Advanced Course in Management and Leadership

Course Description

The advanced course in management and leadership is a specialized program designed to help existing managers and aspiring high-potential individuals seeking new leadership roles acquire state-of-the-art knowledge and skills for building successful career advancement and ensuring results-oriented performance in a highly challenging and competitive business environment.

Organizational management must ensure a successful, results-oriented performance, which significantly depends on establishing direction, creating a vision, setting goals, crafting strategies for proactive change, inspiring and motivating people, building teams, resolving conflicts, and communicating effectively. On the one hand, leading is a cornerstone and one of the main functions of organizational management along with other functions such as planning and decision-making, organizing, staffing, and controlling. On the other hand, management and leadership appear in conjunction with each other and resemble two sides of the same golden coin, forming a powerful faculty capable of coping with today’s rapidly changing world and achieving goals effectively and efficiently. Both management and leadership involving complementary sets of action, are focused on accomplishments and results, therefore, a person in charge needs both skills and competencies to achieve organizational goals and productive outcomes. Effective managers must also possess strong leadership abilities, while effective leaders require a solid foundation in management skills. They must possess excellent strategic thinking, visioning, goal setting, and persuasive skills, along with professional competencies such as planning, organizing, delegating, and evaluating skills. Successful management and leadership demand the ability to adapt swiftly and identify new opportunities when an organization’s requirements evolve.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course learners will be able to:

• Have a deeper understanding of the principles of management and leadership and differences between the role of a manager and the role of a leader; 
• Comprehend key theories postulating different styles of management and leadership and acquire skills in applying them in practice;   
• Grasp the cutting-edge approaches to management and leadership emphasizing the importance of evaluation of human behavior and environmental factors to create an efficient workspace;
• Determine their management and leadership styles; 
• Identify own strengths and weaknesses and know where and how to improve;
• Assess required competencies for today’s leaders;
• Understand the essence of efficiency, effectiveness, performance and productivity;
• Be familiar with the Leadership Competency Model and methodology to detect high potential leaders;
• Maximize their influencing skills through effective communication; 
• Gain a comprehensive understanding of team life cycle, synergy and cohesiveness, as well as of how to build a productive and results-oriented team;
• Be capable of motivating the team to reach goals;
• Use relevant methods for monitoring and evaluating team’s performance;
• Refine analytical, strategic thinking, goal-setting, and decision-making skills enabling them to inspire and manage organizational change;

Training Methodology

This online training course will utilize a variety of proven online learning techniques to ensure maximum understanding, comprehension, retention of the information presented. The course is conducted online via an Advanced Virtual Learning Platform in the comfort of any location of individual choice.

Training methodology includes AI-powered presentations, self-assessment diagnostic tests and questionnaires, quizzes, targeted video presentations, reflective case-studies and course manual.

Topics Covered In The Course:

Module 1 – Introduction to Management And Leadership:

• Management and leadership – complementary or contradictory sides of the same coin? Navigating the ambiguity;
• Illuminating the fundamental theories and contemporary approaches to management and leadership postulating different styles;
• Expounding the Leadership Matrix/the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid model (Exercise);

Module 2 – Understanding the Management Process

• The Functions of management;
• Efficiency and effectiveness – how to strike the right balance?
• Performance and productivity;
• Goal-Setting Theory focused on clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback and task complexity;
• Setting the SMART Goals;
• How Good is Your Goal Setting (Exercise);

Module 3 – Strategic Challenges of Management And Leadership

• Illuminating the VUCA environment and responding to its challenges;
• Explaining in detail the key elements of strategic thinking: creating a vision, situational assessment, scenario planning, decision-making;
• SWOT Analysis and TOWS Matrix general strategic options;
• Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment test/questionnaire;

Module 4 – Contingency and Situational Leadership and Competencies

• Elucidating the Leadership Competency Model;
• Understanding the Pyramid of Leadership;
• Analyzing Performance-Values Matrix;
• Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model;
• Fiedler’s Contingency Model of Leadership;
• Cognitive Resource Theory of Leadership;
• Detecting high potential leaders through the 9 Box Performance Potential Grid;
• Performance-Potential assessment test/questionnaire;
• Leadership Compass – self assessment test/questionnaire;

Module 5 – Motivation and Performance

• Explaining the key theories of motivation;
• Content Theories: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory, McClelland’s Three Needs Theory, McGregor’s X and Y Theories, Alderfer’s ERG Theory, Mayo’s Motivation Theory;
• Process Theories: Adam’s Equity Theory, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, Taylor’s Motivation Theory, Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory;
• Path-Goal questionnaire for defining the personal leadership style;
• Quick self-test based on Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’;

Module 6 – Team Leadership

• Explaining the models measuring team effectiveness;
• Tuckman’s FSNP Model of Team Development;
• The Katzenbach and Smith Model of team effectiveness The LaFasto and Larson Model of team effectiveness The T7 Model of Team Effectiveness The Hackman Model of team leadership;
• The Lencioni Model of team dysfunctions;
• Key drivers to achieve team synergy and cohesiveness;
• How to build an effective team;
• Assessing the Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Lencioni assessment questionnaire);

Module 7 –Conflict Management and Resolution Strategies

• The nature of organizational conflict;
• Illuminating the stages of conflict;
• Analyzing the factors influencing organizational conflict;
• Understanding conflict resolution methods;
• Explaining the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model;
• Thomas Kilmann Conflict mode instrument test;
• Conflict Management Styles Assessment (surveying questionnaire);
• Conflict Intelligent Self-Assessment (surveying questionnaire);

Module 8 – Transformational Leadership for Navigating Change

• What is Transformational Leadership?
• What is organizational change?
• Understanding leadership role in the continuing change process;
• Identifying priorities and opportunities for your individual development as a leader of change;
• Elucidating a process for leading change;
• French and Raven’s Forms of Power;
• Transformational Leadership Survey Questionnaire;
• Change Leadership Competency Questionnaire;
• Assessing your own and others’ power base (questionnaire based on French and Raven’s Forms of Power);

Module 9 – Organizational Change Theory and Best-Supported  Change Management Models

• Lewin’s Three-Stage Model of Change;
• Lewin’s Force Field Analysis;
• Kotter’s 8 Step Model of Change;
• McKinsey 7-S Framework;
• Burke-Litwin Change Model;
• Competing Values Framework;
• The Competing Values Culture Assessment;
• Leading the Change with Six Images of a Change Leader;
• Managing Change Questionnaire;

Module 10 – Communication and Influence

• Understanding the influencing process model;
• Comprehending effective leadership communication;
• Identifying communication Styles: A Self-Assessment Exercise;
• Developing your influencing strategy; 
• Creating your personal brand and impact;
• Identifying and learning how to adapt communication style to increase leadership influence;
• Identifying and defining personality types through mutual perceptions matrix;
• Identifying communication Styles: A Self-Assessment Exercise ;

Module 11 – Delegating Effectively

• What is Delegation and Why is it Important?
• Delegation Skills and the Ways to Improve Them;
• Why People do not Delegate?
• When to Delegate?
• The ‘Who’ And ‘How’ of Delegating;
• Delegation Self-Assessment;
• Rating Your Delegating Skills;

Module 12 – Testing Skills & Competences

• Elucidating the Compass of Intellects;
• Assessing Your Emotional Intelligence;
• Assessing your spiritual intelligence;
• Leadership Self-Assessment Activity;
• Leadership Characteristics and Skills Survey;
• Identifying and prioritizing personal values;
• Exploring personal styles through self-assessment questionnaires;

Who this course is for:

• Mid-to-senior level business leaders looking to strengthen their impact;
• High-potential individuals looking to further develop leadership skills;
• A group of colleagues or team who would like to advance their skills together;
• New managers or recently promoted managers who want to learn the basic skills of managing people, leading teams and improving work processes;
• Any manager wanting to improve their people management skills;
• Technical or other employees who aspire to take on leadership roles in the future;
• Managers, company owners or people aspire to influence and inspire others;
• Anyone looking to reach a leadership role within a company or organization;

The course offers a verified digital certificate of completion, which is a valuable addition to your resume.