Leadership and the Board

Director Development Programme 2023 >> Leadership and the board

Why should you attend?

Organisational Leadership involves a much larger scope of responsibility than traditional management. One of the board’s primary roles is to develop the organisation’s strategy – the direction and targets for the organisation to achieve in the future. In developing their statement of strategic intent, the directors will also have the operational reality of the company in mind. They are aware of its position in the marketplace, its current resources and company structure, and the gap between where the organisation is and where it wants to be.

It is the director’s responsibility to develop plans to bridge that gap and this is a fundamental part of making strategy work in practice. It also needs to communicate the mission and vision of the company, and the strategic plan to inspire the workforce to fulfil those objectives.

Course features and benefits

This course looks at a board’s chosen strategy by aligning its people strategies and employee behaviour to the organisation’s vision, mission and values. It also explores the leadership role in detail and provides a framework for which directors can monitor performance and the investment made in its people.

Participation in this course will enable you to:

Understand different types of corporate cultures and what creates them
Explore the links between an organisation’s culture and an employee’s values
Acknowledge and create a learning culture, and highlight the importance of coaching and mentoring in leadership development
Develop a code of ethics for the organisation
Understand the essentials of Corporate Responsibility and ESG
Appreciate the link between strategy implementation and organisational design
Make well-considered and effective decisions
Develop a succession pool of talented individuals to build sustainability
Promote equality and diversity of opportunity throughout the organisation
Identify the features and behaviours of a high-performing board
Recognising any danger signs or risks and challenging appropriately
Create a positive and innovative organisational culture

Part of our Director Development programme

Our Director Development programme offers a comprehensive and practical experience, created by world-leading board experts that have decades of experience helping business leaders thrive and grow within their current and future roles.

As a director, navigating challenges whilst keeping your business operating legally and effectively can be difficult. Whether you’re an experienced director, or just starting your first appointment, understanding what is expected of you in your role is vital to staying on top of your responsibilities.

You may also meet a diverse range of delegates that operate across private, public and charitable sectors, and so these peer-to-peer learning experiences will offer different perspectives, the ability to network and share similar challenges with real-world outcomes.

We work in an ever-changing environment, so we offer all of the modules in our programme in a virtual or face-to-face capacity.

Leadership and the Board - course outline

This course will cover the following:

Section 1 – The role of the Director as an effective leader of strategic change

Review the capabilities of an organisation to deliver its objectives
Grow organisational capabilities for future success
Understand the Disruption and Digital Transformation mandate for faster growth
Setting and achieving goals & key success metrics
Growth models & stages, organisational type analyses
Architecting for growth, linking strategic implementation to organisational structure
Fit-for-Purpose organisational cultures
Building strategies that work

Section 2 – High Performing Boards: Individual & Team Leadership Alignment

Build on synergies and create high-performing teams aligned with the growth metrics and strategy
Promoting equality and diversity of opportunity throughout the organisation, including in the boardroom
Leadership styles analysis
Adopting the Influencing Mindset
Having difficult conversations in the boardroom, handling conflict and tensions
Overcoming resistance to change by securing commitment and engagement
Assessing risk and recognising the danger signs by asking challenging questions
KPIs and ESG metrics for success in the short, mid and long-term

Section 3 – Key competencies & tools for strategic Board leaders

To enable the Board members to develop and enforce effective and relevant mechanisms and mindsets for boosting organisational efficiency on all levels
Effective decision-making for Board leaders
Getting and offering feedback across the organisation and within the Board
Creating a learning culture and boosting employee engagement
Values, Ethics and CSR principles
Enabling clear communication lines of information, top to bottom and bottom-up

Section 4 – Directors’ role In monitoring performance

Identifying the meaningful information which allows the directors to judge and evaluate the organisation’s performance accurately and continuously
Key Performance Indicators, setting and aligning for growth
Creating an organisational culture in which creativity and innovation flourish
Identifying the roles of the stakeholders and their influence on the organisation
Recognising the importance of involving the stakeholders constructively
Growth metrics – what to look for
Embracing Agility and Disruptive for Innovation

Duration and dates

2 days
Virtual dates: 20-21 April, 26-27 October
Face-to-face dates: 26-27 July, 30 November – 1 December

Course leader - Athina Kafetsiou

Athina is a seasoned professional and has a deep understanding of people and people systems that enable her to design and deliver evidence-based high-growth programmes for individuals, teams and organisations around the world.

For the past 15 years, she has worked with established C-suite executives and teams. Her focused, direct and incisive style has also helped emerging leaders of Family Business conglomerates within Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.

Her signature approach bridges that gap between science and practice by complementing leaders’ intuition with in-depth analytics and data. She connects with the development programmes she delivers, to actual results and metrics that enable success.

Athina is a clinically trained Psychology practitioner with an Organisational Behaviour postgraduate specialisation. She has also completed an MBA at London Business School. In addition, Athina is a classically trained musician and pianist, investor and NED and her time is split between London, Abu Dhabi and Greece.