Powering Strong Communities
Webinar Series

Essentials for First-Time Managers

This series spotlights the foundational skills that managers need to excel in their roles. Explore the leadership principles and strategies that form key competencies in setting goals, giving feedback, and managing problems.
February 27, 2025
Register

Register now!

Timing

This series comprises four (4) live Zoom sessions from Noon - 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 27, Mar. 6, Mar. 14, and Mar. 21.

Series Overview

This series spotlights the foundational skills that managers need to excel in their roles. Explore the leadership principles and strategies that form key competencies in setting goals, giving feedback, and managing problems. Each session offers guidance and experiential opportunities to build specific leadership skills, from growing confidence and self-awareness to improving team dynamics and focusing on solutions to challenges. By the end of this series, participants will have a toolkit of leadership strategies and techniques that will help them navigate the challenges of leadership with confidence.

All sessions take place from Noon – 2 p.m. ET.

  • Part 1: Understanding Your Leadership Brand Feb. 27
  • Part 2: Unlocking Motivation Through Focused Goal Setting Mar. 6
  • Part 3: Giving Constructive Feedback that Drives Development Mar. 14
  • Part 4: Creating Teams that Solve Problems Mar. 21

All events will be recorded and attendees will automatically receive access to the recordings (accessible for 90 days).

Who Should Attend

Professionals in the early stages of their leadership journey or those who are in the early stages of their managerial or supervisory role will get the most out of this series. It is ideal for individuals who are:

  • First-time managers or supervisors stepping into leadership roles
  • Leaders seeking to enhance their skills
  • Anyone interested in fostering stronger relationships with their team and enhancing their ability to inspire and motivate others
  • Team leads and supervisors eager to build focus, engagement, and high performance in their teams                    

Program Level

  • Basic: No prerequisites, no advance preparation.
  • This series is a logical follow-on to the Essentials for Emerging Leaders webinar series (Jan. 7 - 28). 

Accreditation

The following continuing education credits will be provided, after successfully completing 90% of all four live sessions. These sessions will be recorded, though certificates can only be awarded to those who meet the attendance requirements for attending the live sessions.

  • Recommended CEUs 0.8/PDHs 8 (for all four sessions)

Instructor

Cyndi Wentland Headshot

Cyndi Wentland is the Founder of IntentionaLeaders, an organization that fosters growth, development, and passion in leaders at all levels of experience. An avid teacher and learner, she believes that with the right resources and support, anyone can learn to be a phenomenal leader regardless of title or role.

She has spent the last three decades working with large and small corporations across a variety of industries, teaching business courses at the college level, providing executive coaching, and being a solo entrepreneur. 

Cyndi is a strong advocate and practitioner of strengths-based performance and positive psychology. As the host of The Intentional Leader Podcast with Cyndi Wentland, she provides immediate access to micro learning, small shifts in habits, and practices that make a big impact on relationships and results. She has a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and an MBA from Edgewood College. She is an authorized partner and facilitator for Everything DiSC©, the Meyers-Briggs Type Inventory©, Management Research Groups Leadership 360, and is certified as a coach through the Life Coach School and as a Virtual Presenter by eSpeakers.

Questions?

Individual Webinar Information

Part 1: Understanding Your Leadership Brand (Feb. 27)

Get introduced to the critical roles and responsibilities that come with supervisory relationships, and why it’s essential to balance management and leadership functions. Effective leaders must not only manage processes and teams, but also lead with vision, purpose, and emotional intelligence. Learn why leaders need to be self-aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and emotional triggers, and how effectively managing oneself allows you to connect authentically with your team. Finally, review why it’s important to understand and maximize your power bases — the sources of influence that leaders use to motivate and guide their teams.

Topics:

  • Differentiate between the roles of a manager and a leader
  • Using the Johari Window in creating your leadership brand
  • The six power bases (e.g., legitimate, reward, expert power) and how they form the foundation for leadership influence
  • Elevating your presence through self and situational awareness

Part 2: Unlocking Motivation Through Focused Goal Setting (Mar. 6)

Effective leaders understand that setting clear, motivating goals is crucial to driving performance, engagement, and organizational success. Learn how to create team and personal goals that align with organizational objectives, and how to leverage the goal setting process to imbue a sense of direction and purpose for the team. Discuss how to connect goals to employee performance in a way that motivates and inspires.

Topics:

  • The connection between goal-setting and employee engagement
  • The top five reasons for nonperformance of employees
  • Principles of goal setting, including the SMART goal framework
  • How to set clear and effective learning goals that drive motivation and performance

Part 3: Giving Constructive Feedback that Drives Development (Mar. 14)

Providing productive feedback is one of the most critical, yet challenging, responsibilities of leadership. Review what makes for constructive feedback and how leaders can adopt a positive coaching mindset when giving and receiving feedback. Walk through the skills and strategies behind providing feedback that not only corrects behavior but also inspires growth, fosters a culture of learning, and strengthens the overall team dynamic.

Topics:

  • How a positive coaching mindset affects feedback
  • The principles of giving clear, constructive, and actionable feedback
  • How to apply the Situation-Behavior-Impact, or SBI, method
  • Adopting a growth mindset when giving and receiving feedback

Part 4: Creating Teams that Solve Problems (Mar. 21)

If you want your team to be innovative, efficient, or successful, then your team members must have strong problem-solving skills. Learn how to actively help team members develop and strengthen their problem-solving abilities, think critically, analyze challenges, and create an environment that generates creative solutions. Review the differences between complaints and problems and how and when to tap into different decision-making styles.

Topics:

  • Strategies for maintaining a constructive work environment
  • Complaints versus problems
  • Creating strong problem statements
  • How to foster critical thinking to strengthen team problem solving
  • The six different decision-making styles and when to use each

Questions?

Registration

Register now!

Registration Fees

Registration is for individual access. If you have multiple people interested in attending, group discounts are available. 

Registration Fee (four-part series)

Members

$595
Nonmember

$1,190

Group Discounts

Save money when your organization registers five or more people for the webinar series. The larger your group, the more you save! 

Registrations must be submitted on the same order (at the same time) to qualify for the group discount; discounts cannot be retroactively applied to previous orders. 

If you need assistance, contact [email protected].

Number of registrants

Discount
(per person)

1-4

n/a

5-9

$50

10-14

$100

15-24

$150

25+

$200

Registration Help

Check out our Registration FAQs for answers to the most common questions and help with all your registration-related issues. 

Cancellations /No-Show/ Refunds/ Substitutions

All webinars will be recorded and attendees will automatically receive a copy of the recordings, in case you can’t attend live.

Registrants who cancel in writing at least 7 days in advance of the first webinar in the series are entitled to a refund of their registration fee, minus a $100 cancellation fee. Registrants who cancel after that will not receive a refund, but attendee substitutions will be allowed for this event only. Registrants and no-shows who do not cancel at least 7 days before the course start date are responsible for the full registration fee and are not entitled to a refund. 

Cancellations must be received on/before December 30. 

Cancellation requests should be made through your My.PublicPower portal, or addressed to: [email protected].

Questions?

Accreditation

Earn While You Learn!

Participate in virtual programs to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Hours (PDHs). 

Requirements for Successful Completion

  • Registration is for individual access, so each person participating must register. If you have multiple people interested in attending, group discounts are available.
  • Individuals are required to attend and actively participate in 90% of each live session and complete an online evaluation after the last session in a course. 
    • Attendance: Individuals must attend at least 90% of each live session (based on electronic timestamps in Zoom).
    • Participation: Active participation in class will include engagement activities such as: polling/check-in questions, and Kahoot quizzes (tracked electronically). There will also be small group breakout sessions, in-class exercises, and Q&A sessions.
    • Online evaluation: Each person must complete an online evaluation after the course concludes
  • Partial credit cannot be given for partial attendance.
  • Attendance is monitored by an APPA staff member during the event, through an online report log, and upon review of the post-event evaluation data.
  • Completion certificates will be available within two weeks of the last session in a live event (for those who meet the requirements) through your APPA member portal (access instructions will be provided).
  • Virtual sessions are recorded (attendees automatically receive access to recordings within a week of the last session), though continuing education credits can only be given for attending live events. Recordings will be accessible for 90 days after the last session.

Guidelines for Group Participation in Virtual Events

  • If a group is participating in a conference room together, we recommend each person still logs in individually from a laptop to ensure attendance and participation requirements are met (as noted above).
  • If individual log in is not possible, the organization must designate one person as the main point of contact. Email [email protected] in advance of the virtual event noting this information
    • This person will record attendance in the room in the room (we can provide a sample attendance tracker) and ensure attendance and participation from the group throughout.
    • Submit the attendance record to APPA within 2 business days of the conclusion of a virtual event.
    • Ensure each person fills out the required online evaluation.

What educational credits are available?

You can earn the following kinds of continuing education credits for attending live sessions—provided the following requirements are met:

IACET logoContinuing Education Units (CEUs): The American Public Power Association is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. For information regarding certification status, attendance requirements and obtaining attendee transcripts, contact [email protected]. Verify our IACET Accreditation.

Professional Development Hours (PDHs): The American Public Power Association’s educational practices are consistent with the criteria for awarding Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as established by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Course eligibility and number of PDHs may vary by state.

Questions? 

Additional Information

Format and Log-In Information

These webinars will be offered on the Zoom meeting platform. 

Communication

  • 24 hours after registering: You’ll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of registering, which contains some preliminary information.
  • 24 hours before: You’ll receive your Zoom log in link the day before the first session in a course (sent from the APPA Academy’s Zoom account <[email protected]>)
    • You’ll also receive a final logistics email 24 hours in advance of the first class. 
    • If you don’t receive this, email [email protected].

Course Access and Materials

  • Zoom Links: Zoom log in credentials will be sent out 24 hours before the start of the first session.
  • Course Materials: Attendees will receive access to course materials the day before each session through the "Documents" section of their My.PublicPower.org user portal. 
  • Recordings: All sessions will be recorded and can be accessed through your user portal as well (within a week of the last class in the program), in case you can’t attend the live versions. Recordings will be accessible for 90 days after the last session. Note: Continuing education credits can only be issued for attending live sessions.

Technology Requirements

  • Zoom Meeting Application: Attendees are required to have strong Internet access, in order to run the Zoom meeting platform. Please see below for more information on downloading the Zoom Web Client.
  • Audio/Webcam: You will need to enable computer audio to listen and speak (alternatively a call-in number will be provided) and you will also need a webcam, so you can fully engage in the small group breakout sessions and group discussions.  

New to Zoom?

If you haven't participated in a Zoom meeting before, please download the Zoom web client from the Zoom Download Center. This will enable you to access all of the Zoom tools and functionality vs. using the web version. Then, visit Zoom.us/test to ensure you are able to join a meeting. 

If you are not able to download the Zoom web client, you can still participate via your Internet browser. We recommend using Chrome for the best results.

Privacy and Security

The American Public Power Association takes your privacy and security very seriously. For this reason, we have put the following security measures in place for this course:

  • A random Meeting ID
  • Password-protected
  • Enabled waiting room to screen meeting participants
  • Restricted screen sharing to hosts only

Questions?