Program Calendar

Is supervision for me?

The transition from frontline employee to supervisor is a big leap.

This program is designed to help participants better understand the roles and responsibilities of supervision. In this interactive course, we will explore the fundamentals of frontline supervision. Participants will examine core elements of supervision such as building trust, managing conflict, and communicating effectively.

At the end of the program both participants and employers will be ready to answer the question “Is supervision for me?”

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Make Remote Work… Work!

How are you leading change and adapting to remote and hybrid teamwork?

Join us for a monthly virtual conversation gathering about sustainable remote & hybrid work practices in a post-COVID world. Together we will connect, discuss, and share advice and tools that are beneficial to change management practices that allow us to be successful in remote work environments.

Each session will be 60 mins long over Zoom. Learn more at: www.shaferleadership.com/remote-works/

Cost: This is a Free Community Gathering

Trauma-Informed Leadership: Promoting Well-Being in the Workplace

Research shows 1/2 to 2/3 of our population has experienced a recent trauma exposure. Many of these exposures have been at the hands of poor leadership; the misuse of power and control. For this reason, leaders need to be intentional about creating psychologically safe work environments for all employees.

Trauma-informed leadership involves recognizing and understanding the impact of trauma exposures on individuals, while working to create safe, supportive environments for them to thrive. Once leaders understand the impact trauma can have on their employees, they should create policies and procedures that align with core principles

Learning Objectives

1. Define trauma-informed leadership.
2. Discuss examples of trauma and its impact on employees.
3. Explore the guiding principles of a trauma-informed approach

This program is ideal for:  HR Managers. First-time supervisors, mid-level and upper-level managers

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Melanie Wright is currently the Program Chair for Human Services on the Muncie Campus. She joined Ivy Tech in 2012, helping to open the Henry County Campus before becoming a full-time faculty member. Prior to Ivy Tech, she was a Director at the Henry County Youth Center. Melanie has dedicated her career to helping others. She understands the plight of people and works hard to be an empathic, compassionate leader in all areas of life. When she isn’t at Ivy Tech, you can find her facilitating psycho-educational groups at the Henry County Jail, working on social justice issues as a Henry County Lightkeeper, or traveling around the United States with her son.

Uncovering Unconscious Bias

Unconscious biases can greatly influence day to day decisions made in the workplace. These biases can cause extremely negative effects in the workplace, such as lack of creativity, lack of diversity and lack of growth. In this session, Dr. Tsitsi will introduce to you to ideas for defining unconscious biases and show the effects of these biases on work culture and the business practices of an organization.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the effects of unconscious biases in the workplace
2. Discuss how to implement an unconscious bias-based training within your organization
3. Identify the steps for handling an unconscious bias-based complaint

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $50 non-member. $30 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Dr. Tsitsi Hungwe is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, trainer, and life and leadership development expert. Leveraging several years of experience in the dental industry, she helps early career professionals reach their peak potential in transitioning into the professional workplace through coaching and leadership development. Applying her proven four-step process, she helps early professionals confidently prepare for their next chapter or career transition. She empowers students and professionals at corporations, universities, and organizations worldwide with her message of mastering mental resilience and mindset for a successful transition. Dr. Tsitsi’s extensive leadership expertise has landed her on some of the world’s largest stages. And her exceptional skills have allowed her to deliver inspiring live and virtual keynotes to the industry’s most prominent corporations and organizations, including the Leadership Experience Tour, Michigan Technological University, Pacific Lutheran University, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Takoda Prep School, Support DDS a global dental outsourcing company and the Guadalupe Alternative Programs (GAP) School, among others.

Overcoming Victim Mentality: How to Embrace Your Inner Warrior

Victim Mentality is a common and easy mindset to adapt after going through personal or professional hardship. I share through my own experience of a life changing medical event as well as being a former high achiever as a sales executive what victim mentality looks like, feels like, sounds like, and most importantly where it comes from. It is important when working with someone that is playing this out to have tools that can support them to the best of your ability as a leader. I am passionate about embracing a warrior mentality and offering tools that create positive shifts in perspective as well as creating a more supportive and cohesive team environment.

Learning Objectives

1. Know how to spot someone who has adapted a victim mentality and what to look for and listen for
2. Discover tools that will empower individuals and teams to embrace warrior mentality and a more positive work environment
3. Learn specific ways to enhance your own mental and emotional well-being

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Jennifer Chapman, an Indy native and Ball State Graduate, spent her first 16 years building her sales expertise through a variety of roles including sales representative, recruiting, key account management, and Indiana state manager. She hit Presidents Club in 2016 and was chasing another when life had different plans for her in 2017. She felt the call to create Just Commit Coaching in 2021 after the power life coaching had on her life.

Jennifer’s passion lies in supporting an individual’s whole self on all levels so they can excel in every area of their life. She has completed a year-long certification through Institute of Coaching Mastery, accredited through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and really focuses on mindset. Her goal is to take an inside out approach through bringing awareness and acceptance and then taking aligned action. Jennifer is passionate about supporting others through 1:1 and group coaching as well as speaking her message on Embracing Your Inner Warrior.

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1: 
Wednesday, May 15
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2: 
Thursday, May 16
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

For many of us, we are our own worst critic. Our inner doubts and fears can diminish our ability to fully flourish as our authentic selves. In this two-part workshop, we will explore feelings of imposter syndrome and how we can move towards self-acceptance as “humble realists.” In order to stop feeling like an imposter, we need to stop thinking like one.

Learning Objectives

1. Gain clarity about the reality of imposter phenomenon through a healthy and constructive lens
2. Learn how to recognize the feelings and coping mechanisms of your inner critic
3. Discuss how you can reframe these feelings towards a more compassionate view of your own self-competence.

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $250 non-member. $200 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Eilis (A-lish) Wasserman is a virtual facilitator and coach focused on cultivating confidence and inspiring self-discovery.  Last year she completed coach training through the Imposter Syndrome Institute. Eilis recently worked at the Ball State University Career Center, The University of Michigan, and The Muse as a Career Coach. You may have seen Eilis acting as a digital producer for one of Shafer’s recent virtual program offerings. She currently serves as Shafer Leadership Academy’s Program Manager where she coordinates all member programming guiding facilitators to present their best selves.

Make Remote Work… Work!

How are you leading change and adapting to remote and hybrid teamwork?

Join us for a monthly virtual conversation gathering about sustainable remote & hybrid work practices in a post-COVID world. Together we will connect, discuss, and share advice and tools that are beneficial to change management practices that allow us to be successful in remote work environments.

Each session will be 75 mins long over Zoom. Learn more at: www.shaferleadership.com/remote-works/

Cost: This is a Free Community Program

In-Person 3 Hour Session

Learning Objectives

1. 1. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the coach’s role and the coaching process
   2. Learn and practice how to lead and communicate change as coach and facilitator
   3. Cultivate a mindset of commitment and accountability in the coaching process

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $250 non-member. $200 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Todd Muhlenkamp holds an MBA in applied management and is currently pursuing a PhD at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, specializing in learned helplessness as a group construct. He has presented his dissertation topic at the 2021 APA (American Psychological Association) conference. With over two decades of managerial experience, Todd has demonstrated adept leadership in various domains including the service industry and manufacturing sectors. His extensive background has culminated in the development of the Coaching for Long-Term Sustainable Change program.

Read a book. Lead with inspiration.

SLA in partnership with Muncie Public Library is offering a unique quarterly gathering, highlighting important take-aways from inspirational leadership books. At each event, facilitators will share key leadership development lessons from leadership-focused books. This is not a book club, rather a guided discussion around the key takeaways from each book.

Prior reading of the book is not required but we encourage participants to share about what they learned and check-out one of the books from Muncie Public Library. All participants attending will be entered in a raffle to win a digital copy of one of the books discussed.

All sessions are FREE and open to the public. Registration is required.

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Mastering Inclusive Leadership: Analyzing Pitfalls

Unlock the power of inclusive leadership by honing the skill of analyzing pitfalls in strategies. Great leaders build trust, embrace diversity, maximize team potential, and fearlessly tackle challenges. Join our 90-minute virtual program to explore the crucial trait of Analyzing Pitfalls. Reflect on your approach to decision-making, from scrutinizing plan pitfalls to taking calculated business risks, especially in people management.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover the benefits of fostering inclusivity in your leadership styles.
2. Understand how Analyzing Pitfalls enhances inclusive leadership.
3. Create a personalized action plan for better strategic decisions.
4. Receive an exclusive workbook to boost your strategic decision-making skills.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Whitney Luther, ACC, is an executive coach and organizational consultant. She is founder and CEO of Luther & Company, a global leadership consulting firm. Whitney primarily works with executives, business owners, and their teams to help elevate them for success and long-term growth. Her services and programming provides leaders with strategies related to healthy leadership, talent acquisition & development, conflict management, emotional intelligence, and strategic planning. Whitney is an International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach with credentials from Concordia University Irvine’s Townsend Institute and M.Ed. in Education Administration from Butler University. With a diverse career spanning 15 years, she’s cultivated conditions for learning in K-12, Higher Education, and Executive Education. She has been crafting innovative strategies that inspire organizations to achieve tangible business results and reach their full potential. As an entrepreneur, she has collaborated with Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, start-ups, non-profit organizations, government entities, and non-governmental organizations. Whitney Luther lives in Zionsville, Indiana with her husband, Tyler and their two boys, Banks & Callahan.

Why Fun Should Matter to Leaders

Active engagement in the workplace has dropped to 23% (Gallup 2023). Leaders around the world try to solve this problem with incentives, feedback, team building, and work-life balance seminars. More attuned leaders consider the psychology of Flow Theory. Flow, a famous concept by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, explains how humans do or do not experience engagement. It explains how and why we get “in the zone” and is a major factor in whether we bring our whole selves to our work or just go through the motions. Flow has served as a theoretical framework for many leaders and consultants, particularly facilitators, however, in 2005, game designer and entrepreneur Raph Koster made the connection that Fun and Flow are inseparably tied together in his book “A Theory of Fun for Game Design.” In this session, we will discuss the traditional tenants of flow theory, including the balance of skill and challenge when performing work tasks. We will also incorporate the discoveries related to flow that come from more traditional “fun” like playing games. Through discussion and activities, we will find out how a little fun at work can actually improve performance, and that work can be fun without silly gimmicks.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the theory and benefits of Flow
2. Implement at least one fun activity into their work or team
3. Appraise whether they are experiencing Flow or fun in their work

This program is ideal for:  All levels

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Dillon Waggoner has a robust background in Career and Professional Development. He served as a career coach, presenter, and creative facilitator for the Ball State Career Center for six years, and now serves the university in the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute. He empowers students to engage with powerful resources that promote self-awareness, problem solving, and creativity, and he finds a way to add an element of fun to everything he does.

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1: 
Wednesday, June 26
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2: 
Thursday, June 27
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Want to unlock the secrets to managing disagreements effectively and gain confidence when facing conflict?  Discover how to transform high-stress conflicts into opportunities for cooperation and understanding through the art of de-escalation. This interactive and informative session promises to equip you with the essential tools needed to navigate tense situations with confidence and grace.

Learning Objectives

1. Know your conflict management style and how to improve your reactions.
2. Recognize an intensifying conflict
3. Identify personal triggers and stressors that can hinder effective de-escalation.
4. Learn about de-escalation strategies
5. Create a personalized action plan for applying de-escalation skills in their respective roles.

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $250 non-member. $200 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Mary Moore is a communication expert and community activist. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies at Ball State University. Committed to student development and enhancing relationships, Mary has received multiple teaching and coaching awards. Her expertise covers a broad spectrum, including argumentation, debate, presentational communication, and conversational intelligence. As a decorated coach, she has led college speech teams to state and national championships. Mary is also dedicated to extending her communication insights beyond academia, conducting impactful workshops with organizations such as Open Door, Muncie Resists, Soup Kitchen of Muncie, United Way, and Ball State’s LEAD University Leadership Development Program.