Leadership development programmes: spaces left!

The deadline to apply for two popular People Development programmes, helping colleagues to polish their leadership skills and learn new ones, is rapidly approaching.

Colleagues are encouraged to apply for either:

• The Inclusive Leader – a programme aimed at line managers which aims to help participants practice the University’s 3Rs leadership framework and use the values and priorities of their team members to motivate them to perform. Those who successfully complete the programme are awarded a Certificate of Achievement from the Institute of Leadership & Management.
• Leading Through Influence – a programme to help colleagues without formal line management responsibility to lead and influence others they rely on to complete tasks. It shares advice on building relationships and managing yourself.

Both courses are spread out over several months and involve some independent work.

Interested colleagues can follow the links to fill out an application form. The deadline for applications for both programmes is Friday 6 October.

‘Exactly what I needed’

Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, Digital Accessibility Officer in DTS, was part of the Leading Through Influence cohort this year. Reflecting on her experience she said:

“My role as Digital Accessibility Officer requires me to work with people across the University, influencing them when digital accessibility may not be one of their priorities. Though I applied for the job knowing the role would require me to work across the University, it was nevertheless overwhelming as I was previously working in a much smaller higher education institution compared to the University.

“I came across the Leading Through Influence programme on the HR webpages and remember thinking to myself ‘this is exactly what I need’.

“I gained a lot from the Action Learning Sets where you present an issue you are facing to a small group of colleagues on the programme with you. They ask questions in a way that helps you to clarify and find a way forward to tackle the problem at hand.

“I have also used conflict management techniques that were introduced in the programme. Now when I am in a conflict, I look at how important the issue is and how important my relationship with the person is, and this helps me to identify what action I should consider according to the conflict management model.

“Overall, I think I gained more confidence to perform well in my job.”

'Improved my management style'

Candyce Clark, Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning (DDTL) in the Department of Chemistry, completed The Inclusive Leader programme this year. She said:

"I signed up for the course as I was relatively new to the University, and was appointed in a leadership role. I really enjoyed all the modules and the Active Learning sets.

"I gained two things from this programme. Firstly I feel better equipped to deal with management situations that are a little challenging, as I was shown tools to use to improve my management style. Secondly, I learned so much from others in my action learning sets and have developed a network of colleagues in similar situations to me.

"I have had many opportunities to apply what I have learned in my day-to-day role as a DTL and I feel I have learned how to use my strengths in a more positive way as well as to look for the strengths in my team that may not be my own.

"I would highly recommend this programme to anyone in a management role."

People Development runs a range of online courses and programmes to support the personal and professional development of all colleagues. Find out what is available this term.