Public Assistance Lead Worker Series

This series is intended for both newly hired, recently promoted and/or experienced lead workers in public assistance who are seeking to improve their leadership qualities and gain clarity in their roles. Each module is designed to develop the knowledge, skills and abilities of lead workers and will include a combination of knowledge building and skills practice. In addition to assessing their leadership behaviors, participants will also identify and develop successful communication skills, learn how to create a supportive work environment with their units, be able to effectively contribute to organizational change, and build other subject matter experts on their team by sharing their knowledge and coaching them to build their own knowledge and skills.

Module 1: Becoming a Leader – Developing Your Persona

In this session, lead workers will explore and learn how to start developing professional boundaries and leadership behaviors as they transition into their roles. Through exercises and self-reflection, participants will assess their current behaviors and how they contribute to or detract from their leadership role.

By the end of this session, participants will be more empowered to:

• Transform the mindset from team member to leader
• Increase self-awareness to recognize blind spots and increase leadership credibility
• Distinguish the balance of relationships and tasks
• Apply or adapt leadership styles to meet specific challenges
• Create a persona to model leadership behaviors
• Practice communicating with clarity

Module 2: Communicating as a Leader

Communication is complicated. All leaders at all levels communicate not just in what they say but also in what they do. As lead workers, participants will learn that communication goes beyond reviewing the rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Lead workers must also engage their staff on an interpersonal level. As part of this workshop, participants will develop their interpersonal communication skills, allowing them to build authentic two-way communication with their staff and to provide connection before correction.

By the end of this session, participants will be more empowered to:

• Utilize the DiSC in the Workplace assessment to identify and use your communication style to develop alternative approaches that may benefit other styles and support better outcomes
• Practice having courageous conversations with staff members to resolve conflict
• Reflect on how to influence a culture of accountability by empowering staff to solve their own challenges vs you are solving the issue for them
• Explore tactics to shift communication from the drama triangle to the empowerment triangle
• Explore ways to manage up and build strong relationships with immediate supervisors and management teams

Module 3: Leading a Supportive Team

Our collective organization's goals, mission and vision cannot be realized without working as a team. This workshop is designed to assist participants in supporting your supervisors in building collaborative and supportive teams. Participants will explore how to manage environments that drive team performance through purpose.

By the end of this session, participants will be more empowered to:

• Explore team dynamic models and how they apply to the team you are supporting leading and the team that you are one with your peers in your new role
• Outline how individuals’ actions contribute to team cohesiveness
• Recognize ways to improve team trust and motivation
• Inspire others around the collective organizational goals, mission and vision
• Discover strategies to build accountability among team members and individuals

Module 4: Leading, Supporting and Advocating for Change

In Human Services Public Assistance, the only constant is that the field is always evolving due to a variety of factors outside of our control. Many people and leaders resist change, to their detriment and the detriment of their teams. Through reflection and the improvement of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, participants will be able to navigate changes more effectively, spread their influence in the organization, and initiate changes in others' behaviors through feedback and individual development.

By the end of this session, participants will be more empowered to:

• Address beliefs and mindsets to help staff adapt to change
• Navigate change through the lens of ethical decision-making
• Engage in self-reflection to better implement change
• Gain clarity on how to effectively articulate change and maximize results
• Consult with your supervisor regarding roles and responsibilities

Module 5: Coaching, Mentoring and Training

Lead workers are usually promoted into their roles due to having extensive program and technical knowledge and are often the first line to helping their teams gain knowledge, skills and abilities to be successful in their service delivery. In addition to helping to model appropriate workplace behavior, they serve as examples of how to engage as a professional. In this role, lead workers now need to know when and how to coach, train, or mentor those on their team to grow others to have the same level of expertise (or more). As a result of this training, lead workers will be able to prioritize training based on need and contribute to a continuous learning environment.

By the end of this session, participants will be more empowered to:

• Compare and contrast when to utilize coaching, mentoring and/or training
• Consider the appropriate training methods based on the audience/individual needs
• Build staff confidence and problem-solving abilities through coaching and mentoring
• Use the organization’s tools to improve training/coaching topics
• Explore mentorship opportunities for yourself and your staff