How do you lead a team or organisation through complex projects, difficult change processes, and towards new visions and strategies?

Using ICA’s methods at its core, this journey explores leadership theory, teaches versatile, powerful techniques for leading teams collaboratively, and builds an approach for leaders to continue their development over time.   In times of constant and dramatic change, successful projects and organisations need to ensure that their staff, clients and stakeholders are part of building that success. This course is designed to support managers and leaders to develop new skills and awareness with particular emphasis on collaborative working, to engage all stakeholders in their strategies….It is a three day course, preceded by online learning and facilitated discussion, and followed up by Action Learning over a period of 3-6 months.

Who is this course for?

A course for those who want to be confident and effective leaders; people who are (or need/want to be!) actively involved in leading and working in participation with others – in managing projects and teams, in partnership with other organisations, across departments, with agencies to support services, with volunteers, with stakeholders – in any capacity that requires leadership of joint endeavours with a light touch.

The programme is likely to be of most interest to senior and middle managers and leaders (Chief Executives, Directors, Senior HR Officers, Senior Civil Servants, Project Managers, Team Leaders etc). If you’re not sure it’s for you – just ask!

There are no pre-requisites. The course suits anyone who has experience of, or is aspiring to, a leadership role in their work, It will provide some refresher to anyone who has already take the Group Facilitation Methods course, and will give a new perspective on the Participatory Strategic Planning Approach. If you have taken either or both of these course, please speak to the course tutor for clarification.

What you will gain

The Collaborative Leadership course encourages participants to learn about leadership through pre-course review of materials such as videos and articles supported by online Focused Conversations, facilitated by the trainers.   During the 3 days of  contact time in the group, participants will experience and practice methods and processes that inspire creative and effective organisations and teams through full engagement and collaboration.   They will reflect on how their knowledge of leadership and their own style and values support and sustain these approaches. 

By the end of the course, participants will have:

  • An understanding of Collaborative Leadership in both theory and practice, through exploration and discussion
  • Experienced and be able to utilise a range of methods that encompass ICA’s Focused Conversation and Workshop methods in the context of planning and leading projects and designing collaborative strategies – methods that support the leader’s ability to lead and enables others to act..
  • Gained confidence in the use of these methods, and an understanding of your own leadership style and values
  • Developed skills in motivating others – developing visions that inspire and enable others to perform at their best
  • Built links with others to promote future collaboration and support in the use of the methods
  • Gained skills in presenting and facilitating Action Learning Sets for your continuing development

Learning style

This course has been designed in 3 parts.

First, participants will be involved in distance learning through watching leadership videos that have been selected to encourage deep thinking about styles and values in leaders.  These will be supported by small group discussions using skype and facilitated by your trainer(s) using the Focused Conversation Method, over a period of a few weeks before the course days.  (about 4.5 hours total time over a few sessions).

Next, over 3 days, the course presents a range of tools and methods in a practical and participatory way. Each method is first demonstrated, then analysed and discussed, and then practiced in supportive small groups with guided reflection & feedback.  This feedback will tie the methods back to the earlier models of leadership that we explored in online discussion.  Participants plan how they will apply each method in their own situations, having developed their skills and a more in-depth understanding of the principles behind the methods.

Finally, the participants will participate in facilitated Action Learning Sets, where they will continue to explore their practice as leaders, develop skills of coaching and questioning, and further build a support network with the group.  They will be encouraged to learn the skills of facilitating Sets, so that as the course time finished, they are able to continue their practice on their own.

This course is not currently scheduled on our calendar of public courses. Please contact the Lead Trainer, Ann Lukens annlukens@gmail.com to discuss in-house opportunities

See a recent Case Study from Natural England, combining this course with a Participatory Strategic Planning process