Moving up to Leadership for Women

In a fast paced and changing environment, the focus is increasingly on the need for effective leadership, not just good management.

Women aspiring to leadership positions face particular challenges. They often encounter far more rigorous tests to determine their suitability for promotion and must be active in seeking selection for leadership positions.

To create your own opportunities, it is vital that you identify and acquire the characteristics and competencies of an effective leader and integrate these into your personal leadership style.

Through interactive exercises and group discussions, you will gain powerful communication, negotiation and influencing skills which will help you succeed in male oriented working environments.

You will learn how to achieve an assertive, but not aggressive, response style and create and sustain an image of authority. You will also acquire valuable techniques to help you lead, empower and motivate your staff to excel.

Managing and Leading – what’s the difference?

• Shifting from ‘Technician’ to Leader
• The move from ‘Buddy’ to ‘Boss’

Characteristics and Skills of Effective Leaders

• Leadership Traits and Competencies – Personal and Organisational Focus

Identifying your personal ‘Glass Ceilings’

• Demystifying the concept of glass ceilings
• Beliefs and assumptions that might be holding you back
• Taking control of your Self-Talk
• Critical Language Distinctions

Why you are worth it!

• The essential pillars of self-esteem
• Are you your own worst critic?
• Why and how we block our own progress
• Critical language distinctions

Your Natural Leadership Style

• Balancing the ‘Masculine’ and the ’Feminine’
• Exploring Gender differences
• Values-based Leadership

The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership

• The research – Kouzes and Posner
• Practice #1: Challenging the Process
• Practice #2: Inspiring a Shared Vision
• Practice #3: Enabling Others to Act
• Practice #4: Modelling the Way
• Practice #5: Encouraging the Heart
• Activity: application of the practices to your business environment

Personality: Working with differences

• Understanding why people do what they do
• Knowing your own strengths and limitations
• Discovering how you may be perceived by others
• Building behavioural flexibility to work more effectively with difference

Finding Your Voice through Powerful and Authentic Communication

• The litmus test of assertiveness
• Identifying mutual ‘wins’
• Why people don’t listen to you when you’re in conflict

Feedback – Giving & Receiving

• How to conduct an effective feedback session with someone
• Using Questioning Techniques to get to the heart of a matter
• Receiving Feedback Fearlessly!

Your Action plan for the Future

• Identifying achievable First Steps
• Action Partnerships

Sandi has a unique ability to connect with, engage and enthuse her entire audience, irrespective of size, demographic or skill level. Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, and leading-edge educational and learning technologies enable Sandi to inspire people to incorporate new behaviours and attitudes in their daily lives.

With over 25 years of professional experience in training and management, her primary goal is to help people learn, rather than merely tell them what to do. For the past 14 years, Sandi has
worked as a consultant and director of her own company, Knowledge-Able Pty Ltd.

Sandi is skilled in the areas of needs analysis, program design and development, customisation for individual clients and post-program coaching to ensure application of new skills and behaviours in the workplace.