How We Customize Your Program
Our first step is to complete a thorough needs assessment through comprehensive discussions with key organizational leaders. By asking questions and doing a lot of listening, we will clarify your business and learning objectives to ensure your custom learning solution is targeted and effective.
Next, we work together to co-create a learning solution that addresses your organization’s talent development needs or team challenges. St. Thomas faculty and staff use their expertise and your input to develop a rigorous, flexible and relevant curriculum that fits your business environment. To ensure direct performance improvement, our programs always maximize “applied knowledge” opportunities with hands-on exercises and real-world examples.
The level of customization your program receives depends upon your unique needs and can fall anywhere between the following ends of a custom program continuum:
- Limited Customization: We infuse an existing Executive Education program [business.stthomas.edu/executive-education/individuals/] with your company’s examples and processes to enhance abilities and improve performance.
- Significant Customization: Company leaders and key stakeholders are deeply involved in creating and delivering an exclusive program to achieve specific business objectives.
Your learning venue can be on campus, at your organization or an off-site location. Wherever you meet, our instructors employ proven adult-learning principles that produce optimal educational outcomes. A dedicated program manager provides exceptional logistical support to ensure all your needs and expectations are met.
Because we value agility, your participants’ learning and classroom experience is regularly measured against your learning objectives. This allows us to make modifications as needed to ensure excellence and quality. Our end goal is to deliver high-quality learning aimed at helping participants return to their desks with information they can apply immediately.
Throughout the process, we encourage you to support your custom program with:
- Senior management sponsorship and involvement
- Messages from leadership that demonstrate how the program is linked to the company’s business priorities
- Clear communication of participant expectations prior to, during and after the educational experience
- Ongoing reinforcement after the program plus opportunities for participants to use the new skills, behaviors and knowledge in everyday responsibilities
- Executive coaching to support and sustain behavioral change