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

Session 1: Strategic Cognition

• Defining 'Strategic'
• Three Core Areas of Corporate Strategy
• Process, Content, Context
• Integrating the three core areas through process

Session 2: Leadership Challenges

• Management versus Leadership
• Leadership theories
• Expectations of leaders and their teams
• Identifying leadership traits
• Attributes of an effective leader
• Inspiration, impact, and charisma in leadership versus the "loner"
• Transformational leadership

Case Study/Exercise

Session 3: Formulating a Vision

• 'Mission' vs. 'Vision'
• Causes of strategic plan failure and how to prevent them
• Agreeing on a Robust Vision
• The Need for Clarity and Measurability
• Securing Buy-in to the Vision

Case Study/Exercise

Session 4: Adopting a Strategic Mindset

• Strategic planning and thinking
• Developing techniques to think strategically
• Communication
• Identifying critical skills needed to succeed

Case study/Exercise

Major Case Study Workshop: Participants will work in small groups to agree on a plan to launch a new business or business strategy after carrying out analysis of Current Business Environment and Influences. The plan should assess resources Current Business Environment and Influences against the vision.

Session 5: Analyzing the Current Business Environment and Influences

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

Case Study/Exercise

Session 6: Resource Analysis

Analyzing the Orga isation

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

Case Study/Exercise

Session 7: Motivation and Change Management

• Motivational theory
• Practical motivation
• Money as a motivator
• Change agents
• Resistance to change
• The DREC curve
• Approaches to change management

Case Study/Exercise

Session 8: Formulating the Strategy

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

Case Study/Exercise

Session 9: Projects and Success Metrics

• New Projects Vs Business as Usual
• The need for KPM's
• 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 Execution Process

• Resource allocation, strategic planning and control
• Planning tools
• Objectives
• Tasks
• Communications
• Resource Allocation
• Resource characteristics
• Building the team
• Projects Vs 'Business as Usual'

Case Study/Exercise

Session 11: Managing Strategic Change and Conflict Resolution

• The necessity of conflict – is it healthy
• Conflict as a problem
• The causes of conflict
• Managing, mitigating and/or avoiding conflict
• The impact of change and managing the effects
• Communicating the benefits of change to the organization
• Minimizing the downside
• Keeping the plan on track

Case Study/Exercise

Session 12: Evaluating Your Team

• Preparatory work
• Personnel files
• Work Records
• Other colleagues
• Meetings
• Discussion groups and Forums

Case Study/Exercise: Two delegates will role play manager/team member at an initial encounter. Group will de-brief in friendly manner and discuss.

Session 13: Managing People

• Management styles
• Behavioural styles
• Bank cultural style
• Bank and management policy style
• Your personal style
• 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 styles
• Corporate/Management style
• Oral, written, electronic
• Encouraging two way communication
• Encouraging esprit de corps
• Using "Top down" directives
• 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 institutions style, 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 move from Team member to Supervisor
• The role in ensuring my Team achieves Team goals
• Ensuring the Team continuously improves
• Managing the whole role – time management and effective goal setting
• Leadership 'Presence' – looking like the Leader
• The Influence of Supervisor Behaviour – on the Team, on each Team Member
• 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: Problem Management

• Dealing informally, semi formally and formally
• Methods of problem solving
• Enlisting help and guidance
• Resolution
• Referral

Case Study/Exercise: Your staff are not performing because there is too much work. Your boss disagrees and tells you to manage. How do you handle this seemingly impossible brief?

Session 18: Motivation

• Basic motivating factors
• Creating the right environment
• Carrot/stick approach
• Nurturing
• 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
• Avoiding overkill
• Monitoring
• What is trade finance

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
• 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 Evaluations

• Importance
• Objective
• Remuneration considerations
• Appraisal
• 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?