Everyone has had that boss. The one who shouts rather than helps, gives orders before understanding. The one who made everything more painful by not listening. The boss who got in the way. 

The days of command and control leadership are gone, but what has it been replaced with? The boss who only listens enough to give advice? The inspiring speech with no practical changes? The boss who wants to be your friend?

Don’t be any of those bosses. Be a truly modern leader. One that empowers their team, knowing that their role changes from moment to moment. The boss who guides rather than dominates, but still knows how to make a decision. A leader focused on the situation rather than their ego. An improvised leader. 

In this challenging and ambitious programme, you will examine what it means to be a leader, what skills you already have and what you lack. Crucially, you will ask yourself what mistakes you make and what you need to change right now.

Using interactive techniques to embed learnings fast, the Improvised Leader is a programme both for those new to leadership and looking to expand their toolbox and for those looking to shake up their old habits.

Book this programme if:

  • You are stuck in an outdated model of leadership
  • Your hierarchies stifle discussion
  • You want to connect better with the people who report to you

 

Programme content

(Pre-work) Leadership, Status and Power Questionnaire
Our attitude to power and status often has deep psychological roots. In the pre-course questionnaire, we ask participants to reflect on these roots and how they express themselves. Often we know more than we care to admit and can make significant change just by bringing this knowledge to awareness.
(Presentation) What is your job really?
To start the workshop, we share some of the thinking about leadership, from the business world, sports, and the arts. Through case studies and simple principles, we encourage participants to reflect on what their role requires from them and what they can instantly adjust to better serve their teams.
(Workshop 1) Resilience through flexibility: How to let go of control
The easiest way to lead is to tell people what to do. But as anyone who has ever managed people will tell you, humans are complex and unpredictable. To begin the live part of the programme, participants will look at how they respond to failure and lack of control, seeing how opportunities to lead are not always obvious and how the best structures sometimes arise organically.
(Workshop 2) Status and Interpersonal Power
Some leaders have ‘it’ and some don’t. The ability to command respect, charisma, and presence. But that’s not the end of the story. ‘It’ can be taught. Using simple, applicable techniques, candidates will learn how interpersonal power is created and expressed and how to use it to connect in large groups and one-to-one.
(Workshop 3) The quietest voice in the room
Often leadership isn’t about having the best idea. It’s about noticing what someone else is doing and drawing attention to it. In this section of the workshop, your participants will look at listening and emotional intelligence to draw out the best in everyone they work with, not just the loudest.
Next step recommendations and support materials
This workshop is an invitation to change how you lead and we do not expect all of the insights we offer to be applied instantly. To support this change, after this workshop, we provide a tailored set of recommendations for further training and support materials.

This may include:

- Personal leadership coaching and support

- Further guided discussion and feedback

- Online follow-up and revision classes

By the end of this programme:

#1

You will be able to nurture a positive and creative atmosphere to get the most out of your team

#2

You will better understand interpersonal power and how to use it

#3

You will be more comfortable where your power and information is incomplete
  • "I loved the emotional intelligence session as it really made me think about how I act and come across at times, and I really benefitted from the stress management section."
    Emerging Leaders, Kings College
  • "The time of the session was just right, the exercises were interesting and gave you the opportunity to self reflect but also interact with others and see other perspectives and ways of thinking."
    Associate Director, GSK
  • "Definitely do it! It far exceeded all our expectation, we learnt about collaboration, letting go, supporting and working together whilst laughing all the way through. You don't get that on other training events."
    Sarah Watson, Head of Innovation, NLCF
  • "Gaining an understanding of how my strengths and areas of limitation manifest in my role; exploring team work in depth and drawing upon improvisation skills to help move work and people forward."
    Emerging Leaders, Kings College
  • "Refreshing not to spend the first part of the meeting going round the room and having to share what you want to get out of today's meeting (often how Corporate workshops start). Totally different than anything I've ever done before. The facilitators were great, putting everyone at ease, clearly explaining the exercises and allowing time for reflection on how you could use what you discovered back in the workplace."
    Communications Senior Manager, GSK

Find out how we can help you

Practical details

Timings

Minimum 4hr session + preparation and follow up

Team size

Up to 12 participants per group

Where

Online/Offline