ASCEND – Developing Business Leaders

Programme Overview

An intensive blended learning programme designed to give Business leaders maximum impact from a minimal time away from work and optimising their ability to develop, train virtually and apply new concepts and techniques, from multiple global locations on connected topics, bolstering their leadership acumen.

This work aims to provide a Business context customised and taught leadership practical programme to explore individual and team leadership styles and facets across the following areas.

Programme Objectives

• To assist Directors, Senior Managers, and Managers who, following talent calibration and/or S.W.O.T. analysis, want to expand their leadership impact both to their teams and HQ by benefiting from formal training to support leadership style insights.
• To develop
  personal understanding and team impact of leadership in action and to build an armoury of leadership tool kits to enhance the leadership process and their professional practice in future calibrating business experts to lead in a fit for future world. ASCEND will prepare Business Experts to become People and Business Leaders for today’s world of work.

1. Situational Leadership

2 Sessions + applied work
Art of Leadership & Leadership Style

These sessions examine the concept of leadership for the individual leaders. It is supported by the informed analysis from the LBAII psychometric and helps to define leadership in your organisation’s context. The team begin to build a picture of themselves individually as leaders and what is required now to be successful and ready for the future. The relational aspects of leadership are also addressed. Looking at the leaders’ ability to authentically engage with others within and outside the organisation. Each participant will complete the LBAII psychometric to ensure that each leader is fully versed and aware of the element of their traits, styles and to maximise their contribution and leadership development.

2. Influence Authentically

2 Sessions + applied work
What Influence is and how to Influence Authentically

The objective of these two sessions is for the participants to understand what influence is and how to influence authentically throughout their career. This section of the programme is a mix of taught models and concepts with role play application to broaden understanding of application. Pre and Post course work will be provided to ensure an element of self-paced learning is present.

3. Stakeholder Management

2 Sessions + applied work
Process of Stakeholder Management & application to leadership activities

These two sessions will enable participants to understand the process of stakeholder management, and then apply that to their leadership activities. The more successful one gets, the larger the projects to run, the greater the number of people who are impacted by the work, and the greater the number of people who can influence it. Some can help. Others can undermine, potentially bringing projects and careers – to a shuddering halt. Stakeholder Management is the process used to identify the key stakeholders in projects, and then win their support. Once you know who you need to get support from, you can develop a clear plan to ensure that you actually secure support. Applied tool kit provided.

4. Influence without Authority

1 Session + applied work
How to influence Stakeholders

In this session, following on from the stakeholder mapping we will look specifically at how to influence stakeholders who are peers, bosses and others that we have no authority over by learning how to successfully use the six steps of the Bradford & Cohen model and the currencies of psychological exchange.

5. Leader as Change Agent

1 Session + applied work
Mastering the art of change management

Over 50% of all organisational change initiatives are unsuccessful not because of the outside pressure driving the change but because of internal organisational challenges. During a time of change organisations need to take control of how the internal change process is implemented and to manage the process effectively through farsighted insight, integral vision, effective communications and managing the resistance to change. This session will look at the benefits of developing and mastering the art of effective change management to successfully lead through times of static and dynamic change. Supported by relevant research, it will provide the participants with the tools and techniques needed to deliver dynamic change.

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