INTRODUCTION
Professional engineers are credited with strong problem solving skills and analytical abilities. Often they are promoted to leadership positions because they are good in doing their job. There is an expectation that brilliance in technical disciplines will translate to leadership excellence overnight. It is however not the same and new leaders soon find out that they need different skills and knowledge to address managerial challenges to lead, inspire and motivate people to perform at their best.
PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
- This training course aims to expand participants’ knowledge of modern strategic analysis and decision making, develop hands-on leadership skills and provide a productive environment to practice business decision making, communication and influence techniques for successful strategy implementation. It is designed to provide a solid foundation in key leadership competencies and to give the attendees the opportunity for a truly transformational leadership experience.As a result of attending the Strategic Thinking and Leadership for Engineers training course, the participants will be able to:
- Appreciate the importance of leadership and strategic thinking in complex business environment
- Recognise the difference between management and leadership
- Assess and apply a range of leadership theories
- Apply a structured framework for strategic analysis and implementation
- Understand and apply key tools and techniques used in strategic management
- Identify and assess strategic options
- Understand the principles of effective implementation of strategy
- Effectively manage stakeholders and deal with organizational change
- Recognise the importance of leadership mindset and personal leadership
- Enhance the leadership skills including setting direction, aligning people, motivating and inspiring
- Understand the role of the leader in building an effective team
- Develop communication and human interaction skills to effectively influence and empower people
- Appreciate the differences in leadership and communication styles
- Recognise and mitigate irrational influences on human behaviour
- Improve group decision processes
- Practice a tried and tested approach for influential business communication
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The Strategic Thinking and Leadership for Engineers training course will benefit professional engineers and new managers who are interested in expanding their strategic thinking and strive to become truly influential leaders. This training course will equally appeal to employees in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
PROGRAM OUTLINE
- Introduction to Leadership
- The role of strategic thinking and leadership in complex business environment
- What do we mean by leadership in the 21st century
- Managing vs leading
- Leadership theory and practical leadership competencies for engineers
- Fundamentals of human decision making and influence
- Strategic thinking for Engineers
- What is strategy?
- Strategic thinking
- Strategic management models and frameworks
- Strategic management process
- Levels of strategy
- Strategic objectives, vision and mission
- Fundamentals of strategic analysis
- Strategic analysis tools and techniques
- Customer and stakeholder analysis
- Understanding the challenges and opportunities facing the business and industry
- Crafting and evaluating strategies through critical thinking
- Formulating and considering alternative solutions
- Rational choice, decisions under certainty, risk and uncertainty
- Contemporary concepts in risk management
- Case study application
- Linking strategy and execution
- Drawing warranted conclusions and making justified recommendations
- Implementation planning and change management considerations
- Barriers to change and techniques to overcome them
- Leading change through personal influence
- Leadership and authority, responsibility, power
- Models of personality and leadership
- Emotional intelligence and leadership
- Understanding and influencing individual perceptions, attitudes and behaviours
- Personal leadership for engineers
- Motivation and performance management
- Developing trust
- Leading groups and teams
- Team development model
- High performing team
- Establishing effective team processes
- Leading the search for effective solutions: minimise bias, maximise buy-in
- Leadership and value generation through effective communication
- Fundamentals of effective communication
- Communication barriers
- Effective communication through recognition of the interpersonal interaction styles
- Developing active listening skills
- Strategic thinking and leadership in negotiations and conflict resolution
- Case study application
- Influence and leadership
- Factors that influence people and decisions
- AIM-FOCUS method of persuasive business communication
- Practical applications: problem solving and influential communication
