Three College of Business Administration faculty at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a two-time UNL graduate will present a new August 2016 Executive Power Lunch Series offered by UNL Executive Education. Dr. Jake Messersmith, associate professor of management, kicks off the Power Lunch schedule with “Adaptive Leadership for Managers and Teams” on Wednesday, August 10. Rodney Verhoeff will follow with “The Key to Great Project Leadership” on Wednesday, August 17. Dr. Kathleen Farrell, chair of the Department of Finance and State Farm Professor of Finance, will lead “Strategies for Effective Board Management on Wednesday, August 24. Dr. Fred Luthans, University and George Holmes Distinguished Professor of Management Emeritus, will present the final Power Lunch in the series titled “The Power of Positive Leadership” on Wednesday, August 31.
 
This fall, Dr. Ravi Sohi, Robert. D. Hays Distinguished Chair of Sales Excellence and director of the Center for Sales Excellence, and Laura McLeod, assistant professor of practice in marketing, will lead the The Modern Day Sales Manager Executive Program September 28-30. This intense three-day certificate program provides sales managers and aspiring sales managers an opportunity to gain new insights and tools to better manage sales teams and drive performance in the modern-day sales environment. Participants who attend will gain insight on leading sales teams, understanding your market and how customers buy, motivating and incentivizing the salesforce and driving and tracking bottom line performance. Upon completion of this program, participants will receive an executive certificate in sales management from the UNL College of Business Administration.
 
Dr. Donde Plowman, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of CBA, will present the one-day executive workshop “Women as Leaders and Negotiators” Thursday, October 6. One of Nebraska’s top leaders, Plowman will share practical knowledge backed by research to help participants negotiate and lead more effectively. Participants will leave the program better able to understand the difference between leadership and management and will discover the link between negotiation and effective leadership. This workshop, designed specifically for women, will allow participants to practice the basic skills required for successful negotiation and improve their ability to persuade others.
 
Sohi and Dr. Amit Saini, associate professor of marketing and W.W. Marshall College Professor, will lead the three-day Strategic Growth and Marketing Certificate Program October 10-12. This program provides managers and entrepreneurs an opportunity to learn how to identify and develop new market opportunities and cultivate further growth in existing markets. Participants will gain insight on identifying customer needs, segmenting markets and choosing priority segments, creating value propositions for the products and services offered, developing a feasible business model and assessing and managing competition and strategies for growth. Upon the completion of this program, participants will receive an executive certificate in strategic growth and marketing from CBA.
 
Dr. Emre Unlu, CFA, associate professor of finance, will lead the Certificate in Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Professionals program October 19-21. The three-day program includes a self-paced online learning component and enables participants to improve their understanding of key finance and accounting concepts and their business implications, learn to analyze financial statements for strategic decision-making and understand finance and accounting best practices
 
Plowman said, “These are just some of many executive education programs we plan to offer to immerse participants in action-oriented learning, where they will gain new insight and tools to add value to their organization. Participants won’t spend an enormous amount of time away from work and will leave ready to handle organizational challenges and produce results.”
 
Adaptive Leadership of Managers and Teams – Wednesday, August 10, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. with Dr. Jake Messersmith
Adaptive leadership has helped many good leaders become great, and helped great leaders learn new ways to bring out the brilliance in others. The principles of adaptive leadership will teach you to distinguish technical problems from adaptive challenges and separate leadership from authority. Gain a deeper understanding of these leadership principles and how you can use the fundamentals of adaptive leadership to tackle tough organizational challenges. Visit to register: http://cba.unl.edu/eventregistration/Register.aspx?eventid=136.
 
The Key to Great Project Leadership – Wednesday, August 17, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. with Rodney Verhoeff
Every organization is full of project managers and the success of each project is determined by the right project leadership principles. Join us for lunch as one of Nebraska’s top experts in project management walks you through the critical components of success for project leadership. You’ll learn about tools and techniques that every project leader has at their disposal to help lead employees and teams to success. Visit to register: http://cba.unl.edu/eventregistration/Register.aspx?eventid=135.
 
Strategies for Effective Board Management – Wednesday, August 24, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. with Dr. Kathleen Farrell
Having an effective board is the cornerstone of strong corporate governance and can aid in achieving the organizations overall mission. Yet, many organizations find it challenging to determine the appropriate board composition and how best to engage boards in meaningful and productive ways. Join us for lunch to discuss these challenges and how to develop strategies to increase the effectiveness of your board. Visit to register: http://cba.unl.edu/eventregistration/Register.aspx?eventid=134.
 
The Power of Positive Leadership – Wednesday, August 31, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. with Dr. Fred Luthans
Positive leadership can help you inspire your team and improve the performance of your organization. Join us for lunch and discover how to develop the Hope, Efficacy, Resilience and Optimism (HERO) within so you can lead more effectively. Learn to enhance your well-being, the well-being of those you work with and ignite your positive leadership skills. You will gain an understanding of positive psychology and psychological capital (PsyCap) as well as why and how it can be used to improve attitudes, behavior and performance of employees. Visit to register: http://cba.unl.edu/eventregistration/Register.aspx?eventid=133.
 
Dennis Lanham, director of executive education at UNL, said discounts are available for University of Nebraska employees and alumni. Discounts are also available for military, veterans, non-profits and companies who send teams of three or more as well.
 
To learn more about the UNL Executive Education programs, register for these programs or inquire about customizing a program for your organization, go to http://cba.unl.edu/execeducation or call the Executive Education Office at 402-472-4333. Published: July 12, 2016