Our leadership development programmes are designed and delivered using principles derived from our 20 years of experience and the best of evidence based research. These principles help ensure that the programmes we design with you deliver both new personal skills and capability and deliver successful business improvement projects.
Call: +44 (0) 117 471 9055
Email: enquiries@opdc.co.uk
Email: enquiries@opdc.co.uk
Leadership Development Programmes
Our Programme Principles
Tailored to your organisation and your needs- Delegates actively supported by a sponsor and senior managers
- Safe learning environments in which delegates can speak openly without fear of management judgement or criticism
- Our consultants’ behaviour reinforces the messages we give; we walk the talk
- Integrated into company learning and development programmes and personal performance reviews
- Real and live organisational problems addressed
- Activity led not lecture led
- Demanding of and challenging to delegates and managers
- A facilitated rather than directed learning journey
- Post-programme Alumni network learning
Successful leadership development and business improvement go hand in hand
The research evidence shows that most leadership development programmes fail to create more effective leadership. Equally, it shows that the vast majority of business improvement and change programmes fail to achieve their objectives.
Our approach is successful because it has been developed to overcome the systemic reasons of business improvement and personal development failure. At the heart of this success is a recognition that integrating leadership development with activities and projects to improve organisational performance is the key. By doing that, personal development is grounded in the specific realities and context faced by each delegate. This means that the learning can be applied and its impact seen day-to-day. And, as the learning is applied to real and present business problems and opportunities, its value is applied directly to improving business performance.
A defining aspect of our leadership programmes is the importance we place on building awareness and critical behaviours as a foundation. That’s not to say that we don’t provide delegates with an understanding of leadership tools and techniques as well as business process models. But unlike many other leadership programmes, we give delegates more ability to bring these to life by giving them an understanding how their behaviour impacts others’ perceptions and performance. It’s gaining this understanding that gives our programmes the edge and increases their value.
Flexible Programme Structure
Our integrated leadership development and business improvement programmes are delivered in a variety of formats to fit with your needs and constraints. For example:
All programmes are built on our programme principles and provide learning across the important building blocks to effective leadership. However, programmes are each tailored to reflect the seniority, experience, market needs and specific skill gaps of the learning group.
For more information on how programmes are created to meet each business need or to discuss how we could create a leadership and business development programme for your business contact us.
- We use the real and live problems and issues faced by delegates as the basis for learning. Unlike many leadership development programmes, we rarely use ‘off-the-shelf’ case studies; because by their nature they can’t simulate the specifics of each delegate’s day-to-day reality
- We use role play and interaction extensively. Adults are typically very poor at retaining classroom teaching and far better at learning by doing, so role play is a powerful tool. It’s also true that discussion and debate are powerful instruments for learning – so we use them extensively too.
- We emphasise influencing and engagement skills. The number one reason for the failure of business improvement and change is an inability to persuade people that a new way of doing things is worth adopting. Our programmes give delegates the skills they need to be far more influential with internal stakeholders, customers and suppliers.
- We address a significant organisational challenge or opportunity as a way to enable delegates to practice and hone their new skills. Leadership development training is a major investment, so our programmes are designed to ensure that the investment is paid back quickly by applying new skills and behaviours to real organisational problems. This approach has the added benefit of achieving senior management support and helping delegates raise their profile as leaders in the organisation
Example Programmes
Multi-module leadership development and business improvement journey
We have run versions of multi-modular programmes since 2001 across Europe, North America and Asia-Pac. This approach has proved to be highly effective is highly effective in delivering the dual objectives of leadership development and business value. As a result, ‘multi-modular has become the preferred programme delivery format for many of our clients.
The following example is aimed at high potential mid-level managers in a multi-division, multi-site manufacturing company supplying components to complex organisations in highly competitive marketplaces
An example multi-modular business and leadership development journey:
“Making a Difference” (MAD) – A business journey and a leadership journey over 9 months for 12 participants.
Programme Planning
- Establish business, cultural and behavioural learning objectives
- Select participants
- Identify business projects to meet learing and business development goals
- Assign participants ot projects and assign project sponsors from senior team
- Identify Programme Sponsor to runs internal participant sessions between and after tought modules
Programme delivery
Launch Meeting
- Introduction by executive board member (CEO, President or MD)
- Overview of the programme and pre-programme activities
- Question and answer session
- Project group briefings by the project sponsor
- Initial project scoping and management protocol setting by particiapants
Module One (three days off-site)
- Active learning of leadership behaviours and models applied to everyday business issues
- Q&A with senior business leader
- Feedback solicited from participants and OPDC consultants
Internal session led by project sponsor: Embed learning and review project progress
Module Two (three days offsite)
- Active learning of leadership behaviours and models applied to everyday business issues
- Q&A with senior business leader
- Feedback solicited from participants and OPDC consultants
Two further internal sessions led by project sponsor: Embed learning and review project progress
Programme Graduation (nine months after launch) attended by sponsors
Morning (attended by participants)
- Review of content, learning and leadership goals
- Preparation of final presentations
Afternoon (participants joined by sponsors, managers, programme alumni and members of senior leadership team)
- Participants each present a review of learning achieved, personal value of programme content and application to business, progress on personal goals, plans to stretch leadership in the year ahead
- In project teams particiapants present the outcomes of each project focusing on value to the business
- Feedback on presentations from attendees
- Award of certificates of participation by the CEO, President or MD
Post graduation activity
The above example summarises just one execution of our multi-modular leadership and business development programme. For more information on how programmes are created to meet each business need or to discuss how we could create a leadership and business development programme for your business please contact us