Developing great leaders with confidence and competence
Good leadership development isn’t just about giving people knowledge. It’s about helping people develop the confidence and competence to actually use it.
Leadership development built around your business
Managers need to feel that they can apply what they’ve learned in real situations and have the confidence to do so. At Rise 25, Nicola works with organisations to develop managers and leaders at different stages of their careers. This could be supporting someone moving into management for the first time, developing an existing leadership team or preparing emerging leaders for greater responsibility.
With more than 25 years’ experience in HR and People Development, Nicola understands the challenges organisations face when developing their people.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Every organisation is different. You may have technically brilliant people who need to develop their confidence as people leaders.
Your senior leaders may want to delegate more responsibility but aren’t yet confident that the next layer has the skills or confidence to take it on.
Perhaps you’re growing, developing your talent pipeline or preparing people for their next leadership role. Or your existing managers may need support with some of the challenges they’re facing right now.
Nicola starts by understanding what you want to achieve and then works with you to shape the right approach.
Some organisations have clear business objectives and want to be closely involved in designing the programme. Others know they have a leadership development need and are happy to draw on Nicola’s experience to recommend the most appropriate approach.
Both are fine. The development is shaped around your organisation, your people and your objectives.
From learning to doing
I don’t believe leadership development should be about attending a session, collecting a folder and then going back to work and carrying on exactly as before. The sessions are practical and grounded in real workplace experience. People have the opportunity to bring real situations into the room, talk openly about what’s happening and work through different approaches.
We don’t just cover the theory but also the important questions such as; What conversation are you avoiding? Where are you struggling to delegate? How confident are you really feeling as a leader? What could you do differently?
The aim is for people to leave not just knowing more, but feeling that they can and want to apply what they’ve learned.
A safe space for honest conversations
Leadership development works best when people can be honest.
Nicola creates a psychologically safe environment where people can talk about situations they’re finding difficult, ask questions and explore what might be getting in the way.
That might mean talking through a difficult conversation, looking at why delegation isn’t working or exploring how to manage a relationship that has become challenging.
People don’t need to arrive with all the answers.
That’s part of what the development is for.
What can we work on?
Leading yourself
Understanding yourself as a leader, building confidence, recognising your strengths and understanding the impact you have on others. Making the mental shift into leadership, where you should be spending your time and how you can have the most impact.
Leading your team
Developing the people skills needed to lead effectively, including communication, feedback, coaching, motivation, delegation and courageous conversations.
Leading within the wider business
Leadership goes beyond your immediate team. How to influence beyond your immediate team, negotiate with other senior stakeholders, work collaboratively as a leadership team, leading through change, making strategic decisions.
What might we explore?
Every programme is built bespoke and delivered at a pace to suit your business. Typical workshops include areas such as:
- Understanding yourself as a leader
- Building leadership confidence
- Courageous conversations
- Providing effective feedback
- Coaching skills for managers
- Delegation
- Motivation
- Leading change
- Developing performance
- Communication and influence
- Stakeholder mapping & management
The content is tailored around what your organisation and your leaders actually need and delivered in a flexible way.
Developing your future leaders
One of the challenges many organisations face is identifying and preparing their future leaders so they are ready to step up when the opportunity presents itself.
Senior leaders can’t do everything themselves. But delegation only works when the people taking on that responsibility have the confidence and capability to do it.
Leadership development can help managers move from being technically strong individuals to becoming confident people leaders who can make decisions, take ownership and develop others. It can also give senior leaders greater confidence to step back and focus on the wider business.
'I have applied the learning and feel more confident as a leader'
Questions About Leadership Development
What is leadership development?
Leadership development helps people develop the confidence, competence and people skills they need to lead effectively. It can support emerging leaders, managers, existing leadership teams and senior leaders.
Is leadership development tailored to our organisation?
Yes. Nicola doesn’t offer a fixed, one-size-fits-all programme. The content, format and approach can be shaped around your organisation’s objectives and the needs of your people.
Can you work with an existing leadership team?
Yes. Leadership development can be designed for existing management and leadership teams as well as emerging leaders and people preparing for their first management role.
Can leadership development include coaching?
Yes. Coaching and mentoring can be incorporated into a wider development programme or provided as follow-up support.
How practical are the sessions?
The sessions use real workplace situations and experiences. Participants have the opportunity to discuss challenges openly, explore different approaches and consider how they will apply the learning in their own role.
How do you measure the impact of leadership development?
Success measures are considered at the beginning of the programme. Depending on the objectives, this might include questionnaires, 360 feedback, assessments, presentations, participant feedback or engagement with senior stakeholders.
Can leadership development be delivered virtually?
Yes. Programmes and workshops can be delivered face-to-face, virtually or through a blended approach, depending on what works best for the organisation.
Where do you provide leadership development?
Rise 25 works with organisations in Rotherham, Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and across South Yorkshire, with remote delivery available for organisations further afield.
Let's talk about your leadership development needs
Whether you’re developing new managers, strengthening an existing leadership team or preparing your next generation of leaders, Nicola can work with you to understand what you need and create an approach that fits.
Get in touch to start the conversation.