What You Will Learn

Those in attendance will learn that in order to influence and persuade others:

• Solidifying trust must be a primary focus
• Your network must be defined, cohesive, and flourishing
• You must practice the law of reciprocity
• All “seven keys” of influence and persuasion must be leveraged

About the Instructor

Mike Allison is the Vice President of Talent at Spotlight (Analyst Relations) where he oversees talent acquisition, leadership development, and employee growth/engagement. Spotlight was named Kansas City’s best place to work (medium-sized company) by the Kansas City Business Journal in 2023. Ingram’s magazine also bestowed similar recognition. Mike is also an Adjunct Professor and Bloch Executive Education instructor within the Bloch School at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC).

Prior to his role at Spotlight, Mike enjoyed over 22 years of healthcare IT leadership experience working at Cerner. His final role there involved leading a group of faculty who developed and delivered advanced education to cohorts of Veterans Administration (VA) clinicians, informaticists, and analytics professionals. He also worked with internal and external leaders on change management and other organizational development initiatives. Previously, Mike held executive responsibilities over Cerner’s client and associate learning organizations. His award-winning teams, many of which were internationally based, provided practical and effective end-to-end learning solutions to Cerner clients and associates around the world.

Mike also spent a year as the Vice President of Learning and Development at AMC Theatres where he led a team of learning professionals focused on building, supporting, and retaining talent across multiple guest-facing brands.

Mike regularly carries out public speaking engagements and provides coaching to business leaders across the Kansas City metropolitan area. He presents and instructs on diverse topics such as leading through change, emotional intelligence, holding difficult conversations, building a culture of feedback, advanced presentation techniques, cultivating trust, and executive presence.

Prior to working in the private sector, Mike was involved in city management for three years. He worked primarily as a management analyst for the city of Kansas City, Mo. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from Brigham Young University.

Mike is married to Amy Allison, a non-profit leader serving as the Executive Director for The Farmer’s House. They have three young adult children (girl, boy, girl). Besides being an avid family man, Mike is passionate about volunteering, seeing the world, hiking, music, disc golf, and all things San Francisco. He was born and raised in the “City by the Bay.”

Who Should Attend

You might consider this workshop if some of these questions feel familiar:

• I worry about getting locked into a job or career that works on paper but doesn’t fit who I am.
• I’ve made practical choices that made sense at the time—but I’m not sure they add up to a direction I care about.
• I’m choosing paths based on what feels realistic or available—not necessarily what feels meaningful.

About the Instructor

Bryan Hong is an Associate Professor of Strategy. Prior to joining the Bloch School, he taught at the Stern School of Business at New York University, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and Ivey Business School in Canada. He completed his PhD in Business Administration at the University of California-Berkeley and worked in investment banking (Citigroup), corporate strategic planning (Burger King), and strategy consulting (Bain and Company) prior to entering academia. He is author of the book Evolution to Purpose: Choosing a Life of Authenticity with Work.

What You Will Learn

Why This Session Matters
Conventional plans quickly lose relevance. Strategic foresight and scenario planning help leaders sense emerging trends, spot early signals of disruption, and stress-test strategies against diverse possibilities. Teams that apply these tools mitigate blind spots, align around a shared vision, and foster a culture of resilience and proactive adaptation.

• Master leading foresight tools scenario planning, horizon scanning, early warning indicator mapping
• Translate signals and trends into actionable options for strategic investment, transformation, or innovation
• Lead collaborative workshops to extract creative, future-ready solutions from cross-functional teams
• Build organizational agility by mapping out challenges, opportunities, and “no regret” strategic choices

About the Instructor

Dr. Kevin Sansberry II is a behavioral scientist and executive coach whose inspiring work is driven by the need for evidence-based, inclusive, and equitable approaches to urgently and proactively transform and coach leaders, eradicating toxic behaviors that threaten profitability, innovation, and the overall well-being. He is also the creator and host of the Toxic Leadership Podcast which reached as high as the number four nonprofit podcast in the United States in 2021.

What You Will Learn

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Understand how integrating a coaching approach into your leadership style fosters employee growth, engagement, motivation, and self-accountability.
2. Apply core coaching skills such as active, empathetic listening techniques, formulating powerful questions that lead to empowered action, and delivering constructive feedback in a way that can be heard.
3. Build and maintain trusting coaching relationships through open and honest communication and behaviors that empower team members to take ownership of their development and impact.
4. Strategically coach through common leadership challenges such as navigating resistance to change and understanding how to collaboratively increase team member engagement and sustained performance.

About the Instructor

Robin Ferguson brings a wealth of expertise in the leadership and organizational development fields and is a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. In addition, she has held executive level leadership roles, helped found a leadership institute and coaching program for a regional health care system, served as faculty in the area of leadership and organizational development psychology, and is the author of The Phoenix Effect: Transcend Limitation and Ignite the Power Within You.

What You Will Learn

Attendees will explore the psychological “why” behind resistance and the practical “how” of modern agility. Moving beyond outdated models, this course provides a fresh framework for driving change in high-pressure, professional environments. Through an interactive and multi-media driven session, participants will discover:

1. The Biology of Resistance: Why the brain triggers an “Amygdala Hijack” during transitions and how to de-escalate it.
2. The One-Page Change Canvas: How to replace 50-page plans with a visual, iterative tool that adapts in real-time.
3. The Power of Micro-Habits: Why “Minimum Viable Change” (MVC) outperforms massive rollouts.
4. The Feedback Loop Engine: How to build psychological safety so that truth reaches the top before a project fails.

Attendees will learn that in order to truly lead change and maximize results, one must:

1. Master the “Resistance Lab”: Practice navigating difficult stakeholder personas using high-influence communication strategies.
2. Implement “Change Sprints”: Shift from rigid timelines to 30-day experimental cycles that build momentum through small wins.
3. Harness “Nudges”: Use behavioral economics to steer team culture without the need for constant formal mandates.

About the Instructor

Brad Simmons
Brad has spent the better part of his career driving organizational change, enhancing quality, efficiency, and growth. By partnering with cross-functional teams, he has streamlined processes, clarified roles and responsibilities, and reduced risk. Brad understands that managing change and improving efficiency is a team effort and crucial to business success, even though it’s not always the most popular topic. It’s at this intersection of communication and opportunity that he finds his passion for helping businesses thrive. A Kansas native, Brad lives in the Kansas City area with his wife and two daughters.

Brad studied Advertising and Leadership Studies at Kansas State University and has worked for various media companies and advertising agencies, honing his expertise in how customer and employee experiences drive growth. Today, he uses those skills to create learning opportunities that build up others and strengthen teams. He is a Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner and holds an EMBA through UMKC’s Henry Bloch School of Business, which has further enhanced his value as a resource to clients and teams. When he’s not teaching or coaching, Brad enjoys volunteering as athletic director at his kids school, listening to vinyl records, making homemade pizza, telling dad jokes, and searching for the best latte in the city.