Elements of the LEAD Programme

Below is a brief description of the content of the LEAD programme at Lancaster University:

Overnight Experiential

LEAD starts with a two day overnight experiential which is designed to bond the cohort and start to build trust in the peer network. This allows the participants to explore their own leadership style in a safe environment and provides a framework to develop a personal development plan for them to work with for the duration of LEAD. The experiential offers a mix of management training exercises which explore the role of leadership.

‘Excellent two days – a diverse mix of companies all with one aim.  Gave me a great opportunity to meet and chat with others in a similar work position.  A chance to discuss confidentially about yourself and your business and other people and their businesses’

Masterclasses

The masterclass series has been designed to challenge delegates, stimulate thinking and catalyse awareness. There are two themes for masterclasses, business growth and leadership.

• Business Growth

These masterclasses are specifically designed to meet the needs of small to medium sized businesses. Concentrating on issues such as operations, marketing, financial planning, employment law and strategy the sessions will provide you with the tools to grow your business.

• Leadership

Leadership masterclasses are delivered by inspirational speakers who share their own leadership journeys. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their own leadership style and take lessons to their own organisations.

‘I now have a far greater understanding of how leadership works and what makes a good leader’

‘The content was very good. There was the inspiration and good quality material to train our own people’.

For further details on the masterclass speakers please click here.

Coaching

Change and learning occur when individuals do or look at something differently. The solutions focused coaching approach is designed to achieve this by changing how participants focus on, and work with, people both inside and outside their organisation.

Participants will work with an experienced coach to find a solution to a problem/issue that they are having within their business.
 
‘Fantastic, wonderful support. It made me look differently at my business and myself’

‘Without doubt, coaching has had the greatest impact on me and brought about positive change’

Action Learning Sets

We find that many of the owner-managers that we work with on LEAD often feel isolated running their own businesses. Action learning is designed to overcome this isolation.

An Action Learning Set is a small group of 6-7 peers who meet to discuss real business issues in a confidential and trusting environment. Listening and questioning techniques are used to share experiences, learn from each other and establish positive actions to be taken to resolve the issues.

'The board you couldn’t afford!’

‘I came away realising we are all in the same boat and all have the same issues’

‘It has given me a completely new direction in life. It has had a dramatic impact, even though at the start of the process I admit I was slightly cynical about what it could do.  The results have been truly life changing and I’m very excited to be starting a new company’

Shadowing & Exchanges

Observational learning is perhaps the most powerful process for acquiring information. We have developed the shadowing and exchange activities to extend the observation process and to test the participants’ learning from the whole programme.

The process begins with a shadowing exercise during which participants will observe and reflect on the behaviour of their exchange partner in their place of work.

This is followed up by a series of exchanges where both participants will go into their partner’s business and conduct a mini-consultancy project on an agreed subject.

 ‘I learnt a great deal from this and would love to do the whole thing again.  This gave me so much confidence in how I interact with people. It changed the way I try and understand people and it changed the dynamics between all of my staff.’

Online Forum

To support the learning and the peer network, delegates on LEAD will be able to communicate with one another whilst they are away from the University, through an online forum. 
Here delegates will share what they have learnt at masterclasses, discuss issues from action learning sets, arrange exchanges and can call upon advice from their fellow delegates. In addition to all of this, they will be able to access podcasts, masterclass presentations and additional reading.