Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1275152
66 SMT007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2020 Mucha: Particularly in the leadership section of the course, we're heavy on class discus- sion. I've found the majority of people really enjoy discussing the situations they've been in. The more experienced people outline some of their previous situations and how they dealt with it. Sometimes, those who are less expe- rienced will say, "I'm having this experience, and I don't know how to do it." Because it's a class discussion, we can all talk about our own experiences, rather than me just saying, "This is how you do it." For the most part, class members have never had a broad-based introduction to leadership like this. Maybe they had a first-line super- visor class, but we go a little deeper into the material, so even folks who have a fair amount of managerial or supervisory experience are learning new information. Plaza: I can add a little bit to that. IPC serves the whole electronics industry, and we are always looking at the skills that employers need from their people. When we look at studies—like those in the World Economic Forum, other publications, and research houses that put out publications—we see that the skills employ- ers want most change over time. The World Economic Forum makes a list every year, and right now, the top 10 needed skills are complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision making, service orientation, negotiation, and cognitive flexibility. Matties: You just outlined most of what some- one needs to be a successful leader. Plaza: Leadership can be broken up into these different types of aptitudes, abilities, and even intelligences. Someone might come to the table with strong people management and creativity but may not be as strong in emotional intelli- gence. Because Susan covers a lot of ground in the content and experience, it helps class members shore up some of their deficiencies. You might not overtly say, "Today, we're going to talk about creativity, or today we're going to talk about critical thinking." But you're essen- tially doing those things in a case study or a discussion. IPC tries to be responsive with its certifica- tion programs to provide the skills employers need. This happens to be a certification pro- gram rather than a training program. With cer- tification programs, participants can say, "I took this course, and a test at the end saying that, 'As my employer, you can be sure, based on IPC's reputation, that I have these skills and I am a qualified or certified electronics pro- gram manager.'" Matties: How many people have you had go through this course? Mucha: We've had close to 50 in the online class and several hundred on-site. The online course is a redo of an IPC program, and I've taught part of the on-site program since 2003. With that, they've had several hundred people go through the total course. The bottom line is the body of certified program managers out there is fairly significant. I did some CEO interviews related to arti- cles I was writing on the on-site course, and they told me that they really noticed a dif- ference with those who had gone through the certification program. They tended to be more proactive in how they analyzed pro- gram or facility challenges, and they were doing more to address issues before they became issues. Matties: There's a direct ROI for each individ- ual. Mucha: Right. Essentially, people were putting things together better. During the course, we point out that much of the material we pres- ent they probably already know, but by pre- senting it in a very focused program over a six-week period, they'll be reminded of things they had probably forgotten about. We ask them to write down a personal improvement plan based either on what they're learning or things they already knew that they want to re- institute when doing their jobs.