Helping Leaders Amplify their StrengthsA Sampling of Presentation / Workshop Topics Delivered by:Vicki van AlphenLinkedin.com/in/vickivanalphen

Twitter: @vickiva19

vvanalphen@gmail.com

A bit about me:• I have always had advisory roles, where I was directly

helping clients to be the best versions of themselves. • I am energized by delivering presentations or facilitating

workshops.l• Clients have included a variety of industries and company

sizes, with a common thread being that most were IT organizations. In earlier roles, I worked with IT managers, and now I work directly with CIO’s / CXO’s. I have honed an ability to ask the right questions and speak the language of IT.

• Companies for which I have worked include: Ernst & Young Management Consulting (now Capgemini Consulting), SmithBucklin (and their largest client at the time – The Americas’ SAP Users’ Group – ASUG), and Gartner.

Before sharing samples of the topics on which I have presented, I’d like to share a bit about my overall approach to presentations / workshops:

My facilitation style is to share a little bit of content, set a framework where participants are comfortable sharing with each other – and then get out of the way!My goals as a presenter / facilitator include that:• Participants experience a useful interaction with another attendee – whether that be finding

a shared experience (always a relief to realize “you’re not alone!”), or being able to learn from someone else’s success (or missteps.)• Everyone leaves with a conscious realization of the new knowledge and insights they

acquired during the session.• I lose control of the room a bit (due to the positive energy that is created when people are

having really engaging discussions.)

The following are examples of the types of topics on which I have presented / facilitated sessions:

Drip-Feed Digital Insights to C-Level Executives• First delivered to CIO’s at Gartner Symposium IT Expo (October, 2014

in Orlando, FL)• Description: CIOs can inform and excite their fellow executives about

the possibilities of the digital era, but need to consider the best approach. Using real-world examples, participants in this workshop collaborate on how to educate the C-suite, and practice these conversations through role-playing exercises.

• In other words: When you are immersed in something, and excited about it, you can’t just approach the folks who did not have first-hand experience, and expect them to immediately understand it, let alone be enthusiastic about it. This session provided suggestions on how to craft a communication plan (a “drip feed” approach).

• Result: One CIO stated, “...it was one of the most useful sessions of the entire conference.”

Avoid Becoming Bimodal Roadkill: Lessons Learned from Early Adopters• Delivered to CIO’s at Gartner Symposium IT Expo

(October, 2015 in Orlando, FL; co-created and presented with Gartner colleague, Chris Heiliger – pictured right)

• Description: After hearing case studies about IT organizations that experimented with the concepts of dual modes of IT, participants discuss (in small groups) how they would approach the situation.

• Results: This group of approximately 50 CIOs illustrated that it is a lot easier for a group of strangers to discuss a scenario about other people than themselves! Had a hard time ending the small group discussions, and folks were eager to grab the microphone and report things out to the larger group (which is rare.)

Charting your Course from a Delivery-Focused to an Engaged IT Organization• First Delivered to CIO’s at Gartner Symposium IT Expo (October, 2013 in

Orlando, FL) – and subsequently to a variety of clients (CIO’s and the IT Leadership team)

• Description: A particular Gartner research framework (by analysts Patrick Meehan and Leigh McMullen) illustrating the characteristics of a Delivery-Focused IT Organization to the Engaged IT Organization can be a useful tool to help CIO’s and their team realistically assess where their IT organization is and where they want to be. This workshop will provide CIO’s and their key IT leaders with time and space to explore: • What goes “great” look like, and are members of the team on the

same page?• Where are we now? Where do we think we need to be? Where does

the enterprise need us to be? • What is our focus, as an IT leadership team, that is going to get us

“there”• Result: One CIO commented, “That section on ‘what great looks

like’....could spend all day on that topic alone.”

Secrets to Great Stakeholder Engagement / Increase your Engagement with Others and Elevate your Leadership

• Presented different versions of this session at a variety of events:• Gartner Symposium 2015 (co-created and presented

with Gartner colleague, Chris Heiliger)• Women in Technology (WIT) Wisconsin (October

2015) [www.witwisconsin.com]• Project Management Institute – Northeast Wisconsin

Region – Professional Development Days (May 2016)

• Premise of this session: Things are moving quickly. Leaders need to be “in the mix” of the discussion where stuff is getting decided, and if that’s the case, they need to be on the list of folks that decision-makers trust and find value in speaking with.

Above: (from left): Vicki van Alphen, with WIT Founding Board Members – Vicki Leinbach (CIO at Ariens Corp.) and Michelle Schuler (Excelion Partners)

Below: Facilitated activity with WIT Leadership Council illustrating the Commonalities / connectedness among the various CIOs.

Generating AND Articulating the Business Value of your Programs (it’s all about them!) • Presented at Project Management Institute (PMI) –

Northeast Wisconsin Region – Professional Development Days (May 2016.)

• Description: Delivering consistency and project controls is the foundation, and now, to continue to increase the contribution to the enterprise, PMO’s need to be delivering innovation and a continuous stream of value.

• Results – Participants:• “Played with” a model – defining business value purely

from the viewpoint of the customer.• Practiced defining project value in meaningful terms

that stakeholders will understand and care about. (Photo courtesy of a PMI Northeast Wisconsin Volunteer.)

Taking Ownership: Making Digital Work your Great Work • First Delivered at the Gartner CIO Leadership Forum

(February, 2016) in conjunction with Gartner Executive Programs colleague, Marc Andonian.

• Description:• Shared a framework for considering one’s great work /

good work / bad work. • Additional considerations – in the age of “digital” – how

do CIO’s ensure that they are focused on these new opportunities to have a significant impact on their enterprise (by creating new products, helping to disrupt, rather than be disrupted, etc.)

• Results: Participants appreciated the opportunity to reflect on where they spend their time and attention, and create some concrete plans for how to adjust those in order to spend more of their personal resources on great work.

(Right: Do More Great Work by Michael Bungay-Stanier, a content source for this presentation.)

CIO Influence: Awakening the Digital Force Within You• Delivered at the Gartner CIO Leadership Forum

(February, 2016) in conjunction with Gartner Executive Programs colleague, Marc Andonian.

• Description: There has been an awakening. Digital technologies are disrupting every industry at light speed. On the dark side, CIOs trying to maintain control over every use of technology throughout the organization. On the light side, CIOs seizing the opportunity to lead through influence.

• Results: Participants had the opportunity to:• Discuss and explore what it means to lead

via influence, and how that feels different than leading via direct control.

• Target the best opportunities to lead via influence and select the best techniques for doing so.

Managing your Teams Through the Digital Journey – Not Your Parents’ Organizational Change Effort

• First Delivered at the Gartner CIO Leadership Forum (February, 2016) in conjunction with Gartner Analyst Elise Olding and Gartner Executive Programs colleague Thor Madsen.

• Description: Today’s business environment involves constant, fast-paced change, and traditional communication / change management efforts are no longer viable. A focus on influence and engagement will fuel sustainable change and allow employees to succeed and adapt in an environment of uncertainty.

• Results – Participants:• Had the opportunity to be reminded of what it feels like to

experience uncertainty and lack of context.• Mapped their IT leadership teams according to the model

presented (which included Risk Appetite and Change Readiness).

Above: (from left) Gartner colleaguesThor Madsen, Elise Olding with me – smelling coffee beans (aseach participant received a packet of coffee beans – as part of the “brain-aware” technique – associating a smellwith something helps your brain to remember.)

Left: Results from a voting activity where CIOs rated where they personally rank with respect to change.

Preparing CIOs to Lead Via Influence (a.k.a. How to Thrive in a World Where the CMO has the Most Technology Spend)• First delivered at the American Institute of

Technology Professionals (AITP) Chicago in August, 2016.

• Description: It is estimated that 17% of total enterprise spending on IT products and services across industries is controlled or managed outside the enterprise IT budget. For large enterprises in pursuit of digital business transformation, this is expected to rise to upwards of 50% by 2020.

• Results: Participants had the opportunity to consider and experience what it feels like to move along a continuum ranging from direct control to control via influence. They did role-plays where they experimented with some techniques to lead via influence.

Ensure that Today’s Strategy is Ready for the Digital Future• Delivered at the Gartner CIO Leadership Forum (Q1 2017)

in conjunction with Gartner Executive Programs colleague, Marc Andonian.

• Description: • Results:

• Using known examples of digital disruptors (Uber and Airbnb) participants had the opportunity to reverse-engineer questions that may have been asked by the founders of those companies.

• Participants created their own set of questions to provoke useful discussion in their own enterprises.

• “Pulled back the curtain” and reviewed the steps taken in the workshop, with the intent that participants could use it as a framework to conduct a strategy review session in their own enterprises.

Best Practices for Brainstorming (especially in today’s age of digital)• Delivered at the Gartner CIO Leadership Forum (Q1

2017) in conjunction with Gartner Executive Programs colleague, Marc Andonian.

• Description: • Results:

• Shared a proven process for effective brainstorming and scientific insights on how the brain most effectively creates new ideas.

• Participants had an opportunity to practice the brainstorming process (on a shared example that didn’t require sharing proprietary company information).

• Facilitators modeled techniques and behaviors that participants can then adapt and use in their own organizations.

How can I help you?• I really enjoy the opportunity to

present to different audiences – it’s one of the times when I feel most energized!

• If I can help you with any presentations, or with any of the topics listed here – please let me know.

Vicki van AlphenLinkedin.com/in/vickivanalphenTwitter: @vickiva19vvanalphen@gmail.com