Advanced Leadership Skills: Leading Teams, Influence and Decision-Making – Paris, 25 Oct – 5 Nov 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Many organisations have experienced managers whose teams still stall: decisions wait for the manager, conflict goes underground, accountability is unclear and influence stops at the department boundary. This two-week Advanced Leadership Skills course from CoreConcept addresses that gap. Week one builds capability in leadership models, style choice, team trust, delegation and decision-making. Week two adds influence without authority, ethical accountability, leading across the organisation and measuring leadership effectiveness. Through role-play and case practice, each participant builds a Leadership Impact Plan for their own team and organisation.

Course Objectives:

• Apply Situational Leadership and transformational leadership behaviours to choose and adapt a leadership style to individual team members and situations.
• Diagnose team problems with Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team and rebuild trust, productive conflict and peer accountability.
• Delegate work and make structured team decisions using decision rights matrices and options appraisal.
• Influence peers, senior managers and other departments without formal authority through persuasive business cases and stakeholder engagement plans.
• Lead with ethics and accountability, recognising leadership derailers and escalating team risks early.
• Set performance expectations, sustain engagement and measure leadership effectiveness through a Leadership Impact Plan.

Target Audience:

• Managers responsible for leading departments or functional units and their results
• Team leaders accountable for the daily performance and development of several direct reports
• Project and programme managers who lead cross-functional teams without line authority
• Managers in technical or specialist functions taking on broader people leadership responsibility
• Operations and service managers responsible for team engagement, standards and delivery

Course Outline:

Day 1: Leadership Foundations and Personal Credibility

• Leadership Versus Management Role Mapping Grid
• Leadership Theory Timeline from Trait Approaches to Transformational Leadership
• 360-Degree Leadership Self-Assessment
• Personal Values and Leadership Purpose Statement
• Credibility and Trust Audit for Line Leaders

Day 2: Leadership Models and Style Choice

• Situational Leadership: Matching Style to Follower Readiness
• Transformational Leadership Behaviour Profile
• Directive, Participative and Delegative Style Selection Matrix
• Leadership Style Flexibility Diagnostic
• Style Adaptation Role-Play with Observer Feedback Sheet

Day 3: Leading Teams and Building Trust

• Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team Diagnostic
• Team Charter and Working Agreements Template
• Productive Conflict Conversations Using Structured Debate Protocols
• Commitment and Clarity Checks with Meeting Decision Summaries
• Peer Accountability Routines and Team Commitments Board

Day 4: Delegation, Decision-Making and Leadership Tools

• Delegation Levels Ladder and Task Handover Brief
• Decision Rights Matrix for Team Leaders
• Options Appraisal Grid for Structured Team Decisions
• Root Cause Questioning and Issue Tree Mapping
• Team Workload, Capacity and Priorities Dashboard

Day 5: Week-One Integration Case Study

• Guided Case: Underperforming Cross-Functional Project Team
• Style Diagnosis and Intervention Plan for the Case Team
• Delegation and Decision Rights Redesign for the Case
• Role-Play: Resetting Expectations with the Case Team
• Leadership Impact Plan First Draft Sections

Day 6: Influence, Persuasion and Leadership Communication

• Influence Without Authority Using Coalition and Reciprocity Mapping
• Persuasive Business Case Structure for Senior Audiences
• Leadership Storytelling Canvas for Direction Messages
• Difficult Performance Conversations Using Observed-Behaviour Feedback
• Interest-Based Preparation Sheet for Cross-Department Resource Negotiations

Day 7: Ethical Leadership, Accountability and Leadership Risk

• Ethical Dilemma Resolution Framework for Managers
• Leader Accountability Map for Decisions and Outcomes
• Speak-Up Channels and Escalation Protocols for Team Risks
• Conflict of Interest Declarations and Fair Treatment Checks
• Leadership Derailers Risk Review and Mitigation Plan

Day 8: Leading Across the Organisation: Vision, Stakeholders and Culture

• Department Vision and Direction Statement
• Stakeholder Influence Map and Engagement Plan
• Upward Leadership Brief for the Senior Manager Relationship
• Cross-Functional Alignment Through Shared Objective Cascades
• Team Culture Assessment and Desired Behaviours Charter

Day 9: Leading Performance, Engagement and Leadership Metrics

• Performance Expectations Framework with Goal and Standard Statements
• Motivation Drivers Interview and Engagement Action Plan
• Team Engagement Pulse Survey Design
• Leadership Effectiveness KPIs and Team Balanced Scorecard
• 360-Degree Feedback Follow-Up and Peer Leader Benchmarking

Day 10: Capstone: Leadership Impact Plan

• Own-Organisation Leadership Diagnostic Summary
• Priority Leadership Behaviours and Team Action Commitments
• Stakeholder and Influence Action Schedule
• Peer Review Panel Presentation of the Leadership Impact Plan
• Ninety-Day Implementation Roadmap and Personal Review Checkpoints

Skills You Will Gain:

• Leadership Style Adaptation
• Team Trust Building
• Delegation Planning
• Structured Team Decision-Making
• Persuasive Leadership Communication
• Stakeholder Mapping
• Ethical Judgement
• Leadership Effectiveness Measurement

Why Attend This Course:

• Lead a mixed-experience team with a deliberate style choice rather than habit, and see the difference in engagement and output.
• Resolve recurring team friction, slow decisions and unclear ownership using tested diagnostics and rehearsed conversations.
• Practise presenting to and negotiating with senior peers, with observer feedback on every attempt.
• Return with a peer-reviewed Leadership Impact Plan and ninety-day roadmap ready to apply to your own team.

Conclusion:

Leadership at the managerial level is judged by what teams achieve when the leader is not in the room. This course moves participants from understanding leadership models to applying them in rehearsed conversations, structured decisions and deliberate influence across the organisation. By the final day, each participant has tested their approach against peers, received observer feedback and assembled a Leadership Impact Plan with a ninety-day roadmap, giving them a practical basis for leading their teams with clearer direction, stronger trust and measurable results.