DURHAM, N.H. - Women leaders faced with important career decisions can gain valuable skills to take their careers to the next level at the University of New Hampshire's Women's Leadership Development Program (WLDP) Oct. 20, 2014. The program is hosted by the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics' Executive Development Programs.

This one-day, 12-hour, intensive, executive growth experience focuses on the critical capacities of women leaders who are at pivotal stages in their careers.
The program is designed for women with significant professional experience who seek to advance or transform their roles within their senior leadership circles. The program helps women leaders to achieve the following objectives:

• Clarify and strategically focus your unique leadership identity and purpose
• Gain understanding of your current ability to demonstrate critical leadership capabilities (including emotional intelligence competencies) through a self-and 360- degree assessment
• Build self-awareness of your leadership strengths and opportunities to create your personal development plans
• Increase your knowledge and insight about current challenges and advantages for women leaders
• Create meaningful, life-long professional contacts with WLDP participants and instructors

The Women's Leadership Development Program is designed and led by two of UNH's most accomplished women faculty members.
Carole Barnett, associate professor of management at Paul College, conducts an intensive session on "Authentic Leadership Development." This WLDP segment guides participants through a process that quickly builds their leadership insights and corresponding abilities. Each activity helps the participant to identify her unique leadership purpose. She guides participants through a series of provocative exercises and applications that are designed to explore and refine their authentic leadership identities, capabilities, and potentials.

Barnett bases her "Authentic Leadership Development" session on research in Bill George's books as well as her own studies of leaders at Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Navistar International Corporation, GE Lighting, GE Capital, GE Medical Systems, GE Plastics, ValuJet Airlines, Polaris Industries, and BAE Systems. George, renowned former CEO and board chair of Medtronics (1991-2002) and currently professor of management practice at Harvard Business School wrote in his book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, that "Without a sense of purpose as a leader, you're at the mercy of your ego and narcissistic vulnerabilities." 

Vanessa Druskat is associate professor of organizational behavior and management at Paul College. As a key component of the WLDP, Druskat oversees each participant's 360-degree evaluation, which is focused on emotional intelligence (EI) and completed by each participant as part of her pre-work assignment. The EI survey solicits feedback about the leadership competencies of WLDP participants - feedback from bosses, peers, colleagues, and others close to their work.

Setting the stage for review of participants' 360 surveys, Druskat conducts a session on "Emotional Intelligence." Leaders with well-developed emotional intelligence demonstrate the ability to monitor their own and others' emotions and to use that information to productively guide everyone's actions and decisions.

Like other UNH Executive Development Programs, the Women's Leadership Development Program coursework incorporates lecture, group discussion, readings, case study, personal assessments, and reflection.

Program Information:
The cost is $950 per person; 10 percent discount for UNH alumni. Fee includes pre-work and program materials; meals during the program (breakfast, lunch, reception, and dinner plus morning and afternoon breaks); and 1.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).  Registration and more information can be found at ExecEd.UNH.edu. 

The Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, information systems management, entrepreneurship, marketing, and hospitality management at UNH.  Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The college is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide. For more information, visit PaulCollege.UNH.edu. 

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college.  A land, sea and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,565 undergraduate and 2,196 graduate students at the Durham campus.