MIDLAND, MI -- “Leadership: Creative Strategic Steps for Business,” a new half-day pre-Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) workshop covering the vital new skills required to lead industry businesses in a time of dramatic, permanent change, will debut May 7, at Chicago’s Hyatt Regency O’Hare.

Presented by the University of the Aftermarket, this intensive four-hour workshop will focus on practical approaches to implementing radical organizational improvements in an age when the aftermarket and similar industries are under siege. The program will be led by John Passante, president and CEO of the Organizational Development Group, Inc.

“It is time for aftermarket business leaders to rethink their business models and determine whether they need to begin with a clean sheet of paper,” Passante said. “When you are in a leadership position, there is nothing like a crisis to help you focus. Our purpose will be to help participants learn to survive in the face of today’s industry realities.”

The workshop, running from 1 to 5 p.m., will demonstrate how leadership, change and courage are inextricably linked in a time of competitive crisis. Areas of focus will include organizational adaptability, managing long-term transformation, pursuing the new competitive tools needed to prosper in a global economy, and defining industry challenges and capturing the corresponding opportunities.

Workshop participants will earn .4 continuing education credits that may be applied to an automotive aftermarket professional designation available through the University of the Aftermarket. These designations include Automotive Aftermarket Professional (AAP) and Master Automotive Aftermarket Professional (MAAP).

For more information or to enroll in the workshop, please call 1-800-551-2882 or visit the University of the Aftermarket Web site: http://www.univaftmkt.org.