Leadership skills training
People challenges are some of the most critical and difficult parts of leadership. Whether you meet your cultural, legal, regulatory, and inclusion commitments depends on the skill and competence of a critical group: your leaders. Ultimately, it is this group who determine whether your people are engaged, developed and reach their potential, or whether you are exposed to people risk. They are accountable and you need to support them. That’s where byrne·dean’s leadership skills training comes in. Get in touch today to find out more.
We support leaders to understand their impact during periods of change, manage associated risks, and build the skills needed to lead confidently. Our training fosters clarity, compassion, and proactive communication, enabling leaders to guide teams effectively.
We offer a foundation session and a longer, deep-dive, session for leaders. Our foundation session provides core awareness of the critical importance of EDI, what makes a workplace inclusive and what can get in the way of that. The session is interactive, thought-provoking and sometimes challenging, as it encourages leaders to investigate their own biases and understand their role in bringing about change. Our longer experiential workshop (often with actors) empowers leaders to competently implement that change with confidence, focussing on specific areas such as recruitment, decision-making or work allocation.
These sessions focus on the importance of effective communication and giving constructive feedback as an on-going management practice. We look at a manager’s role when there is a difficult conversation. We explore what makes a conversation difficult (often emotions), why many managers would rather avoid them (attitudes to conflict), and the problems that can follow when they do. The session helps managers understand these obstacles and enables them to begin to practice and develop the skills and confidence necessary to navigate them.
Accountability for leadership conduct and people risk has never before held such a high cost. This session encourages leaders to reflect on how they deal with day-to-day situations and what conduct they are seen to condone, challenge or champion. We highlight their responsibility to align their actions with the values of their organisation, think more deeply about their behaviour and intervene proactively when problematic conduct arises.
This session takes our Working with respect course and tailors it for leaders, focussing on setting a respectful tone in a workplace and role modelling healthy behaviours.
Menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the workplace in the UK, though research from our partner GenM tells us that the overwhelming majority of women experiencing it feel unsupported and alone.
This presents a huge opportunity for organisations to change their workplace for the better. But it’s a sensitive topic, which requires empathy, confidence, and communication skills from all of your people. Our training sessions and strategy services can help.
- Leadership training to secure senior sponsorship
Sponsorship from your most senior leaders - the tone from the top – is key to any change initiative but particularly with something as sensitive and historically taboo as the menopause. We help senior sponsors to buy-into changing your workplace culture to support menopause. We help them understand thewhy(the benefits of inclusion), thewhat(the impact of menopause on your people and your business) and crucially, thehow: proactively and consistently demonstrating authenticity, vulnerability, compassion and understanding to your people.
- Menopause-inclusive managers training
Managers are critical culture carriers. In a recent study, 69% of people said their managers had the greatest impact on their mental health, on par with the impact of their partner (UKG). However for many managers there remains some uncertainty as to what they can say with their employees and how to do it - particularly when it comes to menopause. We get managers to understand the huge impact they have, why they need to buy-into cultural initiatives and how to take action (and importantly initiative) to support their teams. We use a blend of tools and approaches – both in person and digital - to equip your managers to communicate authentically with colleagues around menopause.
- Workplace conversations on menopause
Research consistently tells us that most effective organisations are the ones that have quality conversations. We help you realise a workplace where all colleagues feel safe to practice open dialogue around menopause. We ensure your people are aware of what menopause is, how it might impact people and we provide practical ways to support colleagues with empathy and respect. We can do this a number of ways to suit your organisation and people – in person, virtually or through digital learning or a blend.
Leaders’ set the tone - they are culture cultivators who are crucial in creating psychological safe environments that reduce stigma around mental health and foster openness and connectivity. Building on our foundation session above, this session focuses on leaders’ roles and responsibilities around mental health, how to have better conversations, listen effectively, and spot warning signs.
This is a highly participatory session for people managers of all levels across the globe. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their communication and management style, what they say and write and how they impact those around them. We explore how to build trust and prevent issues from escalating. We help managers understand the legal context they are operating in, giving guidance on key risk areas (dismissal, discrimination, harassment to name just a few).
We have a deep understanding of workplace behaviour and wellbeing issues.
We are in tune with the emotional complexities of any professional working environment and have relevant, real world experience, making us credible, commercial and relatable. It is this collective power of our experience that elevates the quality of our work.
The latest thinking from our team
Sexual harassment at work: tick-box training is not enough.
Guest Q&A – Hasting Direct’s Wellbeing Manager
Let’s get connected.
Our highly experienced team of workplace behaviour and wellbeing experts are here to help. Drop us a line for world class guidance and advice.
Training
World class sessions in mental health & wellbeing, equity, diversity & inclusion, workplace behaviour, legal & risk, leadership and skills - delivered in person, virtually or via digital learning modules, to individuals and groups of any size.
Resolution
Helping to resolve workplace behaviour concerns with investigations, mediations and independent partnering.
Strategy
Recommending the best HR and people strategies – from inclusion and wellbeing to instilling cultural change – expertly and with objectivity.