Solutions Magazine: Fall 2022

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Cresco

1020

Cresco,

844.642.2338,

700 Main

Dubuque,

844.642.2338,

1527

563.534.9957

844.642.2338,

Letter from the Vice President

This is a time of transformation for Northeast Iowa Community College. After 11 years of service, Liang Chee Wee, Ph.D., passed the torch to President Herbert Riedel, Ph.D. Dr. Riedel’s presidency began on July 1 and we look forward to continuing to serve our region’s business leaders and discuss northeast Iowa’s current and future workforce needs. We will have many opportunities in the near future to meet Dr. Riedel.

In any organization, yours included, leaders exemplify and communicate the mission and vision at all levels. Your leaders can work collaboratively with their teams to impact your organization's success and employee development.

In this issue, you’ll find features to inspire and resources to create leaders at any level of your organization. Business and Community Solutions offers expert instruction in using the DiSC® assessment to strengthen teams, development programs like Leadership Academy to improve leadership skills and by utilizing consortiums we can pool financial resources to increase your return on investment for employee training.

Business and Community Solutions can help you develop these leaders and plan for succession of the next executives with customized consultation and training solutions. Our expert staff will work with you to evaluate your needs and create a plan to achieve your organizational goals. As one example, Progressive Processing partners with the College on Earn and Learn programs to retain and retrain employees while many of its management team are also enrolled in advanced leadership courses. We

844.642.2338,

1399.

Vice President, Business and Community Solutions

RIEDEL Spotlight

Herbert H. J. Riedel

Introducing NEW NICC President Dr. Herbert Riedel

Northeast Iowa Community College welcomed its new President, Herbert H. J. Riedel, Ph.D., in July.

Dr. Riedel’s energetic, collaborative leadership style has impacted large research universities, a four-year liberal arts military college and technical and community colleges in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Texas. For more than 10 years, he served as president of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Alabama. His successful tenure was highlighted by many innovations, including new program offerings in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and short-term skills training. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in mathematics and served as a research center deputy director, vice president and president.

“There is no mystery to leadership. Everyone can and should be a leader wherever they are in the organization. Realize that you are doing something important and focus on how your actions can improve the lives of others,” Dr. Riedel said. “By growing and encouraging leadership at all levels, the president of an organization can be most effective. People thrive when they are empowered, with proper resources, guidance and accountability.”

For Dr. Riedel, being a leader gives you the opportunity to make positive changes in people’s lives, to help individuals learn and grow, to conceive of projects and see them through to completion, and to connect in a meaningful way with your colleagues and the broader community.

Dr. Riedel and his wife, Lisa, have two sons, both of whom graduated from the college where he was president. A lover of classical music, he founded the Andalusia Chamber Music Society, which brings high quality live classical music to the community. In his spare time, he repairs farm equipment, including an old diesel tractor, restores and tunes classic cars for performance and does physical training.

“Earn and Learn”

PARTNERSHIPS IMPACT BUSINESS SUCCESS, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

It’s truly the best of both worlds.

Local businesses send their part- or full-time employees to Northeast Iowa Community College to develop their skills; these same employees, while receiving a paycheck, directly contribute their new skills and knowledge to the company. These “earn and learn” partnerships allow participating businesses to stay competitive, save time and money, without a slowdown in production. Long term, a business develops workforce talent and enhances employee retention. Paid training is also a plus when recruiting new people.

Progressive Processing LLC in Dubuque is one company partnering with NICC on earn and learn programs through the College’s Industrial Maintenance Technician degree program.

“Our partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College has been a significant success for our team at Progressive Processing. Team members at our facility look forward to the opportunity to be a part of this program, which offers them tuition assistance and the opportunity to gain new skills, while then returning with the ability for additional earning potential on our team,” Joe Muzik, plant manager, said.

Through the earn and learn model, Progressive Processing employee-students are advancing into positions at the company with greater earning power and responsibility.

“Some of our team members who have worked through this program have now gone on to help our team meet key organizational goals, while also improving their professional positions,” Joe said.

Joe Muzik Plant Manager Progressive Processing LLC

The company contracts with NICC on customized leadership and management training needs as well, to offer growing leaders opportunities to complete a Project Management Proficiency

program.

and a Leadership

“As workplace dynamics evolve, understanding how to excel at people management is so crucial. From sensitivity training, to time management, to leading various generations – there are many things for which to consider and NICC has been able to customize sessions for our learning goals that address our largest areas of need,” Joe explained.

Earn and learn programs and leadership training provide direct benefits to northeast Iowa companies of all sizes, from 10 employees to 500. Employee skill development

to success short-term and long-term.

Community Leader.

Being

leader is much more than just a

position in the workplace,

in

HOW TO BE A LEADER IN YOUR COMMUNITY

check

check

and

find an organization that you are passionate about and give back.

board of directors or committee: take your volunteer efforts a step further and help a non-profit organization.

mentor: mentor a child or adult in your field of work.

a coach: being a coach is much more than just

a sport, it’s about being a leader to today’s youth.

the

to

SIGN UP NOW TO GET YOUR COACHING AUTHORIZATION AND BE A LEADER TO OUR YOUTH.

“My interest in coaching and sports started at a young age with participation in all sports. As I grew older the fundamentals and strategies of the game interested me as much as playing the game. Now, I'm a father of two young, beautiful daughters who I am sharing my passion with through coaching various youth leagues. This is a humbling experience and a far cry from the competitive nature of high school athletics. These experiences coupled with years of coaching middle and high school sports have given me a rounded experience that I can share with future students.”

– Nick Blakesley

Nick Blakesley is

of the newest instructors at

Community

Coaching

Building Leaders from Within

This year, Northeast Iowa Community College has established 260E Iowa New Jobs Training agreements with 12 northeast Iowa companies that will lead to the creation of 605 local jobs.

Since 1985, the College has secured and invested more than $102 million through the 260E program, funding 338 different projects and creating 17,498 jobs.

Mobile Track Solutions ensures new employees and veteran managers alike receive the encouragement and leadership training they need to grow. The Elkader-based manufacturer partners with Northeast Iowa Community College each year to cultivate its leadership talent.

“We believe in investing in all levels of leadership at Mobile Track Solutions. This year our Executive Committee and upper leadership team launched strategic planning, and part of this effort includes developing our company’s leaders. We have provided leadership training and coaching to our team leads and supervisors for the past five years,” said Tasha Henkes, Human Resources.

The training covers a variety of topics, such as management principles, communication and resolving conflict, and what leaders learn can be put immediately to use.

“The formal training customized for us by NICC is structured for the end user. It’s very consistent and our efforts are focused. It also complements the on-the-job training we do,” Tasha said.

Mobile Track works with NICC and the 260E Iowa New Jobs Training Program, which defrays much of the training expense for participating companies in any northeast Iowa industry sector – healthcare, transportation, business or manufacturing. Affordable workforce training is crucial for companies like Mobile Track Solutions, especially when supply chains are strained and lead times for materials could slow a manufacturer’s output or ability to serve customers in new markets.

Training for new employees develops the next generation of skilled people, Tasha explained. “We also need to keep growing interest among young students who may pursue careers in manufacturing and need technical skills,” she said.

NICC provides customized training to fit your company’s needs for leaders new and experienced at any level of your organization.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CUSTOMIZED TRAINING. User

User Wendy Mihm-Herold, Vice President of Business and Community Solutions Envelope mihm-heroldw@nicc.edu phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1221

Tasha Henkes Human Resources Mobile Track Solutions

- Tommy Lange

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium TAKES PRIDE IN CULTURE AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Whether you have

as

for

organization for

or

as a

can

"NICC was a great partner and we look forward to working together again."

WHAT MADE YOU INTERESTED IN HAVING THE STAFF DO LEADERSHIP TRAINING?

We continually explore ways to expand our professional development opportunities. Through this exploration in addition to staff suggestion, we discovered these courses though NICC with John and Kathie Rotz to be a great fit both in topic and style. Oftentimes when promotions occur, management training can get overlooked as an essential part of the professional development process. Utilizing these courses teaches our management team vital skills and strategies to incorporate both inside and outside of our organization.

A BIG THING WE HEAR IN THE COMMUNITY FREQUENTLY IS COMPANIES DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO EMPLOYMENT TRAINING BECAUSE THEY ARE SO BUSY. HOW DID YOU MAKE THAT WORK WITH THE RIVER MUSEUM?

A few years ago, we established a monthly series of lunch and learns featuring our own employees as well as outside professionals to present information on a variety of topics. Providing these opportunities for growth during the lunch hour allows for maximum employee participation and enables us as leaders in the organization to hold ourselves accountable in providing continued growth opportunities for our staff. This built a solid foundation for continued professional development within our organization. Now with our partnership with NICC, we are working to expand these offerings to include morning and late afternoon sessions to accommodate varying employee schedules.

HOW DID THE STAFF VIEW THE TRAINING?

Staff appreciated the diversity of topics offered by NICC. They found many of the suggestions and strategies to be easily applicable to their individual workplace responsibilities as well as larger organization-wide goals.

HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY BENEFITS ALREADY OF THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING?

We have been excited to see our staff applying skills and strategies they learned through these leadership trainings, as well as sharing this information with the rest of their teams. Offerings such as stress management could not have come at a better time as we continue to focus on brain health after a difficult couple of years with the pandemic.

844.642.2338,

Tommy Lange Vice President of Finance & Operations National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

DiSC®

Leadership Insights

Here are what local leaders have to say about leadership

JOAN FUNKE Human Resources Director Regional Medical Center

Successful leadership today is about developing meaningful connections. Every position in an organization is important to reaching its goals and achieving success, and it is important for leaders to recognize each employee for the contributions they provide. Leaders should employ good listening skills and routinely gather feedback from employees; each team member has a unique perspective and experience.

KURT STRAND

President and CEO

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

Over the last couple years, we’ve faced COVID-19, supply chain issues, rising inflation, a crisis in Ukraine and more. How does a leader successfully navigate their team through difficult times?

Your team looks to you for guidance, support, direction and your time. Regular communication is essential, as is listening to your team’s concerns, questions and fears. Without regular communication, your grapevine will make things up, and oftentimes, it is incorrect. It’s okay to not have all the answers, but being completely transparent with your team is important. Communicate what you know, and what you don’t know, and use multiple ways of communicating, such as email, meetings, memos, conversations, town halls, etc.

As a leader, you are never not communicating. And in difficult times, you can’t over communicate. Be visible. Be in the moment. Be transparent. Lead.

SCOTT PERKINS

Senior Vice President and CFO TriMark Corporation

A leader sets the direction of the organization and turns the employees loose to get it done. Do not micro-manage. Trust that they will use their skills and commitment to pursue the organization’s end goals. A great leader will know when to step in and steer them back in the direction the business needs to go.

We Can Help with Your Small Business Startup Plan

The proportion of the US workforce that is self-employed has hit its highest level since 2008.* When you own a small business, one skill you might not think about is leadership. Iowans registered the highest number of new business entities in state history during the 2021 fiscal year, with 33,260 new businesses registering through the Secretary of State’s Office between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.**

According to Entrepreneur.com, one of the biggest steps to being a leader and small business owner is to become a student again.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) is here to help! We want to make sure that small business owners have the resources and skills needed to make their business a success. NICC Business and Community Solutions is lucky enough to have insightful instructors who are also small business owners to help the community.

One of these local instructors is Brittany Todd, who started doing photography as a way to get by until she could find a “real job,” as she put it. What started as a hobby became an 11-year career and she is now sharing what she learned as a small business owner to help others. A tip she gives to those that are just starting out is to find something that gives you purpose. Focusing on building the community, not just your business, is the guiding principle she lives by in Decorah with both her photography business and family ice cream shop. Her one key piece of advice is following this quote, “If you love what you do you never work a day in your life, or if you love what you do, you work every single day of your life because it doesn’t feel like work.”

Instructor Tama-Lea Lorenzen also has a passion for small business development and entrepreneurial thinking. Marketing is a big part of helping small businesses be successful, Tama-Lea says, and that focusing on a few key questions will help set up your marketing plan.

Question 1: What makes you different? There are a lot of companies out there that might do something similar to you; identify how you are different.

Question 2: Who is most likely to buy your product? Narrow down your target audience. Hint: it’s not everyone. A mistake small business owners sometimes make is thinking everyone is their audience.

If you already have a plan, it’s important to reassess your marketing and message. Tama-Lea’s key piece of advice is, “If you reframe challenges you encounter with your small business, see them as opportunities to adjust and become more successful.”

BUSINESS COUNSELING

In

with the Small

you can receive no-cost business counseling. Our experts

with you every step of the way to ensure

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on three areas: your people, your

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STRATEGIC THINKING AND PLANNING

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBDC)

Established in 1981, America’s SBDC Iowa

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CONTINUING EDUCATION

Brittany Todd

Tama-Lea Lorenzen

Leadership vs. Management

Being a manager is not the same as being a leader. Just because someone is in a management position does not mean they are naturally a leader, and just because someone is not in a management position does not mean they can’t be a leader.

This is the approach behind Leadership Academy taught by John Rotz, Kathie Rotz and Lisa Schaefer. The Leadership Academy is a two-tiered program aimed to develop and optimize one's leadership potential. Covering both business skills and relationship enhancement, each tier is eight weeks of half-day sessions. This platform gives participants an opportunity for thorough training in an efficient, convenient timeframe.

“I was always taught that leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less,” said John Rotz. “The greatest reflection on a leader being a true leader is whether or not they are influencing anyone. And, of course, the first place you’ll see that is in the leader’s people. An organization is only as great as its people. If the people aren’t following, the leader isn’t leading. Too often leaders get focused on the bottom line financial results instead of growing their people and the company.”

FORBES STATES THAT BY 2030 LEADERS ARE GOING TO NEED SKILLS IN: check Mindset check Coaching check Technology check Emotional Intelligence check Communication

If you are in a management position and see someone on your team with leadership skills, don’t wait for them to gain a new role — start the development process now. Training your employee for new skills is also a great way to improve employee retention.

Learn

“Successful leaders need more than technical knowledge or the ability to manage tasks and processes. They need other capabilities often referred to as “soft skills.”

Successfully communicating with different types of people, showing empathy while resolving conflict, emotional intelligence and developing a team for top performance are just a few examples of these soft skills. Honestly, there is nothing soft about these skills. They are powerful skills rarely inherent within people and often challenging to master.”

- Kathie Rotz

With some understanding and direction, great employees can become strong leaders. The NICC Leadership Academy is training that prepares leaders for their roles. They might be new leaders or seasoned leaders. Everyone benefits from this powerful growth opportunity.

John Rotz Unity Consulting

Kathie Rotz Unity Consulting

Difference

BASIS

MANAGEMENT

Management is an

Basis Trust Control

Managing

Power Influence Rule

Formulation

Perspective

Management has a

Crescent Community Health Center recently partnered with Lisa Schaefer and NICC to bring a customized Leadership Academy right to their facility. Mary Kay Kirgis, Human Resources Generalist, had this to say about the experience.

“Our Executive Leadership agreed after looking at the options that partnering with Northeast Iowa Community College was the best option and would provide the most ROI for our team. We received some great information on how to handle difficult situations and lead teams, but I think the best overall take-away was the team building. Now there is more teamwork among our leadership team and more understanding on how each of us lead. As we continue to grow

advance in our mission, this helps our leadership team understand differences in culture and work styles and how to manage them,” said Kirgis.

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/

Lisa Schaefer

Shine with Schaefer

More than 2,000 community members have participated in brain health events and webinars through Northeast Iowa Community College. During the pandemic and beyond, these presentations shared strategies for coping with personal and workplace stress, burnout, managing teams and remote work environments, and self-care.

NICC-sponsored presentations included Emotional Awareness in the Workplace, The Opioid Crisis and The COVID Pandemic, Promoting Brain Health in organizations and families, Conflict Management, and a Brain Health Summit with panelists and nationally recognized speakers.

The College’s brain health programming has a positive effect on employee productivity in the workplace and retention. Additional presentation topics focused on essential worker training for employees in healthcare and first responders.

This growing awareness of brain health and learning new ways for individuals and organizations to discuss these issues is continuing. The advocacy non-profit organization, Brain Health Now, partnered with NICC to offer training opportunities to help destigmatize brain health in the community by providing practical hands-on information and tools to create an informed work environment.

A grassroots organization dedicated to ending the stigma of mental illness, Brain Health Now reframes these conditions as brain health. “The brain is an organ and it can get sick too,” said Brain Health Now Founder Debi Butler.

Renewing our Focus on Brain Health

“It’s so important to focus on brain health in the workplace. NICC is providing critical training and awareness for employees and your business should be participating to address the critical need,” Debi said.

According to a report released by Gallup, Americans’ rating of their own brain health has dropped to its lowest point since the survey began nearly two decades ago, with only 34 percent saying their mental health is excellent, a nine-point drop since 2019. Brain Health Now research indicated that one in five people have experienced a brain health issue in their lives – more than 482,000 Iowans. Last fall, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation making October Brain Health Awareness Month in Iowa.

The American Rescue Plan Fund and funding through Mental Health & Disability Services of the East Central Region provide financial support for NICC brain health programming.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NICC BRAIN HEALTH PROGRAMMING

OUT OF THE OFFICE:

Celebrating the Holidays

The holidays are a time for family, friends and cheer. But the preparation can be overwhelming.

Business and Community Solutions personal enrichment classes are a great way to relax outside of the office. When you need a break or maybe a date night, we have lots of options to choose from - many can even help check a few items off your holiday planning list.

MAKE & TAKE CRAFT WORKSHOPS are instructor-guided so no experience (or crafty genes) are needed. Projects range from simple crafts to beautiful home decor and could make a wonderful handmade gift for someone in your life. As an added bonus, research shows that creative practices can improve our wellbeing, mental health and sense of connection.

COOKING CLASSES are led by local, expert chefs and bakers and perfect for all skill levels - beginner to advanced. Instructors provide the recipes and ingredient lists so you can add them to your repertoire for holiday gatherings. Plus, who doesn’t love to taste-test during class! In Dubuque, cooking classes are held at the recently renovated Steeple Square teaching kitchen.

You can celebrate friends and family with a toast and unique craft cocktail. Our most popular classes in the Dubuque area include the craft cocktails and craft beer. These sessions make a perfect date night or group outing.