Curriculum

Definitions          

The FIC is the First-in- command - Managing executive team or individual
The SIC  is the Second-in- command - key employee who supports the FIC

Pre-Program Assessments

Before the Program starts, the FIC and their SICs complete behavioral assessments and go through a debriefing process with the Program Administrator that helps them to understand one another better. These assessments are used throughout the Program to ensure that maximum value is being gained

Noise Reduction Program^TM Outline

No more than 12 SICs meet each month for 10 months for a two and a half to three hour session. FICs attend the first and last class and have a two hour meeting with other FICs half way through the program to compare notes. In the first part of each class SICs watch a video by Larry Linne. He explains the two to four tools (out of 25 tools) that we will be working on for that class. After each class the SIC has implementation “homework”.

Class One - Introduction and Upward Communication

FICs and SICs join together for an introduction to the principles of The Noise Reduction System This session concentrates on upward communication - clarifying what is worrying, distracting, destroying confidence of, or limiting the FIC from doing what they do best. By getting the FIC and their SICs aligned with these items makes a big difference in making the noise go away.

Class Two - SICs Identifying Skills and Making Better Decisions

SICs go through exercises to identify unique skills and talents and what they do best to bring greatest value to their company. They look at what motivates them to focus on what they do best and learn to use a decision making tool that helps them make decisions based on potential consequences. These tools are brought back to the company by the SIC and can be very helpful with their subordinates.

Class Three - Keeping Priorities and Interpreting the FIC Message

When the lines of communication are opened up, the SIC's workload increases. This session introduces tools that help the SIC promote innovation and prioritize ideas that come from both them and the FIC. We also examine how the SIC interprets the FIC's vision and message, showing how to communicate it more effectively to the organization.

Class Four - Aligning With Owner Values and Addressing Losing Sleep Items                     

This session looks at the personal values of the SIC and the values of the organization and helps identify where there are "value collisions". We use “Value Clarifiers” to get SICs aligned with corporate values to guide their decision making and company priorities. SICs also learn to manage the perception that FICs think they are alone worrying about the businesses, and they learn how to become proactive in showing that they care too.

Interim FIC Meeting

By this point in the Program, some SICs are gaining more value than others. At this special meeting, FICs discuss what they think is working and what is not working and identify ways in which the program could be more valuable to them.

Class Five - Making Time for Clients and Making the Company Look Good.

SICs learn a tool that will help them plan to manage relationships with clients. They also look at how they can develop their personal brand so they can be more effective. The behavioral assessments that SICs took before the program are very helpful in this process.

Class Six - Should do- Have to- Want To and Leading vs. Doing

With the changing dynamic now taking place with their FIC, SICs need more clarity on what they have to do, what they want to do and what they should be doing. We develop strategies to turn “Should do” into “Have to” items and eliminate non-productive items from SIC daily work so that they are able to make the noise go away for the FIC.

Class Seven - Bringing New ideas and Results to the Organization

SICs learn a tool that guides them through thinking to be innovative and creates structure for fast implementation. They also learn how to write performance objectives for the position that are clear and based on results and the additional responsibilities that SICs will take ownership of.

Class Eight - Organizational Skills and Cultural Management

SICs identify the right organizational system to maximize productivity. The “Cultural Evolution” tool helps SICs proactively manage the culture so that FICs will feel safe enough to relinquish some control and free up time to do what they do best. Process creates clarity around both the behaviors that must be built and ones that must be broken to reach the desired culture.

Class Nine - Creating Value for Ownership and a New Way to Look at Making Mistakes

We use tools to examine techniques the SIC can use to bring greater value to the company and then build an action plan around increasing their value to the business. We also teach them how to make an organization look differently at mistakes and how to learn from them and never repeat them.

Class Ten - Class Review and Summary

At this final session, both FICs and SICs are present. We look at actions that have been taken, what is working, what is not working and what actions are needed by whom and by when. We do this for each of the 25 components of the Noise Reduction^TM process.