VNSNY Launches Eighth Cohort of Its ACE Leadership Program

After a three-year hiatus, VNSNY’s Achieving a Culture of Excellence (ACE) Leadership Program resumed on October 5th with a kick-off meeting at 1250 Broadway.

This year’s cohort, the eighth since the program’s launch in 2004, has 28 staff members from various departments across the organization. The participants will attend full-day workshops every two weeks over a period of seven months, during which they’ll learn a wide range of leadership skills.

“Each year, ACE builds on the strengths of the previous cohort,” says Amanda Weiner, who manages the program for VNSNY Organizational Development. “We continually fine-tune the specifics to meet the needs of both the participants and VNSNY.” This year’s innovations include an increased focus on the workings of the healthcare industry, including its financial aspects, as well as a greater emphasis on personal counseling, insight assessment, and development planning. In another new program element, the Action Learning Project, participants will break into groups to brainstorm solutions for a real-life problem at VSNSY.

At the same time, tried-and-true ACE components remain firmly in place. In the facilitator-led workshops, participants focus on four primary competencies:

• Strategic Leadership, including how key concepts of career management translate to participants’ work at VNSNY.
• Executive Presence and Communication Skills, such as using appropriate vocal and body language to make a polished and professional impression, how to communicate concisely and clearly, and how to prepare a presentation for an audience.
• Organizational/Marketplace Acumen, with an emphasis on building networks, increasing the organizational impact of participants’ teams, and promoting oneself with integrity.
• Self-Awareness, centered on feedback sessions that allow participants to learn how others perceive their strengths and weaknesses and build skills critical to effectiveness and overall success.

The workshops are complemented by Executive Information Sessions, in which VNSNY senior leaders meet with the program participants to share insights into the organization’s strategic initiatives. In addition to learning about each other’s roles, participants are also encouraged to make ongoing connections with VNSNY alumni from previous ACE cohorts. “VNSNY becomes stronger when individuals across the organization are able to form relationships and understand how their role impacts the rest of the organization, and vice versa,” notes Amanda. “The relationships that the ACE program fosters are really its greatest outcome.”

“I strongly believe that the ACE program is instrumental to building our leaders of the future,” adds Andrew Wise, VNSNY’s Vice President for Talent Management and Organizational Development. “Our senior leadership and the cohort’s direct managers are very invested in this program, and their continued support is key to its success.”

To a view a list of the VNSNY staff members in this year’s ACE cohort, click here.

The Take-Away: This year’s ACE leadership program brings together 28 participants from across VNSNY, who will meet regularly over the next half-year to learn key leadership and networking skills.