Leading Effectively
Leadership Skills Training for Managers
Building the skills and confidence to lead people, performance and change
A flexible leadership skills training programme
In-person workshops | Live virtual sessions | Online learning content
Trusted by leaders at:
Why leadership matters at every level
Managers and leaders are at the heart of how organisations function. They shape culture, influence performance and determine how people experience work.
Many professionals step into leadership roles because of their technical expertise. Yet leading people requires a different set of capabilities.
Managers are expected to lead teams, manage performance, resolve conflict and guide people through change, often while delivering their own work under pressure.
This leadership skills training programme helps managers develop the practical skills needed to lead people effectively, strengthen team performance and respond with confidence in complex situations.
Who is this programme is for?
This leadership development programme is ideal for:
Operational managers, line managers and team leaders
Emerging leaders stepping into formal management roles
Experienced managers looking to refresh or extend their skills
Organisations seeking to strengthen leadership across their organisation
What participants gain
Participants develop practical leadership skills they can apply immediately.
• Practical tools to lead with focus and adaptability
• Confidence to navigate difficult conversations and team challenges
• A stronger ability to engage, develop and motivate others
• Greater impact and influence across the organisation
• Better balance of task, people and team needs
• Strategies for leading change, building culture and managing performance
• Peer learning that supports reflection, challenge and fresh ideas
What our clients say…
"This programme has been hugely successful, really impactful and is making a real difference in our business.
We can already see positive behaviour change, a better culture and improved results."
- Ria Rogers, Head of People, Hemsley Fraser
"We’ve been working with Kate Jennings for many years, and her approach to leadership development and executive and team coaching is very effective… She brings a level of experience that helps move us forward, and I would recommend her to others."
- Alison Dickinson, Group Clinic Director, Spire Healthcare
"Managers and colleagues have commented that the skills and knowledge gained from your programmes have enabled them to get the best out of people, improved their leadership skills and transformed their understanding of emotional intelligence and relationships with others."
- Maggie Brown, Head of HR, Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (formerly part of Cambridge University)
Leading Effectively - Leadership Skills Training Programme
The central challenge for every manager and leader is to leverage the abilities and enthusiasm of their team members toward the organisation's goals. Effective leadership is key at all levels and plays a crucial role in ensuring the organisation’s success.
This programme covers the essential tools, behaviours and approaches of successful leaders and managers. Below is a ‘pick & mix’ range of topics available that can be completely tailored to suit the needs of your organisation and the experience of your leaders / managers. They can be delivered virtually, face to face or in a hybrid format.
There’s also the option to add coaching calls at the start and / or end of the programme and psychometric assessments such as Clifton Strengths and 360-assessment in Emotional Intelligence.
Modules
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Explore the core skills, behaviours and mindset needed to lead teams with clarity, impact and a people-focussed approach.
Challenges & responsibilities of today’s leader / manager
Building culture, values and behaviours
Being an emotionally intelligent leader
Using action-centred leadership to manage the task, build the team and support the individual
Maintaining communication, collaboration, information parity and relationships across on-site, hybrid and remote teams
Building competence and confidence across your team
Developing a flexible leadership style
Delegating to develop, not dumping through despair
Action planning
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Discover practical approaches to building a motivated, engaged team that delivers strong results.
Understanding the benefits of employee engagement on performance and retention
Using twelve practical ways to increase engagement in your team
Ensuring trust, inclusion and a sense of belonging across the team
Using short-term goals to motivate your team, increase ownership and monitor productivity
Holding effective 1:1s that are ‘check-ins’ rather than ‘checking-up’
Providing effective and performance-boosting feedback
Action planning
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Build the confidence and skills to manage difficult conversations and manage performance with clarity, care and effectiveness
Setting clear expectations and providing evidence-based feedback
Managing tricky attitudes and behaviours with a team and colleagues
Building confidence to address performance issues
Following your organisation’s performance management process
Using the amygdala hijack and neuroscience to understand why it is harder to think clearly under pressure
Tips to manage your communication under pressure
Preparing for your own performance management conversation
Action planning
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Strengthen your team’s wellbeing and flexibility with practical strategies for navigating challenge and change.
Understanding wellbeing challenges
Appreciating the business benefit of building wellbeing across your team
Spotting warning signs of poor wellbeing / mental health in individual team members
Feeling confident raising concerns with an employee about their wellbeing or mental health
Building adaptability and agility across the team
Managing thought patterns, perception and beliefs positively
Building your team’s sense of perspective and pragmatism
Increasing wellbeing across your team
Action planning
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Learn practical techniques to influence effectively, communicate with confidence, and connect with different colleagues and stakeholders.
Using WIIFM to better impact your colleagues and stakeholders
Understanding what motivates different people
Using voice and body language techniques to increase your impact and authority
Understanding your preferred influencing style
Connecting better with stakeholders by flexing your influencing style
Maximising the value of pre-meeting meetings and networking
Action planning
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Learn practical approaches to managing change and bringing your team with you through uncertainty and transition.
Exploring the drivers of organisational and team change
Noticing typical reactions to uncertainty and disruption
Understanding the fight, flight and freeze response in periods of change
Using the change curve to recognise how people move through change
Building a growth mindset when facing new challenges
Directing attention towards what you can influence and control
Working together as a team to navigate change effectively
Encouraging psychological safety and trust within the team
Action planning
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Strengthen your ability to plan strategically, set longer-term goals, and lead your team with purpose and direction.
Understanding what strategy is and why it matters
Using the strategic management process during practical activities
Using PESTLE and SWOT to identify areas where change may be required
Working ‘on the business’ not just ‘in the business’
Setting strategic goals, tactics and objectives to achieve your strategy
Involving your team in setting strategy
Action planning
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Develop practical strategies to improve decision quality, navigate group dynamics, and make disagreement a strength.
What makes some decision-making hard — even when you're good at it?
Recognising the impact of group dynamics and the HIPPO-effect on idea generation and decisions
Exploring common traps: overconfidence, different types of bias, sunk cost fallacy
Introducing system one and system two thinking
Understanding psychological safety and its link to effective decisions
Recognising your own decision-making styles and when it helps / hinders decision making
Introducing a 4-stage model to solve problems and make decisions with others
Developing constructive ways to disagree as part of effective decision-making and problem solving
Action-planning
Organisations that want to go deeper can also integrate strengths based leadership development using CliftonStrengths alongside this programme.
Our focus is on Real-World Leadership and Management
Our approach is practical, grounded, and built for the real world of work. We focus on giving managers tools and techniques they can use straight away — to lead more effectively, strengthen their teams, and handle day-to-day challenges with confidence.
Learning is brought to life through highly interactive sessions, relatable scenarios, and examples drawn from participants’ own contexts. Each session combines clear input with discussion, peer learning, and hands-on tools that are immediately applicable in the role.
Our online learning hub complements the workshops with TED Talks, videos, book suggestions, and optional deeper dives into key topics — supporting ongoing learning in a flexible, accessible way.
Flexible programme delivery, designed for real-world demands
Today’s leaders and managers are balancing high workloads and shifting priorities.
That’s why Leading Effectively is built to flex around your organisation’s needs, ensuring both quality and impact.
In-person workshops
Bring people together for high-impact, practical learning in a collaborative setting. Ideal for focused discussion, shared insight, and stronger connections across teams.
Live virtual sessions
Engaging, facilitator-led sessions delivered online. Interactive, focused, and designed to encourage full participation from any location.
Online learning hub
Support learning between sessions or beyond the core programme with access to digital resources and optional modules to deepen key topics.
Leadership diagnostics
Use tools including 360 feedback or strengths-based psychometrics to provide increase self-awareness and spark focused development conversations.
1:1 leadership coaching
Personalised coaching to embed learning, build confidence and support individual development. Delivered virtually for maximum flexibility.
Email Support
Ongoing email support from your trainer for 12 months after completing the programme for those who’d like it.
Click to view sample programme
Frequently Asked Questions
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Managers benefit from developing core leadership skills such as communication, giving feedback, managing performance and building trust within their teams. These capabilities form the foundation for effective leadership in organisations.
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Leadership skills training helps managers develop the practical capabilities needed to lead people, manage teams and influence performance. Programmes typically focus on communication, decision making, team engagement and managing change.
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Leadership skills training programmes can range from short workshops to multi-session development programmes delivered over several months. The format is usually tailored to the organisation’s needs and leadership level.
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Leadership development programmes are particularly valuable for new managers, experienced leaders developing their capabilities and organisations seeking to strengthen leadership across teams. The programme is tailored to the needs and level of your managers / leaders.
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Yes. Many organisations choose to deliver leadership skills training internally so that the content reflects their culture, challenges and strategic priorities.
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Leadership training programmes typically cover areas such as communication, influencing, managing performance, difficult conversations, employee engagement, strategic thinking and leading change.
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Many leadership development programmes include coaching alongside workshops. Coaching helps leaders reflect on their learning and apply new skills within their own teams and organisational context.