Strategic Development: Thinking, Planning, Management and Leadership Training Course

Session 1: Strategic Thinking

• Defining the concept of 'Strategic'
• The three core areas of Corporate Strategy
• Process, Content, and Context
• Processes that link the three core areas

Session 2: The Challenges of Leadership

• Distinctions between Management and Leadership
• Leadership theories
• Expectations held by leaders and their staff
• Identifying key leadership traits
• Attributes that define an effective leader
• The role of inspiration, impact, and charisma in leadership versus the 'loner' archetype
• Transformational leadership

Case Study or Exercise

Session 3: Establishing a Vision

• Differentiating 'Mission' from 'Vision'
• Reasons why strategic plans fail and strategies to prevent failure
• Aligning on a Robust Vision
• The importance of Clarity and Measurability
• Securing Buy-in for the Vision

Case Study or Exercise

Session 4: Becoming Strategic

• Strategic planning and thinking
• Techniques for developing strategic thought processes
• Communication effectiveness
• Identifying critical skills required for success

Case Study or Exercise

Major Case Study Workshop: Participants will work in small groups to formulate a plan for launching a new business or business strategy, following an analysis of the Current Business Environment and Influences. The plan must assess current resources and environmental influences against the defined vision.

Session 5: Analysing the Current Business Environment and Influences

• External Environments
• The General Environment
• Key Influences Impacting the Business
• Business Product and Service Cycles
• Customer Analysis

Case Study or Exercise

Session 6: Analysis of Resources

Analysing the Organisation

• Adopting a holistic approach
• Addressing Silo Issues
• Cross-Organizational Assessment
• Assessment areas:
  • Financial, Human Resources, Operations, Systems, and Management Style

Case Study or Exercise

Session 7: Motivation and Change Management

• Motivational theory
• Practical motivation techniques
• The role of Money as a motivator
• Change agents
• Resistance to change
• The DREC curve
• Approaches to change management

Case Study or Exercise

Session 8: Establishing the Strategy

• Turning 'Vision into Reality'
• Creation of Strategic Movement
• Developing Strategic Options
• Strategy Implications
  1. Identifying the Stakeholders
  2. Achieving Cross-Organizational Buy-in
  3. Potential conflict areas
  4. Countering Objections

Case Study or Exercise

Session 9: Projects and Measures of Success

• Distinguishing New Projects from Business as Usual
• The need for KPMs (Key Performance Measures)
• Measurement approaches
• Using the Scorecard Approach
• Key business drivers and traceability
• Hard and Soft Measures
• Establishing a metrics framework
• Project Tracking
• Risk reporting

Case Study or Exercise

Session 10: The Implementation Process

• Resource allocation, strategic planning, and control
• Planning tools
• Setting Objectives
• Defining Tasks
• Communications strategy
• Resource Allocation
• Resource characteristics
• Building the team
• Projects versus 'Business as Usual'

Case Study or Exercise

Session 11: Managing the Strategic Change including Conflict Management

• The need for conflict – is it healthy
• Conflict as a problem
• The causes of conflict
• Managing, mitigating, and/or avoiding conflict
• The impact of change and managing its effects
• Selling the benefits of change to the organisation
• Minimising the downside
• Keeping the plan on track

Case Study or Exercise

Session 12: Assessing Your Team

• Preparatory work
• Reviewing Personnel files
• Examining Work Records
• Consulting Other colleagues
• Conducting Meetings
• Facilitating Discussion groups and Forums

Case Study or Exercise: Two delegates will role-play a manager and team member during an initial encounter. The group will then de-brief in a friendly manner to discuss the interaction.

Session 13: Dealing With People

• Management styles
• Behavioural styles
• Organizational cultural style
• Organizational and management policy style
• Your personal style
• Meetings
• One-to-one encounters
• Overcoming resistance
• Dealing with your own bosses
• Selling issues and challenges to your team

Case Study or Exercise: Your manager requests you to re-allocate some responsibilities. The staff concerned may resist this due to nervousness about change. How will you handle this?

Session 14: Communication Skills

• Different communication styles
• Corporate and Management style
• Oral, written, and electronic communication
• Encouraging two-way communication
• Fostering esprit de corps
• Using 'Top-down' directives
• Dealing with resistance

Case Study or Exercise: Your predecessor held weekly team meetings but chose not to chair them, selecting a senior employee instead. Do you agree with this approach? Would you change it? If so, how?

Session 15: Management Styles

• Textbook definitions
• Your preferred style
• Your institution's style and your boss's style
• What works best for your department
• What works best for the team

Case Study or Exercise: Do you believe the collegiate style of management favored by most management gurus is the most effective?

Session 16: The Role of a Manager

• The transition from Team member to Supervisor
• The role in ensuring the Team achieves Team goals
• Ensuring the Team continuously improves
• Managing the whole role – time management and effective goal setting
• Leadership 'Presence' – projecting the image of a Leader
• The Influence of Supervisor Behaviour on the Team and individual Members
• The focus of the effective Supervisor

Case Study: You have been promoted ahead of a colleague and friend who is visibly disappointed. How should you handle this situation?

Session 17: Managing Problems

• Dealing with issues informally, semi-formally, and formally
• Methods of problem solving
• Enlisting help and guidance
• Resolution strategies
• Referral processes

Case Study or Exercise: Your staff are underperforming due to excessive workload. Your manager disagrees and instructs you to manage it. How do you handle this seemingly impossible directive?

Session 18: Motivation

• Basic motivating factors
• Creating the right environment
• The Carrot and stick approach
• Nurturing employee growth
• Patronage

Case Study or Exercise: How would you persuade your team to work on a weekend without additional compensation?

Session 19: Delegation

• The art of delegation
• Determining When to delegate
• Supervising delegated tasks
• Avoiding overkill
• Monitoring progress
• Understanding trade finance fundamentals (if applicable to context) or relevant operational concepts

Case Study: You have asked your deputy to prepare the preliminary budget for your department. How do you monitor the process without overstepping boundaries? At what point would you take over, and how would you handle this transition?

Session 20: Conflict and Resolution

• Main causes of conflict
• Resolution methods
• Involving management
• Dealing with challenges to your authority
• Formal procedures

Case Study: You ask a junior employee to carry out a task. They claim to be too busy, but you insist. They refuse again, publicly. How should you respond to this direct challenge to your authority?

Session 21: Staff Appraisals

• Importance of appraisals
• Setting Objective goals
• Remuneration considerations
• Conducting the Appraisal
• Providing Encouragement and guidance
• Dealing with weaknesses

Case Study: You have been asked to select one person for promotion from two candidates and must inform both of the outcome. How do you handle the conversation with the unsuccessful individual?