ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course has a focus on supporting you in making changes in your department.

Whether you are established as a head of department but need to make some changes, or new to the role with ideas, or aspiring to a role where you will likely make change, we’ll share ideas and strategies to support you.

People react to change differently, and having a toolkit of ideas to support each person uniquely will help smooth transitions in your department. We’ll look at how we can unify a team around change and then how you can flex your style with people to ensure they are supported through the stages of change.

We’ll also look at how the pressures on your time will likely change and how you can therefore balance your time effectively to maintain effectiveness in the short term, whilst looking forward to innovate.

You will leave with a range of tools and strategies to ensure moving forward in your department is a positive experience. You will also leave with an increased awareness of how people may react, allowing you to quickly step in with the right approach to support them.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Learn a range of leadership styles to allow you to create impact when it matters
• Explore how we can engage people’s hearts and minds in times of change to get support from your team
• Learn to connect every member of your team with your department vision to ensure everyone recognises and feels accountable for their role in a successful department.
• Hone management skills and techniques to ensure the effective, efficient running of your department
• Explore new ways of delivering feedback to ensure it is impactful and engaging.
• Increase your awareness of how people react to change to ensure you can offer the right support to each individual to bring them along with you
• Step back and explore how your time is invested and if you have the right balance to give you the capacity to manage continuity and strive for change at the same time.

Session 1: Exploring the behaviours of an outstanding and inspirational Head of Department

In times of change, it is important to be confident and authentic as a leader. We’ll look at who you are, and the unique style you have developed. We will then go on to look at the full range of styles of leadership and how each can be used to the greatest effect at different times. You’ll leave with a mini-tool-kit and the confidence to flex your style to create impact with your team

Session 2: Winning hearts and minds in times of change – setting exciting and challenging departmental visions

In times of change, people often start to pull in different directions, there are likely those who like the idea of your changes and those who will resist and opt for continuity. Setting exciting visions for what you are trying to achieve, above that of the day-to-day is a great way to achieve collaborative agreement and gives you a tool to fall back on when elements of your change struggle to gain engagement.

We’ll explore the components of visions, how they fit into department development plans and how individuals’ goals can support them. You will leave with a starting point for you and your team to take forward together.

Session 3: Effective techniques to drive departmental improvement

When pushing change forward, you need to balance your role as a manager, running a tight, effective, efficient department with your role as a leader, exciting people with your change. Here we’ll look at some of the pieces of the jigsaw to help you in your role as a manager.

Running effective meetings, ensuring appraisals are engaging, delivering impactful feedback are all skills you need to ensure you create long term, sustainable departmental improvement.

Session 4: Winning your department over in each of the stages of change

We all react a bit differently to change. Some of us are excited by it, others are fearful. Here, we’ll explore the different stages people are likely to go through during the process of change. We’ll look at how they might react and how you can flex your style of management to best support them. We’ll learn to recognise where different members of our team are at with a change and therefore come up with strategies to support each one.

Session 5: Balancing your time as a head of a department

When bringing change into a department, we are often starting to think strategically and further into the future. This creates another dynamic to balance, as you need to retain a focus on the day-to-day alongside reaching out into the future. We’ll explore where your time is currently invested, and if that is the right balance for you to drive your department forward whilst maintaining standards through the process.