Registration for the second year of the WorkBoat Strategic Leadership Program will come to a close on Sept. 1. I encourage you to get onboard before it's too late.

Heading into its second year, the program, a joint effort between WorkBoat and Louisiana State University's Executive Education department, is focused on giving mid-level managers the tools necessary to move up in their respective organizations. In other words, if you're the owner of a marine company and have identified someone as crucial to my business going forward, then this is the program that will take that person to the next level. That's the whole purpose of this year-long program.

Among the tools participants will have at their disposal are the following: LSU Executive Education business coach assigned to each participant; four days of face-to-face group instruction and networking on LSU's campus in Baton Rouge, La., Oct. 6-9, 2015; five one-on-one coaching sessions with an assigned business coach; four online learning sessions hosted by WorkBoat.com; all-access education, networking and event passes to the International WorkBoat Show and the WorkBoat Professional Series Annual Conference in both December 2015 and December 2016 and WorkBoat Maintenance & Repair Conference & Expo in April 2016.

Faculty and coaches in LSU's Executive Education department will focus on the most pressing needs of the marine industry in terms of leadership qualities, self-development, teamwork, strategic planning, innovation, problem solving, conflict management, communication and more.

David Cohen is the man you need to get in touch with to sign up, so give him a call at 207-842-5578 or [email protected]. He can answer all your questions about the program. You can also visit www.workboat.com/leadership

Ken Hocke has been the senior editor of WorkBoat since 1999. He was the associate editor of WorkBoat from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he was the editor of the Daily Shipping Guide, a transportation daily in New Orleans. He has written for other publications including The Times-Picayune. He graduated from Louisiana State University with an arts and sciences degree, with a concentration in English, in 1978.