Management Development Academy
Schedule
Class Fifteen Session One - July 28-30, 2025
Aloft Cleveland Downtown | Cleveland, Ohio
Day One: Monday, July 28, 2025
Welcome to MDA, Session Activities and MDA News

Introductions and Opening Orientation

Social and Dinner
Restaurant TBA
DAY TWO: TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2025
Breakfast
Topic One:
Objective Setting, Delegation and Time Management

Objective setting, delegation and time management are three essential skills for effective supervision.
This session will cover:- Goal Setting: getting everyone to row in the same direction
- Understand the factors that motivate team members to perform effectively.
- Understand how motivation varies from team member to team member.
- Delegation: why you do not want to do it all yourself
- Time Management: accomplishing your WIG (Wildly Important Goal)
- What to do when your teams are off track
- Difficult conversations
- How to move from individual contributor to leader/manager
- Managing task to leading people
- Tools for effective delegation
Lunch and Break
Topic Two:
Communicating, Connecting, & Collaborating Effectively

John Maxwell said, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness. No accomplishment of real value has ever been achieved by a human being working alone.” In organizations, we work with others and get things accomplished through others. This requires very good collaboration and effective communication. It takes a lot of understanding and a measure of persuasion. In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand. So, it is imperative that we speak in a way that is catered toward the listener. Warren Buffet said, “if there were one skill people could improve, it would be how to connect and communicate.” Outstanding collaborators are great communicators and connectors because they value others and are valued by others. As a result, they work hard to understand and to be understood. This course will help prepare those who aspire to become outstanding collaborators.
Learner outcomes are:- Learn the foundation of great teamwork and working relationships.
- Get your message across based on the style of the listener. (Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator*)
- Learn the principles and practices of connecting with others.
- Construct and express clear and concise messages in both written and spoken communication.
- Make verbal and nonverbal communication congruent to reinforce the intent of messages and employ active listening techniques.
*DISC Styles:
D - Dominant - Driver
I - Influencing - Inspiring
S - Stable - Steady
C - Compliant - Correcting
Dinner
Restaurant TBA
DAY THREE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2025
Continental Breakfast
Topic Three :
Building a Culture of Creative Problem Solving


We will be tackling fun, original puzzles ranging from logic to geometry, operations research to pattern recognition. Each of these puzzles is designed to develop mental stamina, highlight the importance of metacognition and build group communication skills for maximizing "contributorship"—both leadership and followership. In each different type of puzzle, you will get plenty of practice using general problem-solving techniques such as simplifying, working backwards, building a model and more. Get to know your own brain better as well as your colleagues' as you take new problem-solving strategies home with you.
As a result of this presentation, the attendees will:- Have new techniques and strategies for solving problems.
- Understand the importance of metacognition and operational awareness.
- Develop and understand mental strength and mental stamina.
- Recognize and promote “contributorship” within your team.
- Enjoy the collegiality of wondering about challenging problems together.
Conclusion of Session One
Wrap-up, next steps and program evaluation
