Shifting Gears
Program Description | Addtional Information | Download Shifting Gears Application 
Program Description:
Shifting Gears is a four month intensive program with three major phases.
Five free Information Sessions will be held to explain how the program (view the Program Schedule) works and help attendees determine if it is a good fit for them.
Register for an Information Session:
Tuesday, August 3
Wednesday, August 11
Monday, August 16
Wednesday, August 25
Wednesday, September 1
Shifting Gears Phases:
1st Gear
Retool Career Portfolios focuses on career transitions into small businesses with in-class sessions and workshops on small business foundations, plus;
2nd Gear
Test Trials with a 3-day intensive practice simulation that is followed by an eighty hour pro bono practicum project with a small business; plus;
3rd Gear
Launch Point Readiness with special networking opportunities, practice interviews and career advice from a mentor that has extensive contacts with innovative, growing companies.
The purpose of “Shifting Gears” is to increase the success of individuals who want to leverage their career experiences and education to help small businesses grow. This program seeks highly skilled and talented professionals who want to increase their effectiveness and capabilities in the competitive environments of small businesses. Effective adaptation of knowledge and experience from established professionals depend on transforming their careers to adapt effectively to dynamic, innovative firms.
Keys to increasing successful career transformations for small business growth include:
- Career Transformation Assessment of leadership and business management skills
- practical knowledge base to grow small businesses
- learning from people who have successfully shifted their careers
- actively practicing business skills in an intensive practice simulation
- create a high quality business network
- develop a personal career transition plan
- discussions with people who have successfully transformed their careers to grow small businesses
Creating opportunities to transform professional careers to grow a business!
Participants will benefit by:
- developing capabilities to transform professional corporate careers into exciting roles for growing small business
- working 1:1 with mentors in shifting career
- opportunities to apply knowledge and skills in small business environments
- opportunities for networking with key decision makers in small businesses
- opportunities for practicing job interviews
- Certificate of Completion: Shifting Gears: Career Transformations for Small Business Growth
Learning Objectives:
Program participants will be able to
- assess strengths and talents to support growth of small businesses;
- apply strategies for transforming careers to adapt to small business environments;
- identify approaches for leading and managing growth in small businesses;
- develop important knowledge and skills to support small business growth;
- create a business network for future opportunities.
Who should apply:
- experienced corporate professionals seeking a career shift to tackle the challenges of dynamic small business environments;
- highly skilled managers with 5+ years experience in managing and leading teams to achieve high performance;
- professionals from all disciplines and functions.
Cost:
The cost for the Shifting Gears program is $2,500. No Worker Left Behind funding and partial scholarships are available. To learn more about these options please contact Amy Cell at
Amy@AnnArborUSA.org.
Payment options:
Download the Shifting Gears Application now .
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Additional Information:
Shifting Gears Advisory Board:
Mark Ouimet, Washtenaw County Commissioner
Rick Snyder, CEO Ardesta LLC
Trenda Rusher, Executive Director Washtenaw County Michigan Works/etcs
Ken Nisbet, U-M Technology Transfer Executive Director
LeAnn Auer, Michigan Venture Capital Association Executive Director
Wes Huffstutter, U-M Technology Transfer
Marti Welsch, M3 Strategies
Amy Cell, Ann Arbor SPARK
Companies that Participated in the Past
A123 Systems
Academy Coaching, Inc
Adaptive Campus
Adaptive Materials Inc
ApoLife, Inc
Ardent Cause
BK Medic
Cielo MedSolutions
Cliff Kleen
Compendia Biosciences
Creative Change Associates
CrimeCog
Denison Consulting
Econ Global Services
Finley Manufacturing Group
Gale
GDI Infotech
Good Business Inc
GTI Advisors
Hygieia
In The Groove
Infiniti Capabilities
Intersect Digital
Knowledge Watch
LaVision
Lotus Gardenscapes
MacBeedon
Maurer Management and Property
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Menlo Innovations
MyBuys
Nanocerox Inc
NanoMag
Next Services
NextGen
NuStep
Onsite ERT
Phire Branding Company
POLY
RealKidz
Recellular
RPM Ventures
SensiGen
SOI
Solohill
Speedraft
SRT
Switchback
Sunfield Consulting
TAC Worldwide
Thomson Reuters
TMJ Pain Solutions
TSRL
Velesco Pharmaceutical Services
Vertabase
Xoran |
Leader Backgrounds
Diana Wong
Diana J. Wong, PhD is the CEO and President of Sensei Change Associates, LLC and a business faculty at Eastern Michigan University. Diana's expertise is in strategy and developing learning programs for improving organizational performance. She earned a PhD in strategic management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MBA in Finance and International Business from Dalhousie University, Halifax. With an extensive international background, Diana focuses on supporting leadersand management teams with strategic planning and meeting facilitation,organization development, leadership development and transition programs, executive coaching, cross-cultural competency development and organizational learning systems. Her newly edited volume, Cultural Mythology and Global Leadership, with co-editor Eric Kessler from Pace University will be on bookshelves in Spring, 2009.
Barb Koenig
Barbara Koenig specializes in workplace learning and organizational change that leads to improved human performance. Through executive coaching,design, development and facilitation, she empowers individuals to develop new strategies and skills to enhance and improve both individual and team performance.
Amy Cell & Ann Arbor SPARK
Since 2006 the Talent Enhancement function at Ann Arbor SPARK has been making connections between innovative companies and high value, knowledge based talent. In 2008 SPARK helped over 350 companies connect with talent, with a 30% success rate! SPARK has helped find C-Level,technical, managerial and professional talent and is highly regarded by some of the most innovative companies in the region. These experiences and relationships will allow Ann Arbor SPARK to make significant connections for Shifting Gears participants with key, growing companies in the Ann Arbor region.
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