High-Performance Leadership

"When individuals feel empowered to utilize their intellect at work, when their contributions are valued by their superiors, and when they are directed on objectives rather than methods—essentially, when smart people are acknowledged and treated as such—they find greater satisfaction in their roles, think more innovatively and creatively, and generate more ideas."
—Susan Lucia Annunzio, High-Performance Leadership Faculty

The champions of today’s business world are those who tap into their belief systems and operate in ways that are authentic and genuine. When leaders are true to their values, they are able to confront challenges, embrace conflict, and tackle tough conversations. Regardless of whether their teams are located in one office or distributed around the globe, they attract a community of followers and give rise to a superior level of performance and an environment that’s consistently engaged and innovative.

By attending this program, you will:

• Understand the attributes that build—and destroy—a high-performance culture.
• Tap into the collective brainpower of top performers, learn how to deliver bad news, and build a trusted, authentic community.
• Explore how to attract and retain top talent. 
• Gain access to quantifiable global research designed to help executives master high-performance leadership.

An interactive, collaborative learning experience

In this program, you'll develop your skills in real-time by participating in group exercises with faculty and peer feedback. Through classroom learning, interactive practice, and networking opportunities, you'll come away a higher-performing leader.

This program will benefit mid- to senior-level managers and executives who create value for their organizations. It is designed to help professionals in many industries and sectors—especially those in leadership functions undergoing dynamic change.

Titles include: innovation leader, change manager, senior project manager, operations manager, mid- to senior-level manager, director, vice president, and C-suite.

This program incorporates an executive leader guest speaker who will share their personal leadership journey to further illustrate program concepts.

Guest Speakers

• Halley Eidson, Regional Vice President of Enterprise Software and Digital Platforms at Docusign, will speak to the power of the choices we make and their impact on work life balance.

• Melisa Harris—author of Everybody Needs an Editor, CEO of M. Harris & Company, an Entrepreneur in Residence as a Chicago Booth alumna as well as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth—will be interviewed about the communication challenges she has encountered with clients.

Fireside Chats

• Spring session (May 1): David Roberts, CEO, Verra Mobility
• Summer session (July 17): Tim Crane, President and CEO of Wintrust
• Fall session (November 20): Dave MacLennan, Former Chairman and CEO, Cargill

Introduction to High-Performance Leadership

• Learn what drives (and destroys) high performance
• Identify drivers and corresponding attributes of high-performing work environments

Encourage a High-Performance Environment

• What are the correlations between leadership styles and resultant behaviors?
• How do you identify and enable top performers?
• Explore how to attract and retain top talent
• How do you identify quick wins that can may be implemented immediately?

The Tenets of a High-Performance Environment

• How do great leaders manage change?
• The critical role of emotion
• The power of the 20/60/20 rule, unspeakable subjects, and making loud statements of change
• Recognizing and celebrating heroes within a company

Impactful Communication Strategies

• How to manage up, down, and sideways
• Tell the bad news: Straight Talk in Tough Times
• How to lead under pressure: crisis communications

Mindfulness and Self-Care Plans

• How employees grieve and manage stress
• Creating your own self-care plan

The Critical Necessities of Courage

• What values do you hold most dear?
• How do you “think like a leader”?
• What are leadership moments of truth?

Artificial Intelligence and the High-Performing Leader

• Develop a framework for exploring new challenges and opportunities brought by AI
• Incorporate ethical considerations and responsible implementation

This program was life-changing, both professionally and personally. I have taken many leadership courses, but this is hands down the best and it has elevated me to a new level. HPL's Faculty Director, Susan Lucia Annunzio, was absolutely amazing—she’s a gift. She set the stage for a collaborative and engaging conversation every day, and the energy in the room was so upbeat and contagious that I looked forward to attending each day.

—Gretchen Holloway, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, ITC Holdings Corp.

The program was insightful, challenging, and fun. The experience challenged my previous assumptions about leadership and helped me grow into a transparent and authentic leader. Many of my fellow classmates are now trusted friends who I can reach out to with questions and advice as I continue my leadership journey.

—Daniel A. Neidig, Vice President, ITAMCO

Chicago has created a wonderful program to aid in the education of business leaders across all lines of business. I received practical tools that I can use immediately to make my associates feel more valued. I will be a better leader as a result of participating in this program.

—Peter Carey, National Asset Recovery Manager, Toyota Motor Credit Corp.

Great program! I will recommend it to others in my organizations at all levels, followers, management, and leadership. My regret is that this program was not available earlier in my career.

—Paul Ekstrom, VP, Customer Service and Information Systems, California Water Service Company

I am very pleased with the seminar and honestly believe that it will have a positive impact on how I position myself towards seeking greater responsibilities or aspire to higher ranks within my institution.

—Eduardo M. Borges, Managing Director Corporate Banking, Banco Santander Brasil S/A

It was a phenomenal, life-changing experience for me. I would absolutely recommend [this program] to others.

—Sanjay Radhakrishan, Senior Manager, Cognizant Technology Solutions

The course does an excellent job of pulling together and making more concrete practical lessons that, while they seem obvious, are too often not applied. Just as we're challenged to create a better environment in our companies, the environment that's been created at Chicago is very conducive to necessary reflection and experimentation to learn and be ready to apply the lessons learned when we get back to our own companies.

—Brian Keefer, EVP/COO, Bankers Insurance Group

This course was well designed and the presenters and instructors were very authentic; responsive and knowledgeable. The setting coupled with the energy of the participants provided for a powerful opportunity to reflect fresher and strengthen skills.

—Suzanne Sinclair, Vice President Marketing Strategic Initiatives, Zurich North America

This is the single best leadership training I have ever participated in. The quality of teachers and students was exceptional. Energy was high; focus and effort by all was outstanding.

—Andy Keimach, Executive Vice President, Munchkin, Inc

Tremendous program. The most valuable thing I've ever done for my career.

—Rick Strachan, Group President, Hanley Wood, LLC

Has to be one of the best programs I have taken. This program far outranks courses I took during my MBA, and I will be able to utilize skills/objectives learned.

—Joshua Kabisch, Sr. ACO, Office of Naval Research

Excellent learning environment with vibrant teaching and support staff.

- Usman Musa, Head Compliance Unit, National Pension

The class provides insight, hard data, and tools to transform the often unmet challenges of good leadership in the workplace into bridges for personal, team and organizational success.

—Joseph Grames, Deputy Group Leader, Jefferson Lab

I am thrilled that I took the time to take this week-long course and I know that I will make great use of the skills in wherever my journey takes me in my next academic (or other) leadership position!

—Amy Wolfson, Professor of Psychology, Loyola University Maryland, Inc

World class experience relevant and necessary post-MBA to compete and take your teams/companies to new heights of success.

—Dan Munivez, Senior Manager, Portfolio, Acquisitions & Divestitures, Delphi Corporation

The course was excellent and I believe it’s due to the significant attention to every detail above. The entire program was well organized but felt spontaneous and not canned.

—Janet Cunningham, Director US Regulatory Affairs, Dechra Veterinary Products, LLC