Leadership Out of the Box

In this course, you will discover the importance of understanding context and its impact on the individual as a leader. You’ll consider how you define leadership and explore how organisations work through an exploration of the “what” and “why” of your own working environment. You will also look at who stakeholders are and their important role in today's business, before discussing the differences between leadership and management, and the importance of credibility.This course is aimed at leaders and managers who have five to six years experience and who are beginning to manage teams, customers and clients more regularly or more directly. A majority of those taking this course will have a technical or professional early career, but are progressing professionally so are starting to grapple with the issues of team and organisational leadership. By the end of this course, you will be able to: – Describe the context in which your organisation operates. – Identify common challenges related to leadership. – Explain how leadership is impacted by the nature of how organisations are structured in order to deliver their goods or services. – Identify the key stakeholders in your leadership constellation. – Work effectively with your key stakeholders. – Explain the difference between leadership and management. Many topics covered in the course are also explored in the instructors book How to Lead Smart People (Mike Mister and Arun Singh, Profile Books 2019).

In this course, you will explore the importance of self awareness and feedback, as well as issues such as bias and imposter syndrome. As a leader, it is important to know when to step in and lead, as well as how to establish boundaries and resolve conflict. This course will equip you with these fundamental leadership skills and will also help you develop your ability to influence others (including your “boss”), measure your impact and enhance your resilience.This course is aimed at leaders and managers who have five to six years experience and who are beginning to manage teams, customers and clients more regularly or more directly. A majority of those taking this course will have a technical or professional early career, but are progressing professionally so are starting to grapple with the issues of team and organisational leadership. By the end of this course, you will be able to: – Identify how you are perceived by your colleagues as leaders. – Make better decisions about when to step in, and when to stand back, as a leader and how to work with conflict as a productive force. – Explain how to lead and support your boss to both achieve your goals in your respective leadership positions. – Manage your energy to be seen as a positive, influential leader.

In this course, you will look at how to work with a diverse range of people to create and lead a high performing team. You will consider the differences between work groups and teams and explore team dynamics, the nature of remote teams and cross-cultural implications of leading teams. You will also discover how to effectively lead your peers, deal with blockers and disruptors, set objectives and delegate. This course is aimed at leaders and managers who have five to six years experience and who are beginning to manage teams, customers and clients more regularly or more directly. Learners will likely have a technical or professional early career but as they are progressing in their careers, they are having to start grappling with the issues of team and organisational leadership. By the end of this course, you will be able to: – Explain the differences between a team and work group, and why this is important for a leader. – Describe strategies for leading peers, dealing with blockers and disruptors. – Set effective objectives, know best practice for delegation and techniques to drive performance in your teams. – Hold important, challenging conversations which leaders need to have, and implement the key elements of coaching and mentoring as a leader.

In this course, you will look at how you can effectively manage stakeholders and industry/organisational politics, whilst successfully mobilising people. You will:– Consider how to build momentum and how to work across organisational, sectoral and country cultures. – Explore how you can align your mission with the organisation’s purpose and manage the politics to influence the organisation. – Look at how to lead in a matrix/complex structure as well as how to make your changes real. This course is aimed at leaders and managers who have five to six years experience and who are beginning to manage teams, customers and clients more regularly or more directly. Learners will likely have a technical or professional early career but as they are progressing in their careers, they are having to start grappling with the issues of team and organisational leadership. By the end of this course, you will be able to: – Work across organisational boundaries and engage with a wider group of stakeholders. – Navigate the realpolitik of their wider organisation and understand the importance of engaging with the political dynamic. – Extend and leverage your networks to be better positioned for the next phase of your career. – Identify levers for change and how best to utilise these in order to increase the possibility that your initiatives and programmes will be adopted.