The Learning Lab

While you may not be an “official” Project Manager by title, most modern professionals assume these responsibilities on an ad-hoc basis. Unfortunately, projects can easily go awry and those who lack experience and/or training can quickly become overwhelmed, resulting in costly setbacks and potentially damaging career consequences.

This program helps those who are not professional Project Managers effectively oversee the various steps involved in projects from simple to complex; manage the people, tasks and timelines involved; and ensure exceptional results that meet the defined specifications.

In this Learning Lab, you will…

• Discover the step-by-step process for organizing and guiding a project from concept to completion
• Explore the top reasons for project failure and how to prevent them
• Identify strategies to handle the inevitable unexpected surprises and mitigate their impact
• Learn how to minimize risk and set yourself up for success from the beginning
• Understand how to leverage the latest technology to support your PM efforts (without wasting time in the process!)

As a participant, you will be working on a project of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample project if you’d prefer to work on that.

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In the modern workplace, there’s always “too much to do and not enough time.” If you want to achieve professional success, you must learn how to manage it all without causing undue stress on yourself or others. Unfortunately, effective time management is more complicated than most people realize. It requires a special set of tools and skills that must be adapted to meet the individual’s needs. This program explores 7 essential topics related to task and time management, and provides guidance for creating your own personalized systems.

In this Learning Lab, you will…

• Assess your own time management capabilities and identify areas for improvement
• Discover how to use efficiency audits to identify micro and macro trends—plus, how to use that information to define reasonable expectations and optimize productivity
• Learn strategies to effectively capture and clarify tasks and prioritize competing demands
• Implement tools for tracking routine tasks and follow-up activities to ensure nothing falls through the cracks
• Understand how to leverage the latest technology to support your time management efforts (without wasting time in the process!)

As a participant, you will be working on managing your own task list during the structured activities.

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Nothing is constant—except for change. It’s an inevitable part of modern work life. Even under the best of circumstances, change is a disruptive force and, for many professionals, it’s a trigger for stress, fear and anxiety. If not carefully managed, it can destroy morale, decrease productivity, and wreak havoc on a team and an organization.

The field of Change Management is robust and covers a lot of territory: While it certainly involves managing your own response to change, it also includes helping support others as they navigate it. This program shows you how to embrace the spirit of change and become an informal change management leader in your organization.

In this Learning Lab, you will:

• Discover strategies to manage your own mindset around change even when your natural instinct is to resist
• Explore different models and theories regarding change management, human behavior, group dynamics and learning—and how these things apply to you
• Learn how to determine where people are in the change cycle and provide the right support
• Learn how to proactively prepare yourself and your team for change
• Practice strategies to communicate change in the right way and avoid common mistakes
• Identify tools to evaluate, measure, and monitor the impact of change initiatives

As a participant, you will be working on a change initiative of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample change initiative if you’d prefer to work on that.

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The word “leader” is typically associated with high profile, powerful people. In truth, anyone can be a leader in the workplace, regardless of title or position in the organizational hierarchy. If you’re looking to pursue management opportunities in the near or distant future, leadership is a critical skill to develop. However, even those who have no desire to “lead” in an official capacity will benefit. No matter what your role, this program will show you how to embrace the powerful principles of leadership and establish yourself as an influential, credible authority within your team and organization.

As an attendee, you will…

• Learn how to cultivate the leadership mindset and authentically step into your power
• Explore the many components of leadership as demonstrated through real-world examples
• Learn strategies to expand your overall business acumen and create more meaningful impact in your role
• Refine the ever-important “people” skills that make leaders effective
• Discover the importance of personal integrity and character and how they impact your ability to lead

As a participant, you will be assessing your own skills, identifying actionable steps for improvement, and creating your own Leadership Development Plan.

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Administrative professionals play a pivotal role in the modern workplace. Developing strategic partnerships with leaders is a critical way in which admins build influence and expand their value. However, many struggle to create powerful partnerships and, consequently, experience a host of challenges—misaligned expectations, frequent miscommunication, and lack of connection time to name a few. This greatly reduces the impact of both the admin and the leader and creates feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration on both sides.

Because the partnership between leader and assistant is a deeper, more complex business relationship than most, it requires a thoughtful, intentional approach. Usually, the admin is the one who needs to take ownership of this process. This program will empower you with the skills and knowledge you need to create the kind of partnership that unlocks the true potential of both you and your leader.

In this Learning Lab, you will…

• Assess your current partnership, develop a vision for the future, and explore strategies to get from here to there
• Discover a proven step-by-step framework for building and enhancing collaborative relationships between leaders and assistants
• Explore structured communication techniques that help align expectations, prevent confusion and enhance productivity
• Learn how to train leaders to better leverage support staff and provide what you need to be successful
• Explore tools to build trust, manage conflict, and anticipate leaders’ needs

As a participant, you will be exploring the facets of your own partnership(s). Privacy is important, so you will never be asked to share anything, though you are always welcome to share as much as you’d like using your good judgement.

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Every day, you encounter problems in the workplace. Some are simple and straightforward; others are complex with many contributing factors to consider. In either case, you need to approach problem solving strategically. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating more problems.

Similarly, every day, you have many decisions to make. As you rise through the ranks of your career, your decision-making capabilities become more essential, as the consequences of a “bad” decision can have far-reaching impact. It is, therefore, critical to demonstrate sound judgement in all decisions, regardless of size or scope.

This program helps you expand your problem solving and decision-making skills, which dramatically increases your value in the workplace.

In this Learning Lab, you will…

• Learn how to identify the root cause of problems, rather than simply cleaning up the mess
• Discover a proven step-by-step methodology for solving ANY problem, no matter how big or small, and avoiding unintended consequences in the process
• Implement tools to expand your critical and creative thinking skills and enhance your problem-solving prowess
• Explore the key elements of a “good” decision—and how to incorporate them in your daily decision-making processes
• Identify the most common psychological traps that can trick you into making a bad decision
• Develop skills to recover and learn from a “bad” decision that backfires

As a participant, you will be working on solving a problem of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample problem if you’d prefer to work on that.

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In today’s working world, we often do things the way we’ve always done them because that’s the way we’ve always done them! Rarely do we stop to re-evaluate our processes and ask, “Is there a better way?”

However, when we look at our established ways of working with fresh eyes, we often find a lot of wasted time, energy, and resources, and many opportunities for streamlining and optimizing how things are done. This proram shows you how to identify these opportunities, advocate for necessary improvements and take the lead in developing more effective processes.

In this Learning Lab, you will…

• Define and identify what processes actually are
• Explore strategies for evaluating current processes and analyzing predictable results
• Implement tools to identify inefficiencies and uncover opportunities for improved outcomes
• Learn how to develop new (or revised) processes that are clear and easy-to-follow
• Practice strategies to “sell” proposed improvements to decision-makers and gain buy-in from the rest of the team

As a participant, you will be evaluating a process of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample process if you’d prefer to work on that.

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Project management is a rich and complex field with a wide variety of frameworks, philosophies and methodologies. Perhaps you’ve heard terms like Scrum, Waterfall, Sprint, Kanban, Lean, Kaizen, and Agile, and wondered what exactly they mean and how they apply to the projects you manage each day. Maybe you’ve explored different PM tools and strategies, but you’re just not sure how to incorporate them into your work as an “unofficial” PM.

If you have experience managing projects, have already done basic PM training, and you’re ready to take your learning to the next level—this workshop is for you! With this program, you’ll gain deeper insight into the dynamic world of project management and learn advanced strategies to take your project work to the next level.

In this Learning Lab, you will…

• Gain a high-level overview of the principles and practices of the most popular PM methodologies and how to select which one is right for your project
• Discover specific tools to coordinate efforts and enhance communication within virtual and hybrid project teams
• Learn strategies to identify, monitor, manage and minimize risk throughout the project lifecycle
• Implement strategies for stepping into the leadership role, even without direct authority, and managing the increasingly complex “people side” of projects
• Learn how to get an off-track project back on-track

PRE-REQUISITE: This is an advanced workshop. You must have already attended the Project Management Learning Lab in 2020 or 2021. If you sign up for this lab and do not have this pre-requisite, your registration will be cancelled. If you would like to apply for an exception, please email Chrissy@EatYourCareer.com.

As a participant, you will be working on a project of your choice during the structured activities. 

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Career planning is a daunting task. That’s why many people put it off or rely on others to do it for them. But in today’s modern workplace, career planning is the responsibility of the individual—not the organization. Most people have a vague idea of where they want to go, but they often have no clue what it takes to get there. Consequently, they end up feeling uninspired and uncertain about their professional future.

In this program, you’ll learn a simple, step-by-step process for creating and executing your own Professional Development Plan—a powerful roadmap that will help you define, prioritize, and achieve your career goals. Once you put together your plan, you’ll use it to stay motivated and on-track throughout the course of your career.

In this Learning Lab, you will…

• Employ a holistic perspective in the career planning process (and discover why it’s essential)
• Conduct a personal SWOT Analysis to build self-awareness
• Implement tools for defining and refining your life and career goals
• Learn strategies to help you define specific activities that will take your career to the next level
• Discover how to use your plan to track progress, demonstrate growth and proactively manage your career
• Learn how to become an empowered advocate for your own career interests

As a participant, you will be working on a creating your own personalized career plan during the structured activities.

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