328 Professional Development courses in Leicester

OVERVIEW -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Internal auditing is an independent and objective activity to evaluate an organisation's internal operations. You'll learn how to initiate an audit, prepare and conduct audit activities, compile and distribute audit reports and complete follow-up activities. It is very important for the organisation to have a smooth flow of accounting as it plays a very important role in the development of the organisation. Financial Managers or any person who deals with Accounts need to see that the company accounts are very updated and are free from any risks that can become a problem during the time of Auditing.  Objectives   By the end of the course, participants will be able to: * Efficiently dealing with senior leaders with confidence  * Effective Contribution and Strategically Analysing and Auditing towards business success * Analysing and Evaluating as an effective internal audit leader * How to manage key relationships with the audit committee * Practical methods for managing the audit committee and senior management * Describing the significance to help maximize the contribution to their organization

This programme has a simple objective: to help a sales team create and implementa comprehensive account development plan. If you want to earn strategic partner or preferred supplier status with your clients and customers then you need to add value to their business, consistently, and you can only do this if you have a plan - a key account management plan. This programme will help participants: * Discover opportunities - through a deeper understanding of the customer's business * Develop partnership - through a better 'value proposition' for the customer * Increase repeat business - based on higher customer satisfaction * Improve synergy - by getting everyone to 'sing from the same hymn sheet' * Develop a collaborative account plan - validated by the customer and their own management * Secure resources - management will align resources to execute soundly based account plans * Win an increased share of 'customer wallet' - through systematic account development 1 THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF STRATEGIC ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT * Introduction to the PROFIT account development model: * - Performance * - Relationships * - Objectives and goals * - Feedback * - Integration * - Teamwork * Practical account development strategies: overview and case studies 2 PERFORMANCE * Use practical tools to help you manage and measure account performance and success * Design and build a monthly account dashboard for all sizes of account * Prioritise and manage accounts and customers pro-actively and successfully, using proven planning tools * Develop a cross-selling strategy to integrate products or solutions into the customer's business as closely as possible 3 RELATIONSHIPS * How to build and manage key relationships within an account * Qualifying and managing key influencers accurately * Producing a 'relationship matrix' for each account quickly and easily * Approaching and developing new contacts strategically * Tools and techniques for successful tracking of contacts and call-backs * Developing a coach or advocate in every customer organisation pro-actively 4 OBJECTIVES AND GOALS * Where are you now? - how to establish your competitive position within an account * Know how to set, monitor and track key objectives for accounts over the short, medium and long term * Selling against the competition - developing both long- and short-term sales strategies 5 FEEDBACK - BUILDING LOYAL AND SATISFIED CUSTOMERS * The correct way to manage customer expectations and create listening loops within an account * How to monitor and track your customer's perception and satisfaction with your organisation * Building a personalised satisfaction matrix for each account * Customer review meetings - best practice in building loyalty by regular joint planning events * Understanding the concept of long-term customer value and the importance of adapting a customer-focused attitude 6 INTEGRATION * How to integrate your products or solutions with the customer's business needs and processes * Spot and react to early warning signals that may cause an account's loyalty to fade, reduce revenue or switch to a competitor * Developing a loyalty strategy for key accounts or groups of smaller accounts * Getting your message and strategy across to C-level contacts 7 TEAMWORK * Working with others to achieve your account goals * Gaining internal commitment from your organisation * Managing and working with a virtual team * Creating cross-departmental communication loops 8 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER * Personal account reviews * Personal learning summary and action plans

The work of a technical team is invariably challenging and often unpredictable. Definition of the work can be problematic, timescales can be hard to estimate and the right technical approach difficult to select. Staff involved in this type of work usually have very high levels of specialist knowledge in their field and have high expectations of those who lead them. In addition to the challenges of the work, the team leader often has to balance the need for professional excellence with financial and commercial considerations and to ensure that team goals are realistic by being an effective negotiator with other project and senior managers. These characteristics make technical team leadership a demanding and complex activity. This programme aims to help participants develop the skills needed to become an effective technical team leader. The objectives of this programme are to help participants: * understand the significance of leadership skills and their impact on team performance * review the key skills needed to be an effective, 'multi-dimensional' team leader and learn how to develop, adapt and apply them in practice * learn how to identify the preferred leadership style for the context and organisational culture and how to develop personal style versatility * understand the role of the project leader in building an effective team and the skills required to promote and sustain team performance * gain a better understanding of the interpersonal skills needed to motivate individual team members and harness the full potential of the team DAY ONE 1 TECHNICAL TEAMS AND LEADERSHIP * What is a leader? * How much can leadership be learned? * The team environment and the impact of leadership skills * The characteristics of high performance teams and their leaders * Some useful models and theories of leadership explored * Types of leadership; choosing how to use leadership power * Evaluating personal leadership style; how to develop style flexibility 2 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR TEAM LEADERS * 3 key dimensions of effective leadership: inwards, outwards and upwards * Developing and promoting a 'team vision': strategic thinking skills * The vital role of communication skills and how to develop them * Understanding others; emotional intelligence skills * Being a visible leader; behavioural and influencing skills * Building effective relationships; the importance of trust and respect DAY TWO 3 LEADING INWARDS TO BUILD THE TEAM * The role of leadership in developing team performance * Understanding individuals in the team; recognising team role preferences * Managing conflict and promoting positive team dynamics * Setting standards, maintaining discipline and rewarding performance * Harnessing team potential: building motivation within the team * Promoting team learning; the team leader as coach / mentor 4 LEADING OUTWARDS AND UPWARDS TO SUPPORT THE TEAM * Negotiating realistic team goals; effective influencing skills * Gaining empowerment and support from the key stakeholders * Leading upwards: knowing when and how to take the initiative * Building team credibility within the organisation; helping the team deliver * Becoming an effective team player in leadership teams * Building and maintaining rapport with influential stakeholders

The need for key staff to have commercial skills is paramount, as the public sector is increasingly opened up as a commercial market, in which organisations compete against each other and the private sector for contracts. Generating additional income and being commercially aware is vital for this to be a success, and is what many public sector organisations are looking to do. This programme will help you: * See commercial awareness as not just another skill-set, but as a different mind-set * Use a variety of tried-and-tested commercial, analytical decision-making techniques and tools * Define your commercial objectives * Develop a strategic focus * Start looking at service clients as market segments * Analyse, in a competitive context, your service offering * Plan a commercial strategy, prepare for its implementation and see it through to execution 1 WHAT IS COMMERCIAL THINKING? * Understand what it means to be a commercial thinker * Identifying commercial opportunities often involves not only a different skill set but also a different mindset; looking at the services that you provide 2 DEFINING STRATEGIC COMMERCIAL OBJECTIVES * Defining your key commercial objectives * Prioritising your strategic objectives * Two key strategic planning tools: * Resource and Competency Matrix * PESTLE * How to apply these tools to your particular situation 3 DEVELOPING A STRATEGIC FOCUS * Decision-making on how to compete in the markets identified by your strategic objectives requires a strategic focus * Developing strategic focus * A tool for helping you to make those decisions: using the Ansoff Matrix 4 DEFINING CUSTOMER TARGETS * How to think more commercially by understanding who all your customers are and how they differ from each other * how to apply the principles to your areas to identify the type of customers you have and their key characteristics - Customer segmentation * Who are your customers? How do their needs vary? - Scenarios 5 THE COMPETITIVE MARKET PLACE * Understanding the competitive forces at play * Different types of competition * Analysing your competitive environment using Porter's 5 Forces model 6 MEETING STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS * Two simple models to help you identify the key stakeholders who could influence your commercial environment * How to use your stakeholders to help you achieve your commercial objectives 7 IMPLEMENTATION - SYSTEMS, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES * Effective commercial activity involves working with others to implement ideas and strategies * What do you need to have in place before you implement your commercial strategy? * How to health-check your organisation prior to implementation using the McKinsey 7S framework 8 IMPLEMENTATION - PEOPLE AND CULTURE * A good commercial strategy only works if the people involved buy in to the ideas and if the culture of the organisation is conducive to the effective implementation * How the latest thinking in behavioural economics can help you develop your culture and people to work commercially 9 TOOLS AND CHECKLISTS * Be more commercial within your sphere of influence using a commercial checklist to help you * Using the checklist as a benchmark against the most commercially aware organisations * Using the checklist as a health check - both corporately and individually

High Performing Teams.

Project management can seem scary and rather intimidating. The whole aim of this programme is to give people a simple and straightforward way of dealing with projects without having to use complex and confusing systems. This two-day course is designed to introduce the apparently complex world of project management in a simple and practical manner. The programme is for anybody who has to run a project of any nature. It has been attended by people from as diverse fields as events management, fashion, charities, oil companies and so on. The programme is run without using any IT project management systems although an introduction can be given if required. At the end of the programme participants will leave understanding: * What a project is and why projects are so important today * The roles of a project manager * Some key language and concepts * A simple 5-step model for organising projects * How to make sure you understand what your 'client' really wants * A set of three simple tools to plan the project * How to make decisions * What to monitor when the project is running * How to close the project 1 INTRODUCTION * What is the aim of this programme? 2 BACKGROUND THINKING * What is a project? * The project manager's eternal triangle (cost-quality-time) * What are the characteristics of successful projects? * Who are the key characters in a project? * What are the roles of a project manager? 3 THE PROJECT PROCESS * Why have one? 4 PROJECT INITIATION * What is the aim? * Identifying key information * Key skill: mission analysis * Initial risk analysis * Document and sign-off 5 DECISION-MAKING - 'STOP, THINK, ACT!' * The 'Stop, Think, Act!' technique * Recognise the opportunity to make a decision * The 3 Cs - making sure we understand the decisions we have to make * Identifying options * Making your decision * Taking it to action 6 CREATIVITY 7 THE PLANNING STAGE * Identify all discrete tasks * Sequence and dependencies * Time line - critical path * Resources * Project base-line 8 EXECUTION STAGE - DELIVERING THE RESULT * Monitor * Evaluate * Adapt * Control * Review 9 THE PROJECT CLOSE * Review * Documentation * Have we delivered? * What have we learned?

You can handle the tough stuff with the help of this comprehensive, interactive and thought-provoking course. Our trainers are experienced managers who will guide and support you through the intricacies of people and personal management. The key responsibilities of the manager A manager’s impact on the business and its staff Being a role model Communicating with confidence Questioning skills Managing hybrid teams Assertiveness techniques Managing team performance with ease Giving great feedback Prioritising like a winner Time management techniques Delegating effectively

Being a Mentor in the Early Years

Developing the high performing team takes time and effort. But above all, it requires an understanding of the dynamics of high performing teams. This programme helps managers and leaders understand what high performing teams do and how they do it. It focuses on enabling managers to see their teams from different perspectives, allowing them to adapt their styles to maximise team outputs. A core theme is the need for managers of teams to 'hold up the mirror' to themselves and to see themselves as a leader of people, to reflect on how others see them and to modify their style accordingly. This programme will help managers / team leaders: * Analyse the constituents of a 'high performing' team * Apply essential influencing techniques * Use a range of communication techniques to support effective teamwork * Create and articulate team vision * Generate common values * Assess team effectiveness and take/recommend the appropriate actions * Make more efficient use of team time * Understand and agree on techniques to manage conflict * Define and implement team meeting protocols that will facilitate team effectiveness * Use the Prime Focus model to create the environment and framework for a high performing team * Draft your team strategy to take them to the next level DAY 1 1 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION * Participants are welcomed to the programme and invited to share their personal objectives and people challenges * Participants are given an action plan template to complete throughout the workshop 2 YOUR TEAM * The concept of 'positive intention' * The difference between a team and a high performing team * Assess your team effectiveness * What is your 'interference'? 3 THE TEAM ENVIRONMENT * Setting the scene * Building rapport * Active listening * Team goals and role profiling 4 YOUR STYLE * Tuckman model of team stages - how do you manage each stage? * Team standards and goals * Your team vision 5 EFFECTIVE TEAM MEETINGS * Influencing in team meetings * How to make them interesting and relevant * The pure role of the chair DAY 2 1 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES * Giving and receiving feedback * Your communication style * How to adapt, pace and lead to build rapport * The Mehrabian theory of communication 2 HOW TO MANAGE CONFLICT * What is conflict? * What is your default conflict approach? * Tools and tips for managing conflict * Practice sessions 3 TEAM SKILLS * Undertake a team skills analysis * Types of team member * Motivating team members * Reframing situations 4 SETTING YOUR STRATEGY * Seeing the bigger picture * The Prime Focus Model * Your strategy for success * Articulating your strategy * Action plans revisited

The leadership role of the project manager is increasingly recognised as a key determinant in delivering success. These skills can often be critical in project situations, where tight budgets and deadlines demand the highest levels of team performance and where the working environment presents fresh challenges on a daily basis. This programme focuses on the leadership skills required of project managers and will benefit anyone involved in managing projects large or small wishing to extend or enhance those skills. The objectives of this programme are to help the participants: * Understand the significance of leadership skills to the project manager and the impact of these skills on project performance * Review the key skills needed to be an effective 'multi-dimensional' project leader and learn how to develop, adapt and apply them in practice * Learn how to identify the preferred leadership style for the context and organisational culture of a project and how to develop personal style versatility * Understand the role of the project leader in building an effective team and the skills required to promote and sustain team performance * Gain a better understanding of the interpersonal skills needed to motivate individual team members and harness the full potential of the team DAY ONE 1 INTRODUCTION * Aims and objectives * Personal objectives 2 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP * What is a leader? How much can leadership be learned? * The project environment and the impact of leadership skills * The characteristics of high performance project teams and their leaders 3 PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP * Some useful models and theories of leadership explored * Types of leadership; choosing how to use leadership power * Evaluating personal leadership style; how to develop style flexibility 4 SYNDICATE CASE STUDY: LEADERSHIP IN ACTION * Review of the role of leadership in a contemporary project * Feedback and plenary discussion: effective project leadership 5 TEAM EXERCISE: LEADERSHIP SKILLS OF THE PROJECT MANAGER * Teams compete in performing a project simulation * Project review and feedback * Discussion of the outcome: role and skills of the project leader 6 LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR PROJECT MANAGERS * The 3 dimensions of project leadership: inwards, outwards, and upwards * The vital role of communication skills and how to develop them * Developing a 'project vision': strategic thinking skills * Understanding others; emotional intelligence skills * Being a visible leader; behavioural and influencing skills * Building effective relationships; the importance of trust and respect DAY TWO 7 LEADING THE PROJECT TEAM * The role of leadership in developing team performance * Understanding individual strengths; recognising team role preferences * Managing conflict and promoting positive team dynamics * Setting standards, maintaining discipline and rewarding performance * Harnessing team potential: building motivation within the team * Promoting team learning; the team leader as coach / mentor 8 LEADING THROUGH THE ORGANISATION * Gaining the support others; developing effective influencing skills * Getting empowerment from key stakeholders * Knowing when and how to take the initiative and lead * Building and maintaining rapport with key partners * Becoming an effective team player in leadership teams * Becoming a business leader; leading colleagues and co-workers 9 TEAM EXERCISE: LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION * Teams engage in a negotiation exercise * Exercise review and feedback * Discussion of the outcome: negotiation skills of the project leader 10 NEGOTIATION SKILLS FOR PROJECT LEADERS * Characteristics of effective negotiators * Classic problem behaviours and mind-sets to avoid * Getting to win-win; building partnership and trust 11 LEADING MORE SENIOR STAKEHOLDERS * The challenges and skills of leading and managing upwards * Communicating with more senior stakeholders; building credibility * Negotiating upwards: knowing when and how * The role of networking skills; building and maintaining rapport * Handling disagreements; the art of diplomacy * Handling personality and style conflicts with more senior people