
Developing flexible and resilient leaders
Leadership and in particular the development of leaders in uncertain times has never been more important to the higher education sector.
The Strategic Leadership Programme aims to build flexible and resilient leaders, capable of delivering large-scale change, by providing opportunities to share insights, work with a support network of peers and reflect on leadership styles and frameworks for life beyond the programme.
Now delivered online with six sessions over the course of two months, the programme develops the practical tools and insight required to successfully lead within a senior team, working collaboratively across and outside the organisation. It will prepare you for the necessary step-change in thinking required when aiming for the Senior Management Team in the near future.
Strategic Leadership Programme
If you would like to register your interest in future cohorts or find out more about the programme, please click the below button.
I found the Strategic Leadership Programme invaluable. It has provided me with actionable learning which has translated into a clear difference back on the ground at my institution. The network the programme creates is a powerful learning tool and sectoral support framework which has life beyond the programme itself. The value of this ongoing support is not to be underestimated."Dr Sam Grogan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience), University of Salford
Who is Strategic Leadership Programme for?
The programme is designed for academic or professional services senior leaders, recently appointed with a cross-organisational remit or portfolio as a Dean or Head of School, those new to a Pro Vice-Chancellor role, Directors of Research Institutes or strategic level initiatives. You could have led significant academic or leadership activity within your institution and now be looking to take the next step to a position on the senior leadership team within the next few years.
How is the programme delivered
The Strategic Leadership Programme will be delivered as six online sessions over the course of two months on the following dates:
Monday 5, Tuesday 6 and Thursday 8 October 2020
Monday 16, Tuesday 17 and Thursday 19 November 2020
The key features of the programme include:
• Practical and experiential learning through case studies
• Networking opportunities and peer learning
• Expert speakers from the sector
• An action learning set for attendees to reflect on their personal leadership challenges
• Access to our tailored HE 360-degree transformational leadership assessment tool
What’s new?
Developing the programme as an online offer has also enabled us to incorporate a number of new and additional features that take advantage of the accessibility of the online environment including:
- an international speaker to share learning from their HE environment
- an additional coaching session to embed the programme learning
- an opportunity to work with professional actors in order to focus on significant and real-life conversations; practice skills in a safe and supportive environment; get specific feedback and challenge while constructing strategies with an experienced expert and widen capabilities in influencing skills. We will also learn from observing how others engage with the process and the actors will share their own advice and experience in small groups both within and from outside our sector.
- structured online self-guided work to deepen and extend programme themes
- an online platform to access resources, continue discussions, and share learning beyond the life of the programme
What are the programme outcomes
The Strategic Leadership Programme gives participants the practical tools, techniques and insight to be a strategic and resilient leader who is able to work effectively in a complex environment within a senior team, working collaboratively across and outside of their organisation. The programme aims to develop more capable leaders with a broadened perspective and a greater understanding of strategic thinking and decision-making, as well as personal insight around their leadership style. Institutions will benefit from leaders better equipped to lead across the organisation, with sharpened strategic insight and better prepared for future executive level team roles.
The primary aims of the programme are to:
- build confidence in the power of leadership to change organisations
- to disrupt complacency about the current operating model of Higher Education with a series of strategic “what if?” questions in order to create new models
- to challenge concepts of heroic individualised leaders in favour of distributed systems leadership
- to explore and develop approaches for leading in a complex environment
At the end of the programme, we expect that you will:
- better understand the environment in which your leadership is being enacted
- have tested tools and approaches for influencing the culture of your organisation and the behaviour of others within it
- have strengthened your confidence to lead well in situations of uncertainty, complexity and disruption
- have built a new network of fellow sector leaders who share a common language and understanding of the environment in which you are all working and who are able to provide generous mutual support
Related

Enquire about Strategic Leadership Programme
Read our Delegate Terms & Conditions for Programmes and Events here.