GRCA Executive Leadership Academy: Dynamic Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage
This course in the ELA series will unlock the mystery of strategic management, demonstrating how it can be effectively employed throughout the organization to build competitive advantage and create consistent high performance, leading to innovation and continuous improvement.
Participants will examine how strategy formulation tools, coupled with comprehensive external and internal situational analyses lead to dynamic goals & objectives, and the strategies & tactics required to attain them. This course will also address strategy implementation, as well as the strategic controls & metrics necessary to ensure progress toward goal attainment.
In this course, you will learn the following executive leadership skills. How to:
- Apply the strategic management framework to identify sources of competitive advantage and innovation for your organization
- Address the three key questions of strategy formulation that lead to high performance and organizational success
- Develop meaningful strategic management tools within your organization to identify key opportunities to be exploited and threats to be mitigated
- Establish goals and objectives and the strategies and tactics to support them that will lead to a strong market position and continuous improvement
- Gain buy-in among multiple stakeholders to successfully implement strategies and achieve goals & objectives
ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
The Executive Leadership Academy is designed for experienced professionals seeking to boost organizational effectiveness and career growth. The Academy is comprised of 5 classes, taken in any order and at any time. Upon completion, graduates receive an Executive Leadership Academy diploma signifying mastery in the skills needed to propel today's organizations to high performance. The five classes include:
- Focusing on High Performance & Creating Competitive Advantage
- Team-Building & Change Management for High Performance - Harnessing the Power Within
- Dynamic Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage
- Financial Analysis for Executives - The Bottom Line
- Capstone Project & Graduation Ceremony
ABOUT PROGRAM DESIGNER & FACILIATOR - Melissa Wells, M.B.A.
Prof. Wells has extensive professional business and managerial experience in the areas strategic planning, marketing, sales management, financing, and entrepreneurial planning & start-up. Prior to teaching at Albright, she was employed in the banking and financial services industry, where her responsibilities included: directing strategic planning and marketing at both the corporate and functional levels; evaluating, structuring and underwriting financial requests; developing innovative products, services and delivery platforms; managing complex corporate customer relationships and strategic alliances; sales management and sales team leadership; optimizing business unit and product line profitability; leading cross-functional project teams to both increase organizational efficiencies and improve effectiveness through revenue growth; and, developing start-up business units within the business organization.
In addition to teaching, Prof. Wells currently mentors and provides consulting services to emerging entrepreneurs, business owners and non-profit organizations in the local community. She is Six Sigma certified and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Western Berks Ambulance Association, serving as Treasurer and chair of the Board’s Finance Committee; she also a member of the Board’s Marketing and Human Resources Committees. She is involved in the local Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, as well as various non-profit organizations. She is a founding partner of an LLC engaged in seeking local small business investment opportunities.
Prof. Wells has been teaching at Albright College since 1999 and became a full-time faculty member in 2002. She was awarded the Melinda Riccio ‘94 Memorial Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012 and 2021.
Areas of expertise:
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Strategic planning and strategic alliances
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Entrepreneurship and business plan development
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Leadership, corporate culture, organizational structure and change management
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Marketing strategy – planning, implementation and control
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Sales, sales team leadership and strategic relationship management
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Human resource management and corporate training
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Project management, including implementation team leadership
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Profitability maximization, financial statement analysis, and small business structuring
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Strategic and tactical consulting services
Albright College - Academic Program Chair, Business Administration and Digital Marketing & Sales, SPS
M.B.A., LaSalle University, summa cum laude
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Date and Time
Wednesday Sep 4, 2024
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
5 weeks on Wednesdays: September 4, 11, 18, 25 and Oct. 2
Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location
Center for Business Excellence
49 Commerce Dr., Wyomissing, PA 19610
Fees/Admission
$1,495/person for Chamber Members;
$1,895/person for Future Chamber Members
Contact Information
Mark Dolinski
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