Program Overview

The Effective Executive program is Saskatchewan’s most unique and impactful leadership development program, focused on developing and enhancing the leadership capabilities required of senior leaders.  

This retreat-based, immersive program is located in beautiful Elk Ridge Saskatchewan, and provides a blend of self-development, team-development, and practical application. Content is focused on preparing leaders to elevate successfully to senior-leadership roles, while optimizing the critical leadership skills, traits, and abilities required to lead effectively at all levels.  

• Program Overview

  Leadership Assessment and Coaching

  Prior to the in-person experience, participants will complete the Leadership Styles 360 assessment, along with an executive leadership development self-assessment. An executive leadership coach will deliver a 1:1 coaching debrief on the leadership assessment results to focus development objectives in advance of the in-person experience. Participants will come to Elk Ridge with clarity on their specific development objectives.

  Executive Career Development

  Participants are onboarded to the program details, organized in learning partners and begin sharing their development priorities. Participants will experience a half-day workshop on executive career development, resulting in focusing their leadership development objectives while learning how to be effective career coaches for others. 

  Leading High-Performance Teams

  Participants will engage in a highly interactive team simulation, resulting in exposure to key insights on what builds trust, cohesion and drives results in teams. Participants will be developed in the leadership skills and behaviours required to enhance team cohesion and create a culture of psychological safety in their work environments.

  Communicating as a Leader

  Participants will learn a framework for delivering clear, compelling presentations every time they speak as a leader. They will research, analyze, and understand the importance of knowing their audience and ensuring their messages are always crafted for maximum connection. Through exercises and coaching they will gain confidence in presenting, persuading, and defending messages that inspire audiences to take action.

  Essentials of Negotiation

  Participants will analyze their negotiation styles and behavioural responses during difficult situations and conflicts. Through exercises, they’ll adapt their approaches and be able to achieve their desired outcomes and results. They will also engage in simulated negotiation activities to build their skills in achieving win-win outcomes for individuals and organizations. 

  Creating a Leadership Vision

  Participants close out the in-person experience by creating an aspirational leadership vision. Participants will be facilitated through an interactive process resulting in the creation of personal leadership values, accountability questions and a vision for the leader they aspire to become. Participants will identify how to sustain the application of their leadership development objectives and realize their personal leadership vision. 

  Application and Certificate of Completion

  Following completion of the workshop, participants will receive a certificate of program completion, and bring back their development plans and leadership vision to their organizations. All participants will become program alumni and receive access to the alumni community and supporting development resources. Approximately a month after completion of the program, participants will have a 1:1 coaching call with an executive coach to debrief the implementation of the learn outcomes.

• Learning Objectives

  Character Development

  This component focuses on self-development and the cultivation of leadership values and style. It includes:

  • Identifying personal leadership values for guiding daily actions.
  • Conducting a 360-assessment of leadership competencies.
  • Receiving personalized executive coaching to prioritize development areas and implement practical actions.
  • Crafting an aspirational leadership vision and creating a tailored career development plan to sustain growth. 

  Competence Enhancement

  This aspect emphasizes the critical competencies essential for senior leaders. It encompasses:

  • Developing a strategic mindset aligned with organizational vision.
  • Establishing trust and psychological safety to enhance team performance.
  • Participating in interactive team simulations to refine skills for building high-performance teams.
  • Developing inclusive leadership traits to foster equity, diversity, and inclusion.
  • Analyzing communication styles and behavioral responses to conflicts, and learning effective communication strategies.
  • Engaging in simulated negotiation exercises to achieve win-win outcomes.
  • Identifying internal and external factors crucial for organizational success.
• Who Should Attend

  The Effective Executive Leadership program is ideal for managers and executives with at least five years of experience in a management role from small companies to large corporations, government, and not-for-profit organizations who wish to strengthen their leadership competence and enhance their personal performance.

  The program attracts middle, senior and executive-level individuals from various functions in numerous organizations and industries. It is suited for highly capable and motivated individuals who are responsible for managing resources and getting results.

• How Will This Program Benefit Me

  Edwards Effective Executive is an experience that will provide significant benefits to both you and your organization. Retreat and renew in a destination that is the perfect escape from the day-to-day stress and distractions.

  The program will empower you to:

  • Own your personal leadership values and gain awareness of the vulnerability of leadership
  • Make high impact decisions, set personal goals, problem-solve and activate executive strategy 
  • Become a more effective leader, strategic thinker, and agent of positive change
  • Be able to manage your organization through newly acquired ideas, tools and templates
  • Take control of your lifestyle by returning your focus to healthy living by participating in daily fitness activities and an optional one-on-one coaching session with a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

  The program will provide:

  • Ample opportunity to network with seasoned professionals from across North America from a variety of organizations and industries. Whether it’s in-class discussions, breaks, dining table groups, or optional extracurricular evening activities, there is always time to share ideas with fellow participants.
• What Is Included
  • Digital platform and learning materials 
  • Certificate of completion 
  • Credential to add to your CV and LinkedIn Profile 
  • 1:1 executive coaching debrief on leadership assessment 
    • One coaching session before retreat 
    • One coaching session after the retreat
  • 360 assessment of leadership competencies 
  • DiSC personal assessment 
  • Immersive in-person experience in beautiful Elk Ridge, SK 
  • Interactive team-simulation experience 
  • Custom leadership development plan 
  • Personalized leadership values and vision 
  • 1:1 coaching session with a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer (optional) 
  • Access to digital alumni platform, complete with supporting learning resources
  • 45 CPHR Saskatchewan Continued Professional Development (CPD) Hours

  

Check out the funding opportunities available through the Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant.

Program Faculty

Our program instructors are top academics from the University of Saskatchewan and industry experts in the areas of Leadership and Management. We also have one of the University of Saskatchewan's respected exercise psychologists to bring a balance of personal development and growth along with professional.

• Instructor Profiles

  	Brett Elmgren, MA, CPHR Brett Elmgren is the President and Founder of Axom Leadership Inc. His work focuses on supporting leaders to find personal empowerment to drive transformational change. Brett Elmgren is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources with over 13 years of professional HR experience working for Saskatchewan’s largest organizations. Most recently Brett Elmgren held the position of Director of Talent Development for Nutrien, and was responsible for leading the global leadership development strategy for over 25,000 employees. Brett played a senior leadership role in bringing together the merger between PotashCorp and Agrium resulting in the creation of Nutrien, by leading the organization design and talent selection process.  Brett holds a Masters Degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan.
  	Brooke Klassen, BComm, MBA, CMgr  Brooke Klassen is an Assistant Professor at the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan. With more than fifteen years of post-secondary experience, her teaching specializations include marketing, business strategy, decision making and entrepreneurship. Prior to her role as a professor, she was a senior administrator in the Edwards School of Business and led a team of student services staff for almost eight years. Brooke has been a management consultant for almost eight years and has completed more than 70 projects in the areas of strategy, governance, organizational change and communications. Her client list includes private, public, government and Indigenous organizations from a variety of industries. She is also an accomplished author and her work has been published in several well-respected peer reviewed journals.
  	Gray Ferguson, BSc. Kin, MBA | Fitness, Lifestyle and Nutrition Gray Ferguson is a Supervisor at the Fit Centre at the College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor degree in Kinesiology, certification as Exercise Physiologist and his MBA through the Edwards School of Business.  He is an exercise physiologist consultant for the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan and works as a personal trainer for amateur and professional athletes.
  	Rick Reid, BComm, CPHR  Rick Reid is a human resources professional with twenty years of experience in a variety of strategic advisory and leadership positions in both public and private sector organizations. Currently a member of the human resources team at the University of Saskatchewan and working with the Edwards School of Business, Rick has a Bachelor of Commerce from Edwards, holds a CPHR designation, and has recently become a Certified Leadership Coach.  Rick’s career has primarily focused in the areas of employee and labour relations, talent acquisition, and employee learning and development. He has extensive experience in conducting workplace investigations, conflict resolution, performance management, and leading organizational HR change initiatives. While in leadership positions, Rick has valued opportunities to coach, mentor, and support the growth and professional development of individuals, while working together towards building cohesive, high performing teams. Rick enjoys working with leaders and their teams on the development and execution of their strategic plans, developing strategic human resources programs that help support and drive organizational priorities, facilitating employee training and development activities, and supporting leaders and employees in both creating and working towards their career development goals.

• Message from the Facilitator
  "This program provides a unique and immersive learning experience for leaders seeking to develop and enhance the capabilities required to lead at a senior organizational level. The program has been thoughtfully designed to incorporate a blend of introspective self-development, social team-development, and real-life practical application. All within the serene setting of Elk Ridge, Saskatchewan. If you’re a leader seeking innovative leadership development in preparation for a senior role, this program is the perfect experience for you. We hope to see you in Elk Ridge!” 

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   Brett Elmgren, Facilitator