Executive Leadership Development Program

Joel Garfinkle finished his fifth year of presenting at the high-ranking executive leadership development program offered at the University of California at Berkley. The five-day intensive accepts limited enrollment and each year some of the highest professionals may be turned away.

Before you arrive at the leadership program the faculty analyzes your organization’s culture, your leadership style, and assesses your organization’s innovative capabilities. So when you get there, they have a program tailored specifically to help you take your leadership to the next break-through.

Once you get to Berkley, you join with other accomplished peers, UC Berkley faculty, and your executive coach. Some of the leaders from top companies have been matched with Joel for his executive coaching. They develop a personal plan to:

• Unlock innovation and growth
• Create energy and urgency
• Become a more influential leader
• Return to work with a practical, vetted plan to put to use immediately.

For example, they discuss how leaders are “signal generators.” Employees can’t read the mind of the leader. They can only see what you are doing. Workers use the behavior of the leader to understand what the leader’s priorities are.

They address how leaders can better use words and actions to demonstrate their priorities. And how those priorities and actions can differ situation by situation.

The program also introduces culture as a leadership tool. How leaders adjust the organization’s culture reflects their leadership style and strength. Modifying and changing the culture automatically leads to different results, as examples from the motivational techniques of Fortune 500 companies show. Participants reviewed the examples of Nordstrom and Southwest Airlines to see the culture that emerges when leaders place importance on pleasing customers.

If a leader is pursuing an innovative strategy and their company culture is risk-averse, leaders now understand why they keep finding roadblocks. The program helps them diagnose the gaps between their organizational elements and their leadership goals and visions.

Participants in Berkley’s Executive Leadership Program, then develop an action plan to overcome the roadblocks and close the gaps between their goals and the organization’s culture and structure. For example, Harrah’s changed their culture through a recruitment strategy. It can also happen with behavioral training.

Upper management and C-level attendees offer high praise for the Berkley program.

Brad Rodgers, Research and Development Director, PepsiCo, Inc. said, "The Berkeley Executive Leadership program is an invaluable resource for executives: it's well done, well-paced, clear, concise, and complete. The session on understanding and leveraging culture was very helpful, as was the feedback from my organization on culture and my personal leadership style."

Terri Moran, Senior Vice President, Vela Insurance Services, LLC said, “I loved the professional coaching sessions. I also found the organizational canvas a great way to tie all the topics together and help me develop an action plan for my company. I've already told my boss he needs to attend this program!"

As Joel Garfinkle goes back to Berkley, year after year for this program, he helps executives on the highest levels examine their vision and goals and create a game plan for implementing desired change.

“It is one of the most satisfying things I do,” Joel says. “We create a solid plan that they take home and implement.”

If you’re seeking to develop greater executive leadership qualities, consider programs that give you hands-on practice and ready-to-go application. A professional speaker and trainer like Joel will propel you to the next level in your career.