnerships.
• Uncover unique ways to partner with strengths to positively contribute to your team(s).

Course Description

Throughout Track 3, the students meet in small groups of 15 participants to discuss higher education case studies. These case studies were written by the students, according to “best practice” case study preparation guidelines. The case studies are discussed and dissected at BMI with the other students in their small group. Each small group has a Track 3 facilitator.  

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Identify managerial problems and challenges that are typical and atypical in higher education.
• Analyze the causes using critical and creative thinking skills.
• Select appropriate strategies for addressing and resolving problems and challenges that are fair, ethical and culturally competent.
• Outline action plans that demonstrate the principles of human resource management.
• Anticipate potential trade-offs and/or ripple effects of action plans

Course Description

Throughout Track 3, the students meet in small groups of 15 participants to discuss higher education case studies. These case studies were written by the students, according to “best practice” case study preparation guidelines.  The case studies are discussed and dissected at BMI with the other students in their small group.  Each small group has a Track 3 facilitator.  

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Identify managerial problems and challenges that are typical and atypical in higher education.
• Analyze the causes using critical and creative thinking skills.
• Select appropriate strategies for addressing and resolving problems and challenges that are fair, ethical and culturally competent.
• Outline action plans that demonstrate the principles of human resource management.
• Anticipate potential trade-offs and/or ripple effects of action plans

Course Description

What makes a leader stand out among their peers?  Decades of research would suggest the ability to demonstrate emotional intelligence (EI).  This course will provide an overview of key EI concepts with a focus on their application to communication.  Through interactive activities you will learn simple, emotionally intelligent communication strategies to practice in your next conversation!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Identify the four domains of Emotional Intelligence (EI).
• Explore how each domain impacts communication.
• Practice identifying emotions in others.
• Practice using emotionally intelligent phrasing. 
• Identify emotionally intelligent communication strategies for immediate application. 

Course Description

Risk Management in higher education is always evolving as new risks come on to the horizon and begin to impact our organizations. As new risks arise, and known risks are better understood, best practices for managing those risks are continuously fine‐tuned by experience. This session will dive into some detail about some of the more challenging risk issues impacting colleges and universities today. Institutional response to the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting every organization, and there are multiple safety and risk issues involved in those responses.  Other hot topic risks include ransomware and cyber security, fraud prevention, international travel, and protecting minors.   Attendees will be encouraged to bring forward risk topics from their own experiences at their institution through an open forum for discussion.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Develop an understanding of some of the more complex risk issues in higher education, and the strategies for managing those risks.
• Review and understand the unique risk factors raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how institutions are changing for the future. 
• Review risk exposures posed by ransomware and lapses in cyber security.
• Understand the risks faced during international travel by faculty and students.
• Review the risk exposure associated with programs serving minors, and best practices for risk mitigation and youth protection.

Course Description

Every organization experiences two basic types of problems: people problems and institutional problems. Administrators and supervisors are faced with an ever-increasing abundance of adversity, miscommunication, change, low morale and diminishing resources. Professionals must be good problem solvers. Albert Einstein said, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” The best problem solvers have patience, step back to see the big picture, and consider everyone’s opinion before determining the best strategy to implement. Problems and conflicts must be dealt with in a timely manner to prevent problems from escalating throughout the organization.

This course will equip higher education professionals with the skills to identify, analyze and develop strategies for implementation to resolve problems and conflicts.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Strategically prioritize problems
• Gather pertinent facts
• Avoid the landmines
• Obtain objective input
• Employ the 5 steps of the problem-solving process

Course Description

The session on strategic planning and implementation in today’s environment will cover the components of strategic planning, variations on how it is done, illustrate examples, discuss tools for implementation and engage in group discussion and exercises.  Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences with planning, at the unit, organizational and institutional levels.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Understand the concepts of strategic planning in today’s environment
• Understand the leader’s role in strategic planning
• Learn variations on planning
• Learn tools that can be used for implementation and tracking

Joyce Lopes, Vice President Business & Financial Affairs, Western Washington University

Course Description

The strategic plan articulates an institution’s top priorities. However, university budgets tend to be incremental and allocated according to the organizational chart rather than by university priority.  This results in a tendency to maintain status quo operations rather than provide opportunities for investment in strategic priorities.  When building a budget, identifying institutional assets should be central to the process.  Fiscal decisions should align with the institution’s mission and long-term goals, investing first in strategic priorities through a transparent, intentional process.  Such a method of allocating resources helps guarantee the long-term capacity and health of the institution. This course will explore the ways to align budget with strategic priorities in a meaningful and on-going way.  Participants are encouraged to print their institutions strategic plan/priorities (electronically or printed) to refer to throughout the session.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Align our budget with our strategic priorities to improve student learning and success
• Invest in our institutional assets to ensure we are using resources efficiently and effectively
• Implement evidence-based budgeting linked to assessment, as required by WASC

Course Description

As supervisors, we often encounter individuals we find to be very difficult to communicate with due to their abrasiveness, unwillingness to listen, or negative attitudes.  Or sometimes we find ourselves in positions where we have to communicate negative information to people, such as a substandard performance evaluation or a disciplinary document.  Learn tips for improving your essential communication skills; learn how to identify the “filters” that interfere with effective communication; and most importantly, learn how to best use communication as a tool to influence changes in difficult people.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Build participant confidence by providing concrete steps and suggestions for identifying issues and motives, and engaging in face-to-face communication with difficult people
• Empower participants to control situations with difficult people with tact and skill by providing steps and considerations for preparing for and engaging in face-to-face communications with challenging individuals, including steps for the setting, use of key communication skills such as listening, summarizing for understanding, communications filters and body language.
• Tips and techniques for influencing positive changes in difficult people as well as suggestions for follow-up and prevention/minimization of future communication problems.

Course Description

The purpose of this session is to provide attendees with tools, techniques, and principles to help you lead your teams effectively as we are faced with managing a dual workforce. This webinar will touch on the following: common fears and anxiety, challenges facing administrators, legal compliance and keeping employees engaged and productive. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Learn new methods for managing remotely
• Learn to check compliance requirements against methods 
• Discover how to balance productivity and engagement  

Course Description

Psychological safety is the ability to reveal one’s true self and opinions without fear that doing so will lead to negative repercussions in terms of reputation, career, or status. While high levels of psychological safety in the workplace are linked to better outcomes, increased innovation, and deeper work satisfaction, many organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to create a sense that it is safe to speak up or take risks. This session will address current forces working against psychological safety in the workplace to include economic uncertainty, social injustice, tone policing, vocabulary shaming, and remote work.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Assess the psychological safety of their workplace
• Apply intervention techniques to address disrespectful behavior
• Implement strategies for encouraging organizational learning and reflection