The Adaptive Leader Program

Adaptive Leaders think creatively and flexibly to enable their organizations to succeed in both today’s fast-changing world and tomorrow’s unpredictable business landscape. Our flagship program focuses on equipping all leaders, both seasoned and newly appointed, with the necessary skills and competencies to successfully navigate adaptive spaces and complex organizational settings.

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
October 17-18, 2023
Cost: $1,895* covers all course materials and lunch.

Certificates will be awarded based on successful completion of the training.

Click here to see the list of safety measures we are adding to our in-person programs.

* A 20 percent discount will be given to companies that enroll two or more employees.
* A 30 percent discount will be given to TCU Alumni and TCU Faculty/Staff.
* A 10 percent discount will be given to U.S. veterans and employees of non-profit organizations.

What Is an Adaptive Leader?

Adaptive Leaders think creatively and flexibly to enable their organizations to succeed in both today's fast-changing world and tomorrow's unpredictable business landscape.
They are lifelong learners who are resilient enough to overcome obstacles and setbacks and bold enough to challenge the status quo and conventional wisdom.
They are strategic thinkers, able to chart a new course and inspiring enough to lead change while making a difference.
They are purpose driven. They lead with their values and have the capacity to engage others while striving for excellence with integrity.

Who Should Attend?

EXPERIENCED MANAGERS

Even with all your experience and success, there's always room for growth. Especially since today’s business world is evolving faster than ever. Here you'll learn a variety of leading strategies designed to keep up with the pace.

NEW-TO-ROLE LEADERS AND MANAGERS

You've experienced steady growth in your career. Now it's time to accelerate your development and learn new skills that will take you further.

What You Will Learn

This program helps you navigate the circumstances you are undergoing professionally. It focuses on adapting to industry and market change, disruption, staffing challenges and adapting to changing environments. You will learn how to evolve objectives, lead dynamic teams, adapt to shifting organizational cultures and how to think critically.

How You Will Benefit

Adapt your thinking, improve your resilience and enhance your leadership skills
Learn to motivate team members to think and act innovatively
Discover how to inspire teams and lead change in complex environments
Discuss how successful leaders coach and develop key talent

Topics

Adaptive Leadership
Leading in Complexity
Leading Innovation
Influence & Change
Building Trust
Networks & Innovation
Leading Teams Virtually
Purpose-driven Leadership
Strategic Adaptability
Leading at the Next Level

Program Schedule - Spring

Date	Time	Topic	Instructor
Apr 11	8:00am - 12:00 pm	Adaptive Leadership	Jim Roach
	12:00-1:00pm	Lunch
	1:00-5:00pm	Strategic Adaptability	Suzanne Carter

Apr 12	8:00am - 10:00am	Purpose-driven Leadership	Ann Bluntzer
	10:00am-12:00pm	Leading Adaptive Teams	Meghan Wright
	12:00-1:00pm	Lunch
	1:00-5:00pm	Influence & Change	Abbie Shipp

Program Schedule - Fall

Date	Time	Topic	Instructor
Oct 17	8:00am - 12:00 pm	Adaptive Leadership	Jim Roach
	12:00-1:00pm	Lunch
	1:00-5:00pm	Strategic Adaptability	Suzanne Carter

Oct 18	8:00am - 12:00am	Purpose-driven Leadership	Matt Hirst
	12:00-1:00pm	Lunch
	1:00-5:00pm	Influence & Change	Abbie Shipp

Faculty Leaders

Ann Bluntzer

Executive Director, Ralph Lowe Energy Institute
Associate Professor of Professional Practice
Management and Leadership Department

Dr. Ann Bluntzer is currently an Associate Professor of Professional Practice for TCU’s Neeley School of Business. She teaches in the department of Management and Leadership, primarily focusing on curriculum in transformational leadership, business ethics and the non-profit management space. She also teaches and advises for Neeley’s Energy MBA Program.

She currently serves on the TCU Energy Institute Board and Neeley’s Energy MBA Advisory Board. Dr. Bluntzer has taught leadership and management courses to various higher education institutions for over 20 years to include: University of South Carolina, Texas A&M University, University of Jakarta, Austin Business College, and Warsaw University of Life Sciences. She is President and Founder of The Agrarian, a strategic consulting business that specializes in land/real estate conservation and development, with notable clients such as The Nature Conservancy, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Education, United States Agency for International Development, United States Marine Corps, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has also served in executive leadership positions with various nonprofit organizations globally. Dr. Bluntzer began her career serving in the Foreign Agriculture Service, for the United States Department of Agriculture and State. Some of her assignments included: Poland, Lithuania, Indonesia, and Australia.

Dr. Bluntzer holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership Management and Education Administration from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Education in Leadership & International Studies and Bachelor’s in Agricultural Development from Texas A&M University.

Suzanne Carter

Professor of Strategy Practice
Executive Director, TCU EMBA
Management and Leadership Department

Dr. Carter is a highly respected expert in strategy, strategic leadership and corporate reputation and is executive director of the TCU Executive MBA program, ranked 12th in the world by The Economist. She is a contributing columnist to the Dallas Business Journal and her research on organizational performance and leadership has been published in key academic journals. She received the Citation of Excellence Award for her research on the relationship of top management, organizational and environmental factors on corporate reputation management. She has consulted for leading companies such as GameStop, Lea+ Elliott and SaladMaster on strategic vision and strategy development. She has worked with nonprofit organizations including Catholic Charities, YWCA of Fort Worth and Safe Haven on strategic planning and social enterprise strategies. Dr. Carter received her BS in accounting from the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana, and MBA and PhD in Strategic Management from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Carter teaches strategy courses at the EMBA, MBA and undergraduate levels at TCU, and has been honored with the EMBA Faculty Award for Outstanding Leadership Development twice. She was recently awarded TCU’s university-wide Dean’s Teaching Award.

Jim Roach

Executive Director
Executive Education

Mr. Roach has 25 years of experience in corporate human resources leading learning and development programs to build leadership capabilities, enhance organizational effectiveness and deliver improved business results. He spent more than 20 years at Verizon leading the organization effectiveness initiative and developing custom leadership and functional development programs. He also spent 15 years leading executive education leadership certificate programs at SMU and five years leading programs for L-3 Link Simulation & Training. He has been honored with several teaching excellence awards and has designed and delivered courses on subjects such as executive presence and communication, authenticity, presentation style, leading in today’s business environment, learning agility, creativity and leadership, retaining top talent, and building and managing the employment relationship. He holds a BA and MS in economics from the University of Illinois.

Abbie Shipp

Department Chair
Professor
Management and Leadership Department

Dr. Abbie Shipp is the M. J. Neeley Professor and Department Chair of the Management & Leadership Department at TCU. She is an award-winning professor, working with undergraduate, graduate, and executive audiences on topics such as adaptive leadership, employee engagement, and leading change. Her research focuses on the psychological and subjective experience of time at work including: the perception of trajectories at work, how individuals react to change, how time is spent on work tasks, and how individuals think about the past/present/future. She has published a two-volume book (“Time and Work”) and is an Associate Editor at Academy of Management Review, the top conceptual journal in management. Prior to joining TCU, Dr. Shipp taught at Texas A&M University, the University of North Carolina, and Oklahoma State University and she was employed by The Boeing Company and TV Guide. Prior consulting engagements include Ernst & Young, Marriott International, AT&T, Halliburton, Texas Transportation Institute, Inspirus, and Working Solutions. She is also a member of the board of directors of United Way of Tarrant County and serves as chair of the strategic planning committee. Dr. Shipp holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University and a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Meghan Wright

Assistant Professor of Management at Texas Wesleyan University

Since arriving in Texas in 2014, Dr. Meghan Wright has been involved in developing entrepreneurship programs around the Fort Worth area including having worked with notable organizations such as the United way of Tarrant County, Meals on Wheels and the City of Fort Worth.

Her research is focused on women in leadership, the impact of technology and leadership agility on firm performance, and corporate innovation through diversity and inclusion and most recently, she developed a leadership program for early-career readiness and agility to be delivered to undergraduate students.

As a co-founder of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Fort Worth, Wright has played an integral role in developing this to be the top event in the country over the last 4 years. In addition to presenting at many academic conferences in the USA and Abroad, Wright also serves on the board of Accelerate DFW, a local entrepreneurship foundation.

Dr. Meghan Wright has an MS in Education from Western Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Development from Benedictine University. Currently, Meghan is a visiting lecturer in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University and also teaches at Texas Wesleyan University. Her experience as an organizational development consultant and researcher informs her courses and customized programs.

Matthew Hirst

Organizational Development & Learning Leader

Matthew Hirst is a senior human resources, organizational development, and learning leader, talent strategist, coach, HR and talent consultant, university instructor, and organizational psychologist. He has over 20 years of mid- to senior-level experience in operations, employee relations, organizational readiness, talent planning, organizational communications, and leadership development, mostly within Fortune 500 retail and financial services organizations.

Matt is currently completing a Ph.D. dissertation in psychology, having already completed the coursework. He also holds a doctoral-level specialist degree in educational leadership, a master’s degree in management, and undergraduate degrees in management and finance. Matt works as an HR and talent consultant and teaches organizational behavior, contemporary management issues, organizational management, and HR strategy at UT Arlington and Texas Christian University.

Matt and his family live in Fort Worth, Texas. Matt served on the board of directors for the Grief and Loss Center of North Texas for five years, and he served five years as a board executive and president for ATD Dallas. He currently serves on the MSHRM advisory board for The University of Texas at Arlington, the EMBA advisory board at Texas Christian University, and the policy advisory board for the Northwest Independent School District. His community service also includes adoption advocacy and support, and he and his family have done dog rescue and foster for many years.

Questions

Please contact

Kalyn McKittrick

Director of Marketing and Engagement
k.mckittrick@tcu.edu
817-257-6033

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Check out all of our open enrollment options.