Development Programme – Strong Leadership in Uncertain Times

Development Programme – Strong Leadership in Uncertain Times

This pro-bono* training programme led by Fran Borg-Wheeler aims to help upskill middle leaders on the key skills they will need as they face challenging times.

In particular, the programme will focus on: how to build a healthy team culture, handle difficult conversations, enhance listening skills and develop resourcefulness during times of uncertainty.  

With a small group of just 15 participants, the programme aims to be confidential and interactive, allowing participants to share lessons learnt from their successes  and their “failures”. Through this mechanism, not only will they learn from their tutor but also from each other’s experiences.  

Sessions will run on consecutive Wednesdays in September from 9am – 10.30am. First session 9th September and final session, 30th September. Please see below details of each session. 

There will be an optional assignment at the end of each session for which you can receive feedback from Fran.  

Attend all sessions and receive a certificate of achievement!

Programme Tutor

Fran Borg-Wheeler is the Founding Director of Heart Centred Leaders. Via leadership coaching and charity consultancy, her mission is to empower leaders and their teams to become more impactful whilst taking better care of themselves. She has worked in the charity sector for 30 years supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged clients.

Most recently Fran was CEO of Youth Concern, in Aylesbury. Thirteen years in the role enabled her to learn a) how to build and nurture a happy, high performing team and b) how to communicate powerfully focussing on presence, connection, influence and impact.

Through this course she will support you to see your true potential as an impactful leader to maintain healthy, high performing teams and to devise creative solutions to current challenges

Criteria for Attendance

Hold a middle leadership role within your organisation. This does not have to mean you manage staff but you do have a key role in strategy development at an operational level or equivalent.   

• A not-for-profit organisation, ideally a registered charity 
• The organisation must have Buckinghamshire based beneficiaries
• Not a religious / political organisation or social enterprise

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Programme Schedule

9th September, 9 – 10.30 – Building a Healthy Team Culture 

• Building a co-operative culture 
• Supporting and inspiring a team 
• Creating a resilient team 

16th September, 9 – 10.30 – Handling Difficult Conversations 

• The Foundations of dealing well with difficult conversations  
• Dealing with challenging staff situations: performance, behaviour and motivation issues. 
• Dealing with complaints and grievances 

23rd September, 9 – 10.30 – Listening Skills 

• What are advanced active listening skills?  
• The benefits for you, colleagues, beneficiaries/clients  
• The barriers  
• Assessment + self-assessment  

30th  September, 9 – 10.30 – Resourcefulness at times of uncertainty 

• Power of a compelling Vision combined with strategic thinking  
• Mindset :  courage or risk ? 
• Optimise skills within team /diversity  
• Good practice examples + innovation (does it have to take a crisis?) 
• Innovation in practice: Test -review- tweak-repeat 

Feedback from Middle Leaders who have signed up so far…

“I have been involved in service delivery and team management in my previous role but having been recently promoted, feel this would be an excellent opportunity to develop some essential skills for management in general. Given the current circumstances engaging and re-orientating our team will be particular, essential skill. This course highlights this.”

“The pandemic has brought into focus some of the difficult and sensitive issues facing managers. I have struggled a little bit with transitioning from a member of staff to manager and seeing issues from an organisational perspective rather than just protecting staff. I would like to balance this and improve my ability to support my team.”

“I am new to my leadership role, which manages a new service, with a whole new team. This course will provide the opportunity to learn from others about building a strong, supported and ambitious team and my role in fostering that. And more generally developing my leadership style and approach.”

*These sessions are free of charge if you attend all four sessions. If you cannot attend a session, then there will be a charge of £50/session missed that will be invoiced to your organisation.  Cancellation without penalty can be made up until the end of the day on 25th August.