Leadership Skills Development Programme

Olga Dzene

The programme is tailored and adjusted according to the company's specific needs!

Prior to the commencement of the programme, we recommend that an evaluation of managers be undertaken using the 360-degree method, to receive individual feedback about strengths and the areas to be developed.

Aims of the programme:

• To acquire knowledge and understanding about the role and responsibility of the manager, work challenges, and about more effective management instruments;
• Develop and consolidate the competencies required for ensuring the operational activities of the manager;
• To improve the skill of effectively communicating and leading a team consistent with the company’s goals;
• Improving personal effectiveness in the context of planning time and the management of emotions;
• Consolidating the belief in ones’ abilities and helping one to be aware of one’s strengths.

Duration: 6 - 11 sessions (length of each session is 3 hours), depending on the customer's needs and situation.

Working method: The programme has been created as an aggregate of practical and theoretical knowledge. It is made up of interactive mini-lectures, analytical discussions, illustrative tasks, role play and practical exercises. An interval of about 1.5 - 2 weeks is recommended between sessions. 

At the conclusion of each training session, participants receive homework, giving participants the opportunity and time to adapt the acquired knowledge in their everyday work life and evaluate changes. Each subsequent training session begins with feedback about the homework – what succeeded and what did not, an exchange of experience with colleagues, feedback and recommendations from the presenter.

Target audience: Managers at all levels, specialists who need to develop and consolidate leadership and team management competencies.

Programme topics

1. The role, responsibility and challenges of a manager
2. Communication and interaction in the everyday work of the manager
3. Planning work, delegation and control
4. Feedback in work performance
5. Conflict resolution
6. Emotions in a manager's work
7. Employee motivation
8. Personal effectiveness: time and stress in the understanding of everyday work
9. Change management
10. Employee selection and developing working relationships
11. Team spirit and communication within the team

Teaching programme (detailed):

Session 1: THE ROLE, RESPONSIBILITY AND CHALLENGES OF THE MANAGER

• People management earlier and nowadays: how has understanding of employee management changed over time?
• The role of the manager in the structural unit and company: What does the company expect from the manager? What do employees expect?
•  Management styles. The image of the manager and its importance in the eyes of the employees;
• The manager–specialist: the main differences in thinking and skills;
• The mutual perceptions, expectations and concerns of the manager and the subordinate;
• The manager as an example for his/her employees;
• Important skills and competencies for the manager.

Session 2: COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION IN THE MANAGER’S EVERYDAY WORK

• The importance of the manager’s communication in work with subordinates;
• The manager’s responsibility for communication with employees;
• The manager as a positive example in communication culture;
• The importance of regular communication;
• Rational and emotional communication;
• Verbal and non-verbal communication instruments;
• The choice of words in effective communication;
• Typical errors in a manager’s communication.

Session 3: PLANNING WORK, DELEGATION AND CONTROL

• The role of the manager in managing the work process: planning, delegation and control;
• The importance of planning for people’s productivity and work results;
• Being focussed – formulating working tasks for oneself and one’s subordinates;
• Evaluating priorities. Priority matrix;
• The simplest way of planning and its effect on a person’s productivity;
• The main activity effectiveness principles. The 20/80 rule. When should unpleasant tasks be undertaken? How far ahead should we plan? How many hours in a workday should be spent on planning?
• The main time thieves;
• Long-term and short-term planning;
• Evaluating priorities. The priority matrix;
• Delegation and authorization – how to utilize the abilities of employees to the maximum degree;
• Monitoring and control of work performance;
• Evaluating work performance – have the planned results been achieved?

Session 4: FEEDBACK IN WORK PERFORMANCE

• The essence and importance of feedback in achieving results, developing relationships and employee development;
• Feedback as an everyday instrument for the manager.
• The golden rules of providing and receiving feedback;
• Feedback proportion – praise and criticism.
• Praise as a motivator;
• Providing criticism;
• How to provide negative feedback so that it motivates the employee to work even better, rather than demotivating and angering them;
• Receiving feedback from employees.

Session 5: CONFLICT RESOLUTION

• Sources of conflict and their typology, conflict resolution, constructive and destructive conflict;
• How should emotions be dealt with in conflict situations?
• Partners that are difficult to deal with – who are they and what can be done with them?
• Emotional intelligence in averting and resolving conflict;
• Instruments for successful conflict resolution;
• Understanding needs and strategy and choosing action;
• Personal resources and challenges in conflict resolution;
• How to work with an aggressive person. Methods and approaches.

Session 6: EMOTIONS IN A MANAGER’S WORK

• The importance of emotions in everyday life and in professional life;
• Basic emotions and their importance in a person's everyday life. Diversity of emotions;
• The impact of emotions on productivity, decision-making and relationships;
• Emotional intelligence – understanding your own emotions and those of others;
• Objective self-evaluation and emotional stability;
• 3 strategies for emotionally tense situations;
• How to overcome fear, anger and grief – practical suggestions and techniques;
• 5 situations where you should not control your emotions;
• How to consciously increase positive emotions.

Session 7: EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

• The point of and essence of motivation, the importance of motivation in the manager’s everyday life;
• Traditional and contemporary motivational theories;
• Motivation and motivating others: what motivates employees to work
• The foundation and development of employee needs;
• The non-material aspects of employee motivation;
• Employee motivation. How to understand it?
• Employees’ basic and developing needs;
• Material and non-material motivation;
• Tools/measures available to the manager to facilitate employee motivation;
• Money as a motivator. Reality and myths;
• The influence of generational differences on motivation.

Session 8: PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS. MANAGING STRESS.

• Evaluating priorities in life. Balance in life;
• Observing priorities in life in the planning process;
• Individual analysis and conclusions about balancing time between important areas of life;
• Creating a plan of activities to consolidate balance in life;
• Stress at work;
• People’s behaviour in stress situations;
• Overcoming stress and prevention methods;
• Emotions at work – what do I feel and how I would like to feel;
• Methods for increasing positive emotions at work and in life.

Session 9: CHANGE MANAGEMENT - new theories

• Why are changes so challenging? What do changes require of us as managers;
• The role and responsibility of the manager in managing and introducing change;
• Tools and behaviour for the manager that support the effective introduction of change;
• How to help employees understand and accept change;
• How to deal with resistance and a lack of understanding from employees?
• A manager's communication during the introduction of change.

Session10: EMPLOYEE SELECTION AND DEVELOPING WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Selection process. Best practice in organizing selection. Onsite and online differences;
• The role and responsibility of the manager in the selection process and decision making;
• Types of selection interview – introductory interview, biographical interview, competencies interview;
• Practicing for the selection interview. Open questions, interview structure, good quality questions about a potential employee’s competencies;
• Orientation of new employees into the working process and the manager's responsibility in this:

- introduction
- planning work and setting goals
- developing communication
- work within the team

• How to successfully orient new colleagues working remotely? Essential difficulties.

Session 11: TEAM SPIRIT AND COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE TEAM

• The team as an aggregate of diverse personalities;
• The importance of trust in team collaboration;
• Team collaboration models and the division of roles;
• The importance and responsibility of a manager's communication in working with subordinates;
• The manager as a positive example in facilitating a culture of communication and collaboration;
• The importance of regular communication;
• Structure of effective 1 : 1 meetings with employees;
• Various aspects of communication and instruments – rational and emotional, verbal and non-verbal. Effect on the quality of interpersonal communication;
• The choice of words for effective communication and in developing team spirit;
• The most typical mistakes in a manager's communication.