CBA’s Havens draws upon professional experiences for new book
Jennifer Havens, director of the Center for Business Analytics, recently contributed her expertise to the book, “Proving the Value of Leadership Development: Case Studies from Top Leadership Development Programs.”
Incorporating her wealth of experience as an entrepreneur, executive leader, and professional coach, Havens contributed a case study to the book, offering valuable insights for those engaged in leadership development. The book employs research, instructional methodologies, and illustrative examples, and introduces 12 new case studies to comprehensively outline the process of demonstrating the effectiveness of leadership programs through the return on investment (ROI) methodology.
Havens’s chapter in the book is focused on how leadership development practitioners can ensure to effectively set up how new leadership development programs will be measured prior to their implementation.
“I love the standard quote about leadership and people development,” said Havens. “A CFO asks a CEO, ‘What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us?’ The CEO replies, ‘What happens if we don’t, and they stay?’ For me, I ask not only what happens if we develop our leaders and they leave, I ask what happens if we create an environment where learning, growth, and innovation are at the core, and they decide to stay. We achieve our mission and grow our company through responsible leadership.”
She continued, “By creating an engaging and supportive workplace, organizations not only enhance their attractiveness to current and potential employees but also build a resilient and innovative workforce prepared to drive the company forward in an ever-changing business landscape.”
Before joining Virginia Tech in 2023, Havens most recently served as an executive coach at Amazon, where she shaped organizational strategy and culture, established return on investment frameworks, and designed the first group coaching program within Worldwide Operations at Amazon. Her contributions led to a 96 percent uptick in peer connectivity, leadership presence, and operational innovation within Amazon, earning her the Earns Trust award in 2022.
At the Center for Business Analytics, Havens is expanding the influence of the center by introducing innovative approaches to equip students with abilities to tackle intricate challenges. Program graduates will cultivate essential skills and behaviors such as building and nurturing trust, navigating healthy conflict, refining leadership capabilities, employing effective stakeholder strategies and influence, and fostering self-awareness.
