The team at the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre at the Asper School of Business understand the factors to consider when it comes to ongoing professional development at the mid to senior management level. For over a decade the Executive Education Centre has been developing forward-thinking leaders through specially designed executive training programs.

Advanced Program in Management, Leadership and Strategy
One the Centre’s most popular programs is the 10-day Advanced Program in Management, Leadership and Strategy. It provides the critical leadership and strategy skills required to lead at a more senior and strategic level. Participants learn how to apply their strengths to make a greater impact; contribute to their organization’s strategic direction through enhanced strategic thinking; meet challenges with resilience and adaptability; and pursue greater responsibilities or transition into a new role with confidence.

Inspector Greg Hebert of the Brandon Police Service participated in the Advanced Program in 2020 and believes it’s something everyone at a management level could benefit from.

“The instructors were top notch, all different but equally engaging,” said Hebert. “The case studies that were discussed, the syndicate work in class and the projects all built on the information that was taught. I recommended to my supervisor that every executive in our organization attend this course.”

As an additional benefit with the Advanced Program, participants that complete the program earn 4.5 credit hours that can be applied to the Master of Business Administration program at the Asper School of Business. This provides a great head start on an MBA for those considering the program.

Custom programs designed for your organization
The Executive Education Centre also offers the opportunity for organizations to address their specific needs through custom programming. A collaborative process, the Centre works with organizations to design a tailor-made solution that optimizes the learning experience for their team. Additionally, an organization can choose an existing program that can be fine-tuned to suit their requirements.

“Our custom programs are designed to ensure your business sees a return on investment by meeting the unique requirements of your workplace,” said Irene Merie, Executive Director, James W. Burns Executive Education Centre. “We have a dedicated, professional delivery team who are with you every step of the way to ensure things run smoothly so you get the most out of your experience. Our team will work with you to custom design the content to ensure a meaningful learning experience for your teams. We take care of everything from planning through to execution.”

One fundamental advantage to custom programs is that participants get to enjoy learning alongside their peers and can share examples from within their organization, creating a common ground and sense of collective understanding.

How-to register
The next Advanced Program in Management, Leadership and Strategy is a unique retreat session. The first week will be delivered in Winnipeg at the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre in January.  This will be followed by the second week in March at the Lakeview Resort in Gimli, MB. Program cost includes learning materials, meals and accommodations while in Gimli.

To see the complete list of winter 2022 programs, visit Executive Education online.

For questions about all our programs, you can contact the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre by email, execedinfo@umanitoba.ca, or call 204-946-0232.

With unprecedented access to vast amounts of information about customers, competitors and industry trends, it’s critical for leaders to have the social expertise they need to know where to find key data and how to draw meaning from it.

It’s with this in mind that the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre has launched the one-day virtual Social Media Analytics & Research program. Focused on providing participants with the tools they need to confidently and effectively engage, track and gather crucial data through social media, this program provides the critical skills every leader should have in today’s digital landscape.   

Program instructor Estelle Métayer is an expert in Competitive and Strategic Intelligence. She advises CEOs and boards as they build/improve their strategic decision-making process and competitive intelligence functions to avoid strategic blindspots. “In an era where all companies are undergoing a digital transformation, understanding social media networks as a professional tool is an indispensable skill for managers and executives,” says Métayer.

In one day of immersive learning, participants will explore core and emerging social media networks, uncovering essential components, as well as hidden functionalities they can use to discover strategic insights. By expanding their knowledge of key sources of social media information and how to use them, they’ll be well positioned to capitalize on the power of social media.

The Winter 2021 session of Social Media Analytics and Research is coming up on March 16. Register today by visiting: https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/management/exec_programs/social-media-analytics.html

Lianne Lagasse

“ Manitoba Hydro always has the future in sight. Since 2009, we have sent over 250 employees to the Advanced Program in Management, Leadership, and Strategy to prepare them to take on new leadership roles and responsibilities within the corporation. Graduates of the program have gained a richer perspective on the vision and decisions that drive our business, a comprehensive understanding of high-level strategic planning, and tools that have helped them become more effective leaders immediately.” 
– Lianne Lagasse, Manitoba Hydro

Sky Bridges

“The [Advanced Program in Management, Leadership & Strategy] allowed me to absorb the material quickly, efficiently and in an engaged environment. It is a must for companies looking to enhance their staff and company with a strategic mindset. ”  
– Sky Bridges, Chief Operating Officer, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network 

Mike Bayes

“I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to participate in the Advanced Program in Management, Leadership and Strategy at the Asper Executive Education Centre. I met many great people and instructors during the program and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to advance their own business skills.”  
– Mike Bayes, Senior Vice-President, Client Experience, CCI Wireless 
 

The next Advanced Program in Management, Leadership, and Strategy starts on January 18, 2021. To find out more about the Advanced Program and other Executive Education programs, visit us online. 

Home to the Asper School of Business’s Executive Education programs, the Centre used to offer a modest handful of sessions per year, drawing an average of five to eight attendees per session—from mid-level managers to senior executives looking to sharpen their knowledge or add a new skill to their leadership toolbox.

Since 2016, though, the Centre’s offerings have doubled and attendance has skyrocketed, says Director Debra Jonasson-Young—all thanks to savvy marketing, positive word of mouth, and programs tailor-made to businesses and industries keen to grow their dwindling leadership capacity.

“The word is out”

A veteran of leadership roles at People First HR Services, Dufresne Furniture & Appliances and Shoppers Optical, Jonasson-Young has been working hard to grow the Centre’s profile since taking the helm two and a half years ago. Since then, revenues and profits have climbed year over year.

“The word is definitely getting out about the quality of the experience we offer,” she says. “Asper Exec Ed’s emphasis on applied learning arms the management professionals in its classrooms with knowledge and skills they can put to work the moment they return to the office. We hear it again and again.”

But program quality is only one reason for the Centre’s success. More important, she says, is the relevance of the Centre’s programming to the needs of today’s businesses.

“More and more managers are coming to us with problems they need help solving, whether it’s with project management, negotiating, understanding finance, communicating more effectively, dealing with conflict. We offer great courses on all those topics.”

Often, the program brings in instructors from outside partners such as the Humphrey Group, “the very best communications people in Canada.”

But the majority of courses are taught by Asper faculty, including world-class researchers in the topics they’re instructing. “I can’t stress enough what a difference it makes to have instructors who not only know their stuff, but know how to teach adults, and how to keep managers and executives alike fully engaged in the classroom. That’s no easy feat.”

Leadership: a growing concern

One of the biggest recent growth areas for the James W. Burns Executive Education has been in coaching. “We’ve coordinated a whole suite of courses on that alone,” says Jonasson-Young, ”including a course called Certified Coach Training, which is a five-day program certified by the International Coach Federation.”

The Centre has also seen an uptick in the need for sessions on emotional intelligence training and certification.

Jonasson-Young attributes much of this demand to the leadership gap in the workplace.

“As boomers retire, organizations are bracing for a huge leadership shortage in the near future. They’re bringing in coaches to show them how to mentor people and raise their skills to the level they need to lead effectively.”

In the last few decades, many corporations flattened their organizational structures to bring senior leaders closer to the end customer, she explains.

“What you lost, if you were a junior manager, were all those learning opportunities as you climbed the ladder. When I was starting out, there was always someone a level above to guide my progress and help me gain the skills I’d need for the next level. Nowadays there’s just this empty void there, and we’re seeing people promoted to high-level positions without some of the critical leadership skills and knowledge they need to succeed in those roles. Our coaching courses are creating coaches, teaching leaders how to coach, and bridging that gap.”

Also thriving is Asper Executive Education’s capstone course, the 10-day Advanced Program in Leadership and Management, which will celebrate its five hundredth graduate this year.

“It’s a magical program,” she says, “because it’s so fluid and dynamic.” A focus on strategy forms the program’s framework; within that, modules on any topic covered in other Exec Ed courses can be arranged to suit the needs of any group. And it counts as credit towards an Asper MBA, which Jonasson-Young says has become a strong selling point.

“This year we’re seeing more large organizations testing out the Advanced Program as a precursor to working with us on custom programs we might offer in-house, or to sending more of their staff to our open enrolment courses.”

New ventures

Jonasson-Young is especially excited about new offerings coming in the next year or two, including courses on strategic pricing, scaling up your business, business ethics, cyber security risks, design thinking, process mapping, and Big Data and analytics.

“We’re hearing over and over how hungry our professional community is for knowledge in these areas.”

In 2019, Asper Executive Education will partner with the University of Alberta to offer its Municipal Leadership Training Program, a 12-day course for municipal officials, in Manitoba. “This is super-exciting. They’ve put this on for 13 years, and we’ll be the first to partner with them out of province.”

Jonasson-Young says she’s also looking forward to bringing Asper’s brand of leadership training to Manitoba’s northern communities. Along with La Royce Batchelor, director of the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Asper School of Business, she has been invited to sit on a panel of Look North. The Manitoba government initiative is exploring long-term strategies to unleash the region’s economic potential.

“What an exceptional opportunity for Asper and the University of Manitoba,” she says, “to be part of something that will help build and strengthen leaders for generations to come.”

For more information about Asper Executive Education, visit their website.