Innovative Course Prepares Managers to Lead Collaboratively in Any Situation

Newswise — CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — The University of Virginia Darden School of Business will offer a unique Executive Education course in Tampa, Florida, to help leaders responsible for improving enterprise-wide performance catapult their organizations to the top.

Leading Teams for Growth and Change, to be held 17-21 February 2014, will provide participants a lens through which to explore the strategies, structures and skills required to lead teams. Through a hands-on, problem-solving framework, attendees will learn how to take their teams to the highest level.

Darden Professor Lynn A. Isabella, a renowned expert in leadership development, team building and strategic alliances and partnerships, will team with Daniel K. Lyons, United States Olympian in rowing, to share leadership and high-performance best practices with participants.

As part of the course, Lyons will lead the class through daily sweep rowing experiences to demonstrate how to blend individual strengths into high team performance.

“The program takes participants through the intellectual and actual process of building and leading a high-performing team,” said Isabella. “Because I know something about rowing and Dan knows something about business, we are able to make connections across our expertise. Dan is with me in the classroom and I am with Dan on the water. This program is more than class in the morning and rowing in the afternoon. It is a seamless set of experiences that brings to life the look and feel of leadership and high-performing teams.”

Leading Teams for Growth and Change is without a doubt our most innovative Executive Education program at Darden, and I’d suggest it is one of the most distinctive in the world,” said Colin Winter, senior director of Darden Executive Education open-enrollment programs.

“Using a 50/50 split between our top-ranked faculty at Darden with Lynn Isabella, and a former World Champion and Olympic rower in Dan Lyons, participants are able to explore team leadership in a classroom setting, as well as what it feels like to be part of an effective team on the water,” added Winter. “Rowing is simply the best experiential tool I’ve ever seen for learning about teamwork — it’s the only sport where every single person is giving 100 percent of their effort, and yet totally in sync with the rest of the team to achieve an optimal outcome.”

For more information, visit http://www.darden.virginia.edu/web/Executive-Education/Open-Enrollment-Program/Leadership-and-Change/Leading-Teams/.

About the Darden School of BusinessThe University of Virginia Darden School of Business is one of the world's leading business schools, offering MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. The unique Darden experience combines the case study method, top-ranked faculty whose research advances global managerial practice and business education, and a tight-knit learning environment to develop responsible and complete leaders who are ready to make an impact.

About Darden Executive EducationExecutive Education at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business changes the way leaders think to drive higher levels of business performance. Darden is a top global provider of open-enrollment programs and partners with leading organizations to deliver custom programs that solve business challenges. Taught by the School’s top-ranked faculty, the Darden learning experience features case studies, real-world simulations and experiential learning exercises, both at the University of Virginia and around the world.

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