Leadership and Business Courses

Root Cause Analysis is a set of methodologies within the field of quality management and quality control. Over the years, with the increasing complexity of systems, processes and manufacturing there has come a need for staff to be able to efficiently analyse problems and find key faults in a given system. Root Cause Analysis or RCA provides a set of tools that facilitate this process.
This course is centred around a set of useful tools within RCA that can help a variety of fault finding applications. The best way to learn these techniques is by example and plenty of examples are provided in the course. Delegates then get to practice these techniques by going through a number of exercises.

What makes a job interesting? How can you motivate people to do more? How can you keep your team happy? These are the questions that anyone in a leading role asks. What motivates people is a question that has intrigued humanity for a long time. What makes this subject crucially important is that once you know what motivates people, you can benefit in several ways:
• You understand people better and as a result can create an environment that is more ideal for them.
• You can influence people based on what motivates them to change their behaviour towards a desired direction.
• You can learn to motivate yourself, so you can become more productive and satisfied.

Great products and services are made and delivered by great teams. Working in a successful and happy team is extremely satisfying. The cooperative atmosphere, the ease of achieving big results and the sense of significance of belonging to a successful team is very appealing. Working as part of such optimal teams is the dream of any individual and organisation.
This course focuses on transforming a group of people to a team of motivated individuals who work smoothly towards a common goal. Delegates are introduced to the concept of Team Roles and explore different ways of recognising and establishing their roles within the team. This knowledge enables team workers to manage their roles and responsibilities in the team and avoid gaps or overlaps in roles.

Suppose you have been in charge of a team and have been leading them for a while. You have followed management guidelines and tried hard to bring people together to improve communications and truly illustrate the importance of cooperative teamwork.
As a result, the team became better, took on bigger projects and delivered successful results, either in the form of services or generating new products.

However, after a while, you may start to notice that the team is beginning to get ahead of itself. Due to their past success, they start to feel invincible. Their success means they stop listening or observing what is happening around them. They ignore the obvious signals that the market is changing. They are so eager to agree with each other on all accounts that they become afraid of raising their concerns even when they can clearly see a given decision will be disastrous.

This course covers a wide range of topics such as negotiation strategy, game theory, psychological tactics, human emotional states, bargaining and so on which prepares delegates for a variety of situations that require negotiation. Case studies and scenarios such as business to business negotiations, sales scenarios and product presentations are provided along with slides, animations and illustrations that better help to show how bargaining tactics are played out. Real world negotiation examples are examined in detail and delegates are then asked to participate in similar setups to use the negotiation principles discussed in the course. Comprehensive step-by-step instructions are provided for trainers to help delegates understand the core principles of negotiation and monitor their progress through practicals.

Do you suffer from having to deal with too many e-mails? Do you follow a task management system, but still get overwhelmed by all the tasks that need doing? Do you suffer from information overload? Do you constantly feel like you want to check your social media site right in the middle of work? Do you attend too many time-wasting meetings and wish you could somehow avoid them?
The secret to keeping an effective time management system is to constantly review it and make sure you don’t gradually fall back to bad habits. This course provides a series of advanced guidelines for those who want to push the boundaries and stay on top of their workloads. It follows from Intermediate Time Management assuming that delegates already have a system of time management in place and are familiar with fundamental productivity techniques. Usually, anyone who is in need of an advanced course on productivity is likely to be a knowledge worker. The course specifically caters for their needs providing numerous examples, case studies and ways to take advantage of what technology can offer.

“A brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.”
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon
What is an image? Why some people seem to have a persona and a grand reputation that makes you be in owe of them before you have even met them? How does image relate to a person’s success?

Today, with the breath-taking advances in information technology, we are more connected than ever before. There is also a lot more competition and people all over the planet are competing with one another to provide products and services. In such a competitive work, what comes to define a person’s output is their brand. Much like branding being a crucial part of a company’s marketing strategy, personal branding is just as important to anyone operating in any market.

Assertive staff are extremely lucrative to companies because they can express themselves freely, get things done, don’t take no for an answer (which is useful when dealing with clients) while at the same time appear polite, professional and fair.
This course contains many practical, step-by step guidelines on how to approach others and construct sentences to get maximum results. Delegates will learn about the right attitudes, body language, styles of communication and psychology behind manners such as passive-aggressive behaviour. Delegates also learn how to stay in control and project that feeling into others as well.

This course aims to provide several established techniques that are suitable for different kinds of delegates. The course can be offered to people who need to learn how to control their temper when they find themselves challenged or in conflicts. It is also useful for people who might suffer from repetitive expressions of anger who can systematically address their behaviour using the techniques provided in this course.

Participants learn to use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to manage thier Self-Talk and understand the root cause of anger. This course takes advantage of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and provides valuable techniques to manage self-talk and help people understand the root cause of anger.

To deliver a great presentation you must use all of these domains, which means you must master the following:

• Understand the psychology of your audience and prepare your message accordingly to appeal to their emotions and get maximum results.
• Create a “wow” factor by using the latest IT tools and technology to put your ideas together and organise your content.
• Appeal to the artistic side of your audience and design your presentation to look professional.
• Deliver with confidence to show that you understand your own content and appear convincing.
• Leave a long lasting positive effect on your audience so that they would never forget your message.

Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP is a body of knowledge that explicitly deals with enhancing your mind. NLP examines patterns of behaviour and helps people increase their self-awareness. Effectively, people can use NLP to reprogram their mind, change the patterns of their thoughts and emotional behaviours. NLP brings together three distinct areas of neuroscience, linguistics and behavioural patterns.

Much has been discovered in the past 30 years on Emotional Intelligence and countless studies show its incredible role in an individual’s success. It has been shown that, Emotional Intelligence or EI, can be even more critical than the power of the cognitive brain usually measured with IQ. In others words, if you want to succeed, you would be much better off working on your soft skills, empathy, communication skills, understanding others and so on than to become better only at a specific technical skill. Consider the following selection of quotes and studies:
“Comparing the three domains, I found that for jobs of all kinds, emotional competencies were twice as prevalent among distinguishing competencies as were technical skills and purely cognitive abilities combined. In general the higher a position in an organization, the more EI mattered: for individuals in leadership positions, 85 percent of their competencies were in the EI domain.”

This course follows on from Emotional Intelligence course and allows delegates to focus more specifically on personal skills using a variety of examples, case studies, example conversations and techniques to master each EI competency. Delegates explore topics such as self-esteem, behaviour cycle, positive versus negative thinking, handling fear, motivation, power phrases and so on. You can use this course in combination with EI: Interpersonal Skills to cover all competencies within EI.
The course contains numerous exercises that are designed to raise delegate’s awareness and help them think about critical behaviours. The aim is to change the point of view of those who might have habitually used certain behaviours without realising the full effect of them when used on others. Awareness raising discussions and interactive exercises help delegates to significantly change their behaviour using simple yet powerful techniques.

In today’s competitive world, standing out requires strong personality, uniqueness and a level of impact above and beyond anything ordinary. Having a strong and positive presence can open up doors, get people to listen, pay attention, to buy, to commit and to support you which in turn can boost your confidence, increase your chances of success and prepare you to face new challenges.
Those with strong personalities are always remembered well by others. People go quiet and pay attention when such characters talk. They are almost automatically expected to take control, be in charge and lead others and their views and decisions are often respected. What makes these people different from the rest of us? Why is it that some people are listened to, respected and followed while others are ignored and lost in the background?

ometimes we find ourselves in an unpleasant conversation. Most people have a strong urge to avoid such conversations. Some adopt a “silent treatment” as a way to avoid the issues. Others avoid the person altogether so they never end up in such situation.
The problem however is not always other people or the nature of the conversation, but the way we handle it. Knowing how to handle difficult conversations such as providing feedback when somebody had done something wrong, delivering bad news and apologising is critical in maintaining and strengthening our relationships with others whether at work or in our personal life.

This course follows on from Communication Skills and aims to expand deeper into many sources of miscommunication. It provides several easy-to-use soft skills techniques that can be employed in establishing rapport with others, strengthening relationships and avoiding common conversational traps. In particular, the course covers areas such as probing and understanding other people’s perceptions, understanding intentions and their impact, taking responsibility and avoiding blame.

The systematic design of this course facilitates understanding conflict, detecting signs of conflict escalation, responding to such signs with appropriate action and finally using effective techniques to resolve the conflict.
This course focuses on positive and productive aspects of conflicts and explains how we can benefit from situations which are often perceived as negative and destructive. Conflicts, if managed correctly, increase understanding and wisdom.

Delegates will be introduced to a variety of psychological tactics sometimes used by others as a way to create a conflict. Understanding such tactics and mind games enables one to prepare and respond effectively in order to prevent a conflict.
Delegates will also explore emotional skills critical in dealing with other people and learn how to control their emotions as well as those of others and guide the debate towards a win/win outcome.

The rich selection of scenarios and exercises in this course will help delegates to master these skills quickly and efficiently.

This course covers many areas related to persuasion such as understanding human psychology, how people make decisions, telling good stories, boosting confidence, emotional persuasion and so on. Each technique is presented with numerous examples in different settings. A variety of areas are explored such as one-to-one conversations, writing a pitch, giving a speech and writing and delivering a persuasive story.

Since persuasion is a general skill that touches on many areas of human behaviour, the best way to become better at is to address each area separately and practice it using isolated exercises. This is indeed the approach taken in this course as delegates get to focus on various areas in isolation until they become better in each of them. At the end, delegates are placed in realistic scenarios using a number of general persuasion exercises and are encouraged to use all their skills in synchrony.

We often have to deal with difficult people in our professional environment and sometimes even in our personal everyday life. Any interaction or communication with such people can prove challenging and consumes a lot of our time and energy. Such situations can easily turn emotional and unproductive with long term effects on relationships.
Fortunately difficult people are well studied and psychologists have found a great deal on the origin of their behaviour and subsequently on how best to deal with them based on their inherent weaknesses. This course relies heavily on the latest psychological research and provides several concise easy-to-use formulas that delegates can use to deal with challenging situations promptly.
The course is packed with exercises, relevant case studies and role plays that enables delegates to understand the methods better and practice them immediately after introduction. Optional activities and exercises are also provided to easily extend the course and adjust the pace for different needs.

During the course of many conversations we end up asking some questions. We ask questions for a variety of reasons; we may want to obtain more information, show that we are following the other person, or sometimes we may want to challenge them. Whatever the need, knowing what to ask and how to ask is a critical skill within communication that if mastered can pay huge dividends.
The best way to learn about different styles of questions is through examples. In this course all questions types are defined followed by examples so delegates can clearly see how they work in practice. Numerous real world conversations are also provided to demonstrate clearly how an exchange containing specific questions would work in practice. Bad questions are also explored which help the delegates to see their effect on a conversation and how these questions could change the way others look at them after asking such questions.

Have you ever felt that you could have performed a lot better after you had a conversation with someone? Did you wonder why you didn’t handle it better? Have you ever said ‘Yes’ to someone’s request when what you really wanted to say was ‘No’? You deal with people professionally and personally everyday. Any new skill that improves your communication with your colleagues, bosses, clients and your family can have profound effects on your self-esteem, personality and subsequently your productivity. We all know how miscommunication can lead to inefficiencies and cost us dearly.
Influencing is a skill that we simply learn as we grow up by copying others around us or based on our experience in life. However, this can be limiting as we may never come across certain techniques and fail to understand that there could be an easier way to influence others. Fortunately, a systematic training such as this course can significantly help individuals to become better at this skill.

Business Acumen is a topic all about our ability to understand the ‘bigger picture’ – i.e. regarding our role in the business and how we can enhance the performance and returns that we are in control of. It also relates to our quickness and keenness in understanding and dealing with a business ‘situation’ (i.e. risks and opportunities) in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome.

Objectives:

Business acumen is a topic all about our ability to understand the ‘bigger picture’ – i.e. regarding our role in the business and how we can enhance the performance and returns that we are in control of. It also relates to our quickness and keenness in understanding and dealing with a business ‘situation’ (i.e. risks and opportunities) in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome.

This intensive course provides a solid introduction to the skills and techniques consultants need to deliver real value to clients. It explores the key steps that consultants should follow in order to appraise situations, prior to making effective diagnosis for their clients. It then follows the diagnosis through delivery and the close stages of an engagement / project.

• Build effective consultancy skills by examining various techniques and tools for client consultation
• Conduct a self appraisal of key skill gaps and focus in order to develop a learning plan
• Evaluate the personal skills required for a consultant to build rapport and credibility – striving for a positive working relationship
• Learn the importance and techniques to question and listen effectively
• Address challenging behaviours and client resistance when it occurs
• How to set and manage client expectations

This two-day Project Management Course is one of our core programmes which helps delegates to approach and understand the topic of project management; and learn the benefits from applying a solid framework and applying project processes throughout their own projects.

The course uses a case study to bring the topic to life in order for delegates to understand the context of the various methodologies.

Objectives:

This course will provide delegates with an understanding of project management and the fundamentals of project management. It will take them through the project management stages of initiating the project through to formal close. Delegates will learn about the importance of developing a ‘work breakdown structure’ from which flows the schedule, the resource allocation and ultimately a more detailed pricing plan.

This course takes managers through the fundamentals of project management. Taking delegates through the project lifecycle and project management methodologies that will assist in their involvement and delivery for projects at work. It is designed to be interactive and engaging, but will also provide the tools to take away for instant use.

The aim of this one-day course is to introduce the topic and key concepts of Project Management to delegates who are new to the topic, and involved in small to medium sized projects

Stakeholder Management involves the process of developing and maintaining good relationships with the people that you are promoting / servicing on a key engagement
(e.g. large sale or important project). This engagement may be in a business-to-business setting or an internal project dynamic. The level of engagement will normally be at Director and Board levels.

Objectives:

This advanced course provides knowledge and insight into the topic, and a framework that delegates can use to engage with senior personnel in their work environments. It also explores the personal behavioural aspects that form a key building block to establishing these relationships where the intent is to build ‘Trust.’

At the ‘Executive’ and ‘Senior’ levels the conversation and expectations are very different to standard everyday work interactions/discussions. The communication of knowledge and listening skills become paramount to being successful for the provider.

Change is all around us in the business world. Sometimes it is in incremental stages, and at other times it is necessary for a large change to the way your organisation operates. It is essential that business leaders are prepared with the knowledge and skills to lead their teams through change.

Objectives:

• Why change happens and is instrumental in business development and growth

• Recognise and acknowledge people’s individual reactions to change; and to understand where their concerns, fears and excitement comes from

• Understand the need to build and develop trust and emotional awareness in teams who are undergoing change – especially when leading the change

• How to develop an effective change communication strategy and how to ensure that the feedback loop assist in conveying the right messages

• How to approach resistance (which is a natural stage) and how to address people who may entrench their resistance

• How to drive for positive engagement and what good change management looks like

Teams are an important block of a successful organisation. Whether the focus is on service, quality, performance or similar goals, teams are the basic unit that supports most organisations. This course is developed to build the confidence of the remote manager who is tasked with leading.
Remote and virtual working is now here to stay. This has disrupted many managers from their understood framework of engagement with their teams. In order to assist and provide the necessary tools to engage and strive for improved productivity this course explores and highlights the best ways to drive for motivation and engagement.

Objectives:

• How to embrace and manage a remote engagement model
• How to develop a strategy for building a team identity and culture
• The best ways to ensure that the team deliver results and people are held to account
• The appropriate ways to develop your people, show recognition and appreciation
• Show various leadership approaches and learn about the mindset shift that is needed when we don’t have team visibility daily

During this course delegates will learn how to see communication and collaboration tools to effectively lead virtual teams. They will learn how to deliver results continuously across multi-site and international environment.

The ‘Step up to Leadership’ course provides the opportunity for those who are either new to the manager / leader role, or who have transitioned without formal training support. This course will help those who need a reference framework and handy toolkit to begin setting about the role with vigour and structure.

Objectives:

To be able to understand a leaders framework that can be utilised across industry – in a developing world

For those directors and leaders who have covered several manager and leader courses in the past, and would like to refresh their knowledge and understanding of those vital principles - this course will help refresh and re-energise them by introducing some of the latest leadership thinking.

Objectives:

To look at how times are changing with the new workforce and the engagement approaches that encourage engagement and drive in the workforce.

This three-day course offers participants an in-depth exploration of effective change management strategies. Throughout the program, we will focus on establishing the foundations for successful change by delving into four key areas: organizational change, individual change, communication and stakeholder engagement, and practical change management application. These areas collectively equip participants with the skills to create a comprehensive change management plan, ensuring smooth and effective transitions within their organisations.

This two-day course allows participants to expand upon their foundational knowledge of change management and deepen their understanding of practical change management techniques.

Before the course begins, participants will receive preparatory materials to ensure they are well-prepared. Participants are also expected to bring a copy of the core textbook, ``The Effective Change Manager's Handbook.``

Successfully passing the examination qualifies participants for exemption from the knowledge level requirements for Foundation membership of the Change Management Institute.