Leadership development programmes have evolved significantly in recent years, building on our increasing knowledge of how human beings think, behave and react, individually, in teams and in organisations. The content of this programme represents a significant evolution from previous Sport Wales leadership programmes, with a greater focus on the contemporary issues facing leaders.
Leading for the Future Programme 2023
The key challenges of the next decades have evolved significantly – the impact of COVID 19 is still being seen across the sport sector as well as wider society, and other political and world issues are also continuing to provide challenges to accessing sport and physical activity. These changes have influenced the key themes that will be discussed during the programme:
- Individualisation leadership - Leaders now need to tailor the style of every conversation and personalise the way they treat individual team members. This requires a willingness to invest much greater time and energy into the communication process than used to be the case.
- Inclusive leadership - Inclusion has many facets, way beyond being simply aware of protected characteristics. Leaders need to encourage a culture of allyship, as well as understanding how to build and nourish neuro-diversity within their teams.
- Collaboration, disruption and innovation - It is essential that leaders encourage collaborative partnering across the sector and beyond, if they are to be successful in tackling key challenges collectively.
- Hybrid workplace leadership - Most organisations have now initiated their version of the hybrid workplace. Leaders need to support people to enjoy and be effective in such a workplace, as it can create huge challenges in terms on cohesiveness, communication and productivity.
- Sustainability - This must be a key strategic focus area of every leader. Ensuring that strategies and stakeholders of the organisation support an active drive towards sustainability is a challenging task, given the multiple dimensions upon which sustainability must be managed.
The programme will build a cohort of ambitious, pro-active and driven senior leaders across the sector in Wales, equipped to deliver collaboratively in the context of the challenging times we live in.
First Ascent, our delivery partner for the programme, specialise in providing development and executive coaching programmes for leaders … supporting leaders and leadership teams across a wide range of sectors. The company has a reputation for high energy, practical training and support that delivers sustained benefit to participants.
1. Benefits of attending the programme
Participants
- A sustained programme of personalised development that will significantly enhance their leadership performance throughout their career.
- Following each module, participants will have the confidence to address critical strategic leadership challenges facing their organisation.
- The opportunity to form a close network of trusted, like-minded people from the sector in Wales to improve their personal leadership performance.
- Access to lifetime mentoring support and ongoing CPD opportunities.
Organisations
- A high performing leader will be developed, able to role model strategic leadership within the organisation.
- An immediate impact on the teams, individuals and projects that the participant leads and works with
- Linkage to a network of high performing leaders across Wales (and wider) that can be utilised to create new partnerships, mutual learning and sharing of best practice.
Welsh Sport/Leisure Sector
- Sustainable leadership learning as a sector, with high collective impact from the programme.
- Immediate improvement in overall strategic leadership practice across the sector.
- A vehicle for pro-active sharing of sustainable best practice from outside the sector which can be applied to drive performance within the sector.
2. Programme Structure
Modules
There are five group modules in the programme, attendance at which is compulsory for all participants:
Module 1 (in person residential): 7th & 8th February 2023 (2 full days)
Module 2 (online): 28th March 2023 (morning)
Module 3 (in person residential): 6th & 7th June 2023 (2 full days)
Module 4 (online): 12th September 2023 (morning)
Module 5 (in-person): 26th October (full day)
The modules will be interactive and highly engaging, using a range of experiential formats to provide deep and sustainable learning.
Emergenetics Profile
The programme includes an Emergenetics psychometric profile for each participant (where applicable), which identifies individual thinking and behavioural preferences. It provides a framework for informed and effective strategic problem solving and decision making.
360 Report Feedback
Participants are provided with a 360 report as an integrated component of the programme. They will be provided with the support and coaching to interpret the 360 results.
Executive 1-2-1 Coaching
Each participant will receive three individual coaching sessions from an experienced executive coach. The first 1-2-1 coaching session will occur early in the programme, just after Module 1, reviewing outcomes from Module 1, the 360 Report and the Emergenetics Profile.
Action Learning Groups
Developing a collaborative network amongst leaders of sport/leisure in Wales is a key objective of the programme. The way that modules are delivered will encourage collaborative working throughout. To build upon this and embed the collaborative approach into day to day working, the formation of two supported Action Learning Groups is part of the programme.
Additional benefits include access to unlimited free lifetime mentoring from First Ascent. This unique support mechanism provides 24/7 support to discuss difficult work challenges and to refresh on issues covered during the programme. All participants will also have lifetime access to regular First Ascent Foundation events. These provide ongoing CPD opportunities, with each event focused on a particular facet of leadership.
Who is the programme aimed at?
The programme is aimed at those who are operating at national/executive level in organisations within the sport sector, and who have the ambition and potential to move into more senior leadership roles in the future and contribute to achieving the vision for sport in Wales. Applications will also be considered from those in equivalent level roles in organisations outside of, but working closely with the sport sector.
Want to find out more about why this programme has been developed? Visit the Q&A here with Eleanor Ower, People Development Lead at Sport Wales.
How to apply:
There are a maximum of 15 places available on the programmme. The application process will require you to submit an expression of interest (as well as a personal details form), which can either be written (no more than 1000 words total), or via video (max 5 mins). The questions have been designed to enable you to make a compelling case to demonstrate how you will benefit from the programme and how you aim to influence significant change in your organisation and the communities you serve.
Here are the questions.
- Tell us why you would like to be part of this programme?
- What do you think are some of the key challenges the sport sector will face in the short and long term, and what tactics and strategies do you think will help overcome them?
- What skills, experience and behaviours do you have that demonstrates you have the potential to progress into senior leadership roles, and make a positive impact on the vision for sport in Wales?
Shortlisted candidates may be required to attend a virtual one-hour interview, on either Tuesday 6th or Wednesday 7th December.
Closing date: 12 noon on Friday 25th November 2022.
If you have any queries about the programme or the application process, please contact Eleanor Ower, People Development Lead, Sport Wales on eleanor.ower@sport.wales