The Forum Corp. Releases First-Line Essentials Program

BOSTON, Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Forum Corp., a premiere learning organization, announced today the availability of First-Line Essentials, a training program based on Forum's recent research about the core people-management practices essential to leaders' success. The two-day classroom program allows front-line leaders — the most numerous and arguably the most important leaders in organizations — to develop skills in four foundational people-management areas.

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"The linchpin in strategy execution, customer satisfaction and employee engagement, first-line leaders are the main driver of business results," said Maggie Walsh, Forum vice president and practice lead – Leadership. "Today, the role of first-line leaders is more challenging than ever because of advances in technology, constant and increasing levels of change, and the pressure to deliver business results often under unprecedented cost and resource constraints. Managers who participate in Forum's First-Line Essentials program can improve their mastery of the core people-management practices that are critical to business results."

Forum's four decades of work with first-line leaders and recent research into leadership practices form the basis of the program. This research shows that while highly effective first-line leaders must do many things well, the key to their success is their mastery of four foundational people-management skills:

1. They "think" like a leader: They focus effort and activity on what a leader is and does, and on enabling their team members.
2. They are great coaches: They know what each person on their team can do and needs to do, and they are intentional about providing growth opportunities. Not only that, they are adept and swift in coaching team members who have performance problems because they understand the impact one person has on the whole team.
3. They know how to deliver results: Most important, they know how to get results through their team members by setting effective performance objectives and delegating work to the right person at the right time in his or her development.
4. They understand the relationship between engagement and performance and know that each person's engagement needs are unique: They create desire in team members to contribute high levels of discretionary energy to the organization, a critical factor in organizational success.

The First-Line Essentials core program is a two-day, face-to-face experience consisting of five learning modules (a virtual instructor-led version of the program will be released in December 2012).  Throughout the session, participants apply practices and tools to real-world situations and identify their own leadership development needs. They also plan ways to accelerate their mastery of 16 leadership practices, and they graduate the session with a complete Leadership Action Plan.

As with all Forum learning programs, First-Line Essentials includes a range of tools to increase readiness and alignment (before the core session) and reinforcement and application (back on the job). So does Forum's Speed to Mastery initiative, a Web-based application designed to drive the application and sustainment of the core attitudes, skills and behaviors taught in a Forum training program.

To learn more about First-Line Essentials, visit www.forum.com.

About The Forum Corp.
Forum is a recognized global leader in linking learning to strategic business objectives. Our learning solutions help organizations effectively execute their business strategies by focusing on their most important asset: their people. We provide clients with practical and research-based advice and tailored programs that mobilize employees, accelerate business-initiative implementation, and improve agility. Forum's 40-year legacy as a pioneer and thought leader continues with the release of our latest book, Strategic Speed (Harvard Business Press). For more information, visit www.forum.com, and follow Forum on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/theforumcorp. 

SOURCE The Forum Corp.