About Leader to Leader

 

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Could your senior leaders benefit from a programme proven to broaden their horizons, deepen their personal strengths and ultimately make them more effective to deliver value to the business?

Leader to Leader is an eight-month leadership development programme aimed at Senior Leaders who want to improve their leadership performance. The programme offers a highly individual learning journey with time for reflection, observation and application of learning back in the workplace. The eight months allow a gradual, evolving approach with many opportunities to problem solve and integrate learning in a practical and business-focused way.

It has been designed and developed in consultation with Cumbrian businesses who said their leaders often lacked the opportunity to look outside of their own day-to-day work. The programme is very dynamic (definitely not talk and chalk!) and involves shadowing, action learning, a consultancy challenge and on-going peer to peer learning allowing delegates to share ideas and best practice. It provides individuals with a better understanding of the type of leader they are and where they need to grow.

The programme involves an overnight experiential where delegates from each cohort get to know each other and start building trust in a secure environment. As well as shadowing, the programme also involves action learning sets offering delegates the opportunity to explore the type of leader they are, get feedback from their peers and explore areas they need to develop. CfLP supports them on their journey to intimately become better leaders.

The programme involves innovative and effective interventions over an eight month period. Participants examine and compare their individual and organisational business contexts and experiences of leadership and collaborate to produce solutions to key challenges in each organisation.

Former CfLP Managing Director Al Mather, who devised the Leader to Leader programme, explains: "Our programmes take business leaders out of their comfort zones and examine how they perform as leaders, and how they work and interact with others. It equips them with skills that will benefit their current and future roles."

The programme is designed and facilitated by experts from business and academia, bringing together cutting-edge learning and practice in leadership and management. The programme will:

• Develop the individual competence of your leaders in a unique and practical way
• Apply new thinking, from different perspectives, to your key organisational and business issues
• Give your organisation access to a strong and collaborative network of Leader-to-Leader alumni
   

Outcomes

At the end of the programme, delegates will have:

• Developed their awareness of self and others in a leadership and personal context
• Applied new thinking from different perspectives to their key organisational and business issues
• Learned specific methods and frameworks for enhancing learning, practising observing and critiquing individual leadership styles
• Developed their ability for collaborative working through mutual support, feedback and awareness of group dynamics
• Access to a strong and collaborative network of Leader to Leader alumni

Leader to Leader is a dynamic and responsive programme and, because of this, each delegate's learning outcomes will be different and unique. Feedback from Leader to Leader delegates who have completed the programme shows that learning outcomes for participants have included:

• Increased confidence in leadership approach
• Ability to delegate more
• Increased reflection and evaluation skills
• Increased awareness of self and impact of style on others
• Appreciation of other leaders and the different challenges they face
• Learning numerous new tools and techniques to use in the workplace
• Developing a clear understanding of what makes an effective leader
• Greater respect from their individual teams
• Enhanced ability to lead and influence change
• Increased ability to influence colleagues and stakeholders
• Improved skills of narrative and the ability to 'tell a story'
• Learning from fellow leaders in other businesses
• Widening professional network opportunities
• Understanding how to empower their team and make them more self-driven
• The time and space to 'breathe' and be themselves
• A realisation of the importance of trust, and recognising different types of trust
• Learning to listen
• Learning the difference between leadership and management
   

Benefits to Your Business/Organisation

• Supported consultancy and problem solving on a major strategic issue per business
• Greater organisational and team performance
• Middle managers developed to take up senior management positions
• Senior managers developed for succession
• Better retention and development of the most talented leaders
• More reflective, skilled and self-aware managers

 
Benefits to the Individual Participant

• Become a more able and reflective leader
• Be better able to develop and support the performance of their teams
• Enhance leadership and problem solving skills, aptitudes and knowledge
• Confidently contribute to the development of strategy and new business growth, and tackle challenges
• Gain greater self-awareness and understanding of impact on others
• Take ideas and practice from differing business contexts to drive innovation in their own organisations
• Develop broader networks and influence that last
   

Price

£3,850 per delegate (+VAT)
 

Funding

Sources of funding may be available. Please click here for more...
 

 

Find Out More

If you would like more information on the Leader-to-Leader programme, please email info@cforlp.org.uk or phone 01900 824 822 and a team member will be in touch.

 
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Leader to Leader In Action

Cohort 1: The first of a series of Leader-to-Leader programmes launched at the start of 2014 brought together senior people from different companies operating in the nuclear sector to work as a West Cumbrian task force, developing their personal leadership capabilities and applying their collective talents to issues facing the nuclear sector. Read more about the Cohort 1 (January 2014).

Cohort 2: The second Leader to Leader cohort studied community concerns over new nuclear construction benefits to the area as part of an intensive leadership development programme. Read more about Cohort 2 (2014).

Cohort 3: Leader to Leader Cohort 3 comprised senior leaders from Sellafield Ltd, Direct Rail Services, Ansaldo NES, GSK and Story Contracting. Read more about Cohort 3.

Cohort 4: Our fourth Leader to Leader cohort began at the end of November with an overnight experiential. Read more about Cohort 4.

Cohort 5: Leader to Leader Cohort 5 began in early 2016 with an overnight experiential.
 

 

If you would like more information on the Leader-to-Leader programme, please email info@cforlp.org.uk or phone 01900 824 822 and a team member will be in touch.

 
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OneAIM Offering Funding for Allerdale and Copeland SMEs

OneAIM are offering Allerdale and Copeland SMEs the chance to participate in the next Leader to Leader programme which starts in January 2019. Leaders of SMEs can register interest by emailing luke.richardson@woodplc.com or to find out more contact catherine.eve@cforlp.org.uk.

Owner Managers from local SMEs Responsive Ltd, William King Brickwork Solutions Ltd and social enterprise, Time to Change (West Cumbria) have joined leaders from Direct Rail Services, Story Contracting, Sealy UK, Allerdale Borough Council and James Cropper to participate in Leader to Leader, the 8-month leadership development programme designed and delivered by the Centre for Leadership Performance (CfLP).

The managers, who make up the eighth cohort of leaders to take part in the programme are the first to benefit from a new collaborative approach to the already well-respected programme. The local SMEs taking part in this cohort are being funded by OneAIM, a joint venture between Wood and Interserve.

Luke Richardson, Social Impact Manager for Wood was clear about the benefits of this investment in local businesses. "Our sponsorship provides an opportunity for small local businesses that they wouldn't usually have access to. We want to promote collaboration across local businesses as we believe that there are greater benefits back to the local economy and community. CfLP's Leader to Leader programme provides that opportunity."

CfLP, who are based in Cockermouth, promote leadership across the county, working with young people, employers and the wider community to promote, develop and showcase great leadership. Al Wilson, MD of the centre said "As a not for profit organisation we are ideally placed to bring together organisations for the wider economic and community benefit, as well as the commercial benefits back to the individual businesses of more effective leadership. Previous cohorts have reflected both public and private sector employers and we felt that it was important to widen participation from other Cumbrian leaders, from smaller businesses and the not for profit sector".

The Leader to Leader programme is underpinned by opportunities to learn with and from other local leaders, gaining insights into other local organisations and understanding the benefits of shared and collaborative learning. Delegates participate in Action Learning, shadowing visits and collaborate on a consultancy challenge. The networks established during the programme become invaluable relationships across the local business community, long beyond the end of the programme.

Cohort 8 includes Lee Grears from Responsive Ltd and William King from William King Brickwork Solutions Ltd, their places on the programme have been sponsored by OneAIM, a joint venture between Wood and Interserve as part of their Social Impact Plan. The cohort also includes Rachel Holliday, who established a social enterprise to tackle homelessness and poverty in West Cumbria, she runs Calderwood House, a hostel for the homeless in Egremont. Rachel's place has been sponsored by Wood plc and CfLP.

This diversity of leadership is already proving to be an invaluable learning experience for the cohort, their sponsors and their respective businesses. Lee Grears from Responsive conveyed his support for Leader to Leader, "this is the perfect opportunity for me to develop as a leader and grow my business. Working alongside other leaders from a diverse range of companies is a unique learning experience that is already paying dividends back to my business."

 
NSAN Nuclear Bursary

Are you looking to enter or further develop your career in nuclear?

The Nuclear Bursary provides financial support to individuals for education and training opportunities to help with starting or furthering their professional career in nuclear.

The generous Nuclear Bursary is being offered through the collaboration of NSAN, NDA and ECITB to help address the UK nuclear skills challenges.

These bursaries are for individuals working in, or aspiring to work within NSAN and ECITB member supply chain companies (primarily aimed at Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) companies) working in, or aspiring to work in, the Nuclear sector.

The bursary can be used to support individuals working in the sector, on placements, internships, secondments and on programmes of study or training relevant to the nuclear industry with a particular emphasis on Nuclear Professionalism.

The deadline for applications: March 9, 2018

Visit the NSAN website to find out more...

If you would like more information on the Leader-to-Leader programme, please email info@cforlp.org.uk or phone 01900 824 822 and a team member will be in touch.

 
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Leader to Leader Testimonials

Comments from Leader to Leader delegates speak for themselves:

I had a great experience for 8 months; it was reflective, it was collaborative, it was constructive. It made me action things, and self-assess and I want to give that opportunity to other workers in my organisation.
Tony Hewitson, Direct Rail Services

By day two we all realised we were in for a really special journey.
Beverley Stothart, Head of Commercial & Business Development, Direct Rail Services

It's made me a better leader, better manager, better coach. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ian Grant, Iggesund

I found the work shadowing experience hugely beneficial and have identified elements from that I have been able to take back to my own organisation. I also benefited from acting as a host; someone work shadowed me and provided feedback which prompted me to question some of my own activities and whether they delivered value.
Tony Hewitson, Direct Rail Services

It has, without doubt, changed the way that I manage people.
Sandy Rainford, GlaxoSmithKline

Give it a go, it's really good for your self development, really good for team work and the impact for your groups and your teams back at the office.
Catherine Nicholson, Head of Finance, Allerdale Borough Council

Hearing the experiences of other leaders in the group has helped me to learn and equipped me with the knowhow to deal with those experiences in the future.
Alec Christie, Ansaldo NES

I have gained a lot more confidence in my abilities as a leader and a manager.
Karen Armstrong, Sealy Ltd

The great thing about this course is that it does give you the opportunity over a long period of time to grow and develop along with the other people on the course. One of the surprising elements was through the shadowing exercise providing a really interesting insight. It made me think of some of the things that weren't quite so apparent to me when I'm going about my day-to-day work.
Charles Holmes, Head of Community Services, Allerdale Borough Council

I definitely recommend this course for anyone who has people working for them. I think it can be a really effective tool by which to engage teams and those around you.
Liz Spedding, Sellafield Limited

 

If you would like more information on the Leader-to-Leader programme, please email info@cforlp.org.uk or phone 01900 824 822 and a team member will be in touch.

 
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FAQs

What makes this programme so successful?

L2L offers a unique combination of elements which create a powerful, intensive and highly beneficial learning environment. These elements include:

• An experiential approach — participants learn from the shared experience of the programme and the life and work experiences of the other delegates (definitely not 'talk & chalk')
• Delegates working closely with each other in a supportive environment, offering feedback on style and sharing reflections and thinking
• A programme which is designed to respond to the participants' learning needs. There are fixed elements of the programme, but it evolves and changes as learning and issues emerge. The participants and the facilitators co-create a unique learning environment for that group, therefore making the activity more relevant to the participants and ensuring ownership of the outcomes. This modular approach allows those taking part to apply the learning as they go along, and feed issues or challenges to the learning back into the programme
   

What are the benefits of participating in L2L?

Each delegate brings their own learning aims to be focused on during the programme, and shares their own skills and experience for the benefit of their fellow delegates.

Feedback on the value of the L2L process includes:

• Exposure to cutting-edge learning and practice in leadership and management
• Leaders developing individual competence in a unique and practical way
• Opportunity to apply new thinking, from different perspectives, to relevant organisational and business issues
• Access to a strong and collaborative network of L2L alumni
• Learning through the engagement of participants from diverse businesses and organisations to work on strategic business issues
• Opportunity to address key business issues, and learn about and practice new approaches to leadership and organisational development
• A confidential and collaborative learning environment offering a unique opportunity to network with participants from diverse sectors and learn from their experiences and perspectives
• Peer feedback on each delegate's individual style
   

What has been the impact of L2L for participants?

• Increased confidence in leadership approach
• Ability to delegate more
• Increased reflection and evaluation skills
• Increased awareness of self and impact of style on others
• Appreciation of other leaders and the different challenges they face
• Learning new tools and techniques to use in the workplace
• Developing a clear understanding of what makes an effective leader
• Greater respect from their individual teams
• Enhanced ability to lead and influence change
• Improved ability to influence stakeholders
• Widening professional network opportunities
• Understanding how to empower their team and make them more self-driven
• The time and space to 'breathe and be themselves'
• A realisation of the importance of trust, and recognising different types of trust
• Learning to listen
• Learning the difference between leadership and management
   

Who is the programme aimed at?

The L2L programme is designed for senior managers, heads of division/service/unit and high-potential middle managers with 8-10 years' experience. However the management level per se is not as important as our commitment to ensuring that any particular cohort has the right combination of delegates who possess leadership potential — so please discuss your requirements with us.
 

Do delegates require previous formal Leadership & Management training?

No — delegates on previous cohorts have come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from having no previous formal training to highly trained and qualified individuals. The experiential nature of the programme ensures that it is suitable for a broad range of participants, even within the same cohort.
 

What are the elements of the programme?

Workshops

The programme includes one 2-day workshop (including an overnight stay) and 5 x 1-day workshops. During these workshops relevant leadership insights, models and thinking are shared with the group and the experience is facilitated by talented and credible leadership and business experts.

Consultancy Challenge

Delegates work together on a specific strategic issue that they choose. Workshop sessions will share tools, models and new knowledge to help participants work on the issues as well as providing time for discussion and action. Delegates will then complete the Consultancy Challenge in their own time and will report back the impact of this challenge at the end of the programme.
 

 

Shadowing

Each delegate will be partnered with another from a different organisation. They will 'shadow' each other, observing their partner in their role in the workplace and provide feedback. Delegates will be introduced to the concept of shadowing and will be paired up during workshop one.

Action Learning

Action Learning is a powerful question and answer-based forum which offers participants continued personal development, the opportunity to work on individual issues and helps to embed learning within their organisation.
 

Who is 'The Sponsor' and what is their role?

The sponsor is usually either the person within the delegate's organisation who has commissioned the place on the programme for the delegate, or the delegate's line manager.

The role of the sponsor varies depending on the amount they want to be involved in the programme and the delegate's development. A minimum requirement is:

• Attending a pre-programme set-up meeting to discuss the programme, understand each other's expectations and discuss shadowing preferences
• Attending a meeting to discuss and agree on the Consultancy Challenge issue
• Attending an event at the end of the programme where delegates will report back to sponsors and other representatives from their organisation on the Consultancy Challenge and other learning outcomes from the programme
• Taking an on-going interest in their delegate's attendance on the programme
   

What is the lead-in time?

To enable the selection of the most suitable combination of delegates for a cohort it is preferable that CfLP is aware of your interest at least 2 months before a cohort starts. We will induct delegates (via an email info pack followed by a 1 hour one-to-one meeting) 2-4 weeks before the start of the programme. The sponsor pre-programme set-up meeting is usually also 2-4 weeks before the start of the programme.
 

How are the shadowing pairings done?

Shadowing pairings are made with consideration of the following factors:

• The delegate's individual learning aims
• The preferences of the sponsor
• Any geographical, security or conflict-of-interest issues
• CfLP's knowledge and experience of which pairings work best
   

What is the time commitment required of the delegate?

The success of the L2L programme hinges, to a great extent, on the enthusiasm and commitment of the delegates. It is therefore important that delegates agree to be fully committed to all elements of the programme. All delegates are expected to attend all workshops and to keep their commitments with their shadowing partners.

Compulsory workshop programme elements

The programme runs over an eight month period. There are six workshops and a final event which makes a total of eight full days including one overnight stay. All elements are delivered locally in West Cumbria.

Compulsory extra-curricular elements

Whilst most of the programme work takes place within the above workshops, delegates are expected to dedicate some of their own time to extra-curricular activities to fully benefit from the programme. The amount they commit varies but, inevitably, the more they are able to put in, the more they will get out.

One-to-ones: All delegates will undertake a 1-hour one-to-one with the Programme Leader before the programme starts and again half-way through the programme. This can be done by phone or Skype if necessary.

Shadowing: All delegates are expected to undertake shadowing with at least one other delegate (one day during the first half of the programme). Preparation for, and reflection of, this element will be carried out within the workshop programme.

Consultancy Challenge: All delegates are expected to participate in the Consultancy Challenge. Some of the development work is carried out within the programme but the bulk of the work will be carried out in the delegates' own time during the second half of the programme. Exactly what role each delegate plays, and consequently how much time is required, will vary from project to project and from delegate to delegate but a minimum would be around 3 working days (2-3 hours a week during the second half of the programme). Like much of the Leader to Leader programme, the Consultancy Challenge is open-ended and participants should expect to take responsibility for the amount they put in. In this way it mirrors much of a leader's choices, priorities and personal time management skills.

 
Optional extra-curricular elements

Additional reflection & evaluation: Whilst there is plenty of opportunity for reflection and evaluation within the programme of workshops, delegates may wish to put more time to this outside of the programme.

Additional Consultancy Challenge work: There will always be opportunity for delegates to spend more time on the Consultancy Challenge should they be willing and able to do so.

Additional Shadowing: Many delegates are keen to learn as much as they can from their peers and may choose to do additional shadowing days with other delegates.

Continuation of Action Learning: Some delegates find the Action Learning that is carried out within the workshops so beneficial that they choose to continue running their own sessions after the programme ends.

 
Summary

Over the eight month programme the minimum time commitment is 12.5 days (including one overnight stay). The average time commitment is around 15 days. This is pretty much evenly spread over the programme.

If you would like more information on the Leader-to-Leader programme, please email info@cforlp.org.uk or phone 01900 824 822 and a team member will be in touch.

 
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