Leaders and managers are powerful people who are able to exercise considerable influence over the way in which an organisation operates and its employees. Ethical leadership involves the way that managers and leaders carry out their decision-making in terms of moral issues and choices. It is concerned with right versus wrong, good versus bad and the many shades of grey in between. Moral implications spring from virtually every decision, both on and off the job, requiring the ethical leader to have more imagination and the courage to do the right thing, from an ethical standpoint. This course examines the role of the ethical leader and the influence that he or she can exert in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and improving an organisation’s ethical climate.
People at work spend a substantial amount of time in meetings: a typical manager can spend half of their work time in meetings of one sort or another. This course looks at the ability to plan and control your meetings and make effective use of your time. Well-run meetings rely upon proper planning, preparation, selection of participants, adherence to issues and time schedules. Meetings also play an important part in the maintenance of good teamwork, supporting working relationships and focusing the team on superior work performance.
Much of what you achieve will depend on your ability to persuade other people. In many respects, persuasion is the highest form of communication. This course looks at the ability of persuasion and negotiation in producing successful outcomes and the skill required in moving towards a convergence of opinion and understanding. Like much of leadership, negotiation depends on your attitudes in approach, as well as your ability to devote time to planning.
Leaders and managers are unlikely to be effective if they do not understand the theories and practices of motivation. What you believe about people materially affects the way your team reacts to you and your leadership. This course focuses on the inherent needs of people and how to improve productivity and motivate a workforce. The level of motivation displayed by a team is a reflection of the skills of the leader.
Innovation is a special and highly regarded ability in people at work. The organisations that are the most successful at innovation will gain leadership in their market. This course focuses on the role of the corporate innovator in larger scale project development and highlights the importance of building innovative teams in order to maintain a competitive edge
Much of management is about finding creative solutions to problems and identifying the appropriate course of action. Creativity and originality explores the power of the mind in bringing things into being from original thought or basic concepts. This course sets out to demonstrate how the power of imagination can build on original thoughts to create solutions and plans, which contribute to workplace performance.
This course looks at the step-by-step process of decision making from problem definition to implementation. It highlights the importance of qualitative information in decision judgement and the impact of unstructured decisions. It emphasises that judgement takes a higher priority when the impact of the decision is greater, more complex or the potential risk is higher.
Each team has a unique 'team personality' made up from the individuals that form it. It is this aspect that determines how effectively the team works together, the quality of their performance and what they are capable of achieving. This course looks at how teams work together to achieve common results, referred to as team objectives. Effective teams have a common 'team spirit' which directly impacts on their results.
Project Management is simply a combination of steps and techniques for keeping the budget and schedule in line; failures lie in a lack of process and system. This course follows the five stages of the project cycle, which provides a clear process and system for project tracking. A successful project manager demonstrates particular team building skills and develops a thorough knowledge of the team’s strengths and the project’s needs.
Objective setting is the foundation of all good management. Without objectives, you will never be able to focus on achievement, nor manage the various aspects of your work and working relationships. This course covers your ability to think through and define the results you and your team wish to achieve in the future, taking you through an eight-step process, which is constantly subject to change and review.