The FliPsides of collaborative decision making

About the Course

Are you on a mission to seek out better more collaborative decision making, to boldly go where no one has gone before? We face dozens of decisions every day from the ordinary to those more akin to intergalactic warfare. Decision-making is a skill with many facets: How do you decide how you will decide? How do you move the process forward? How do you give opinions in a way that gets heard and valued? What do you do if the “wrong” decision is made? How can you harness the most value from your crew? 

“Most courses focus only on the leadership skill of making a decision. This course goes further by exploring the neuroscience of the decision making process.” 
~Dr. Marc Hurwitz

 

The Starship Enterprise has two wise decision makers on board: Captain Kirk and Science Officer Spock. Develop the best, most collaborative skills from both. 

Samantha Hurwitz, Chief Encouragement Officer, FliP U
Course Teacher

Sam is FliP U’s Chief Encouragement Officer, a leadership and followership coach, consultant and CPA with tons of corporate and executive experience including 10 years as Controller of a $7 billion organization and heaps of projects. She spent her childhood creating:  costumes, surprise parties, science fair projects, speeches, stories and crafts. In high school, her assertiveness flourished as she organized sit-ins and petitioned for girls to be allowed to take wood shop instead of cooking. So naturally, Sam grew up to be an Accountant. But this oddly creative and assertive accountant soon discovered her true passion:  developing people. 

Marc Hurwitz, Chief Insight Officer, FliP U
Course Teacher

Marc is FliP U’s Chief Insight Officer and one interesting guy! He grew up as he says, “surrounded by rats in cages, bearded academics, strong female role models and psychedelic iconography,” as the son of parents who were hippies and PhD psychologists. Though he dreamed of being a theoretical physicist or one of the Beatles, his path in life keeps pulling him back to his love of learning. Marc has Masters degrees in math and physics, an MBA, and a PhD in neuroscience. Marc teaches entrepreneurship, leadership and followership at the University of Waterloo, acts and directs community theatre, is a poet, and an avid pinball player.

Joan Owen, Director of Connecting the Dots, FliP U
Course Coach

What I love most about the conversations in this course is watching the “aha” moments come to life for all the participants.
I am definitely like Chief Engineer Scotty! I provide my expertise when asked and, in my followership role, join in to make the decision better through execution.
One thing you can learn is that making a decision is a process, not an event. Sometimes, the journey is the destination!