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

Session 1: Strategic Thinking

• Defining 'Strategic'
• The Three Core Pillars of Corporate Strategy
• Process, Content, and Context
• Connecting the three core areas through process

Session 2: The Challenges of Leadership

• Distinguishing between management and leadership
• Exploring key leadership theories
• Understanding expectations from leaders and their teams
• Identifying essential leadership traits
• Characteristics of effective leadership
• Inspiration, impact, and charisma versus the 'loner' archetype
• The principles of transformational leadership

Case Study/Exercise

Session 3: Establishing a Vision

• 'Mission' vs. 'Vision'
• Reasons why strategic plans fail and how to prevent them
• Building a Robust Shared Vision
• The importance of clarity and measurability
• Securing buy-in for the Vision

Case Study/Exercise

Session 4: Becoming Strategic

• Strategic planning and thinking frameworks
• Techniques for developing strategic thought processes
• Effective communication in strategy
• Identifying the critical skills needed for success

Case study/Exercise

Major Case Study Workshop: Participants will work in small groups to agree on a launch plan for a new business or strategy. This follows an analysis of the Current Business Environment and Influences. The plan must assess resources and the current business environment against the defined vision.

Session 5: Analysing the Current Business Environment and Influences

• External Environments
• The General Environment
• Identifying Key Impacting Influences
• Business Product/Service Cycles
• Customer Analysis

Case Study/Exercise

Session 6: Analysis of Resources

Analysing the Organisation

• The holistic approach
• Addressing Silo Issues
• Cross-Organisational Assessment
• Assessment Areas:
  • Financial, Human Resources, Operations, Systems, and Style

Case Study/Exercise

Session 7: Motivation and Change Management

• Motivational theory
• Practical motivation techniques
• Money as a motivator
• The role of change agents
• Understanding resistance to change
• The DREC curve
• Approaches to managing change

Case Study/Exercise

Session 8: Establishing the Strategy

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

Case Study/Exercise

Session 9: Projects and Measures of Success

• New Projects vs. Business as Usual
• The need for KPIs
• 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/Exercise

Session 10: The Implementation Process

• Resource allocation, strategic planning, and control
• Planning tools
• Defining Objectives
• Task breakdown
• Communications planning
• Resource Allocation strategies
• Resource characteristics
• Building the team
• Projects vs. 'Business as Usual'

Case Study/Exercise

Session 11: Managing Strategic Change and Conflict

• The role of conflict – is it healthy?
• Viewing conflict as a problem to be solved
• Root causes of conflict
• Managing, mitigating, or avoiding conflict
• 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/Exercise

Session 12: Assessing Your Team

• Preparatory work
• Reviewing Personnel files
• Analysing Work Records
• Feedback from other colleagues
• Insights from Meetings
• Discussion groups and Forums

Case Study/Exercise: Two delegates will role-play a manager and team member in 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
• Bank cultural style
• Bank and management policy style
• Your personal style
• Conducting Meetings
• One-to-one encounters
• Overcoming resistance
• Dealing with your own bosses
• Selling issues and challenges to your team

Case Study/Exercise: Your boss wants you to re-allocate some responsibilities. The staff concerned will not like it – they are nervous of change. How will you handle this?

Session 14: Communication Skills

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

Case Study/Exercise: Your predecessor held weekly team meetings but chose not to chair them, selecting a senior employee instead. Do you agree with this? 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/Exercise: Do you think the collegiate style of management favoured by most management gurus is the best?

Session 16: The Role of a Manager

• The transition from Team member to Supervisor
• Ensuring the Team achieves Team goals
• Driving continuous improvement within the Team
• Managing the whole role – time management and effective goal setting
• Leadership 'Presence' – projecting leadership qualities
• The Influence of Supervisor Behaviour – on the Team and individual Team Members
• The focus of the effective Supervisor

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

Session 17: Managing Problems

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

Case Study/Exercise: Your staff are underperforming due to excessive workload. Your boss disagrees and tells you to manage it. How do you handle this seemingly impossible brief?

Session 18: Motivation

• Basic motivating factors
• Creating the right environment
• The Carrot/Stick approach
• Nurturing talent
• Patronage

Case Study/Exercise: How would you persuade your team to work on a weekend without extra reward?

Session 19: Delegation

• The art of delegation
• When to delegate
• Supervising delegated tasks
• Avoiding overkill
• Monitoring progress
• Understanding trade finance context

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

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 to carry out a task. They say they are too busy, but you insist. They say no again, publicly. How should you handle this direct challenge to your authority?

Session 21: Staff Appraisals

• The importance of appraisals
• Setting the Objective
• 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 to tell both the outcome. How do you handle the unsuccessful individual?