Leadership Effectiveness Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Team Leaders, Operational Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LD-128

Before you join: Participants should have at least one year of experience supervising staff, coordinating projects or influencing colleagues without direct authority.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Leadership effectiveness is tested when priorities compete, people need different levels of direction, stakeholders disagree, and performance problems require timely action. Managers can achieve short-term output while weakening trust, avoiding difficult conversations or retaining decisions that should sit closer to the work. Effective leaders create clarity, set expectations, build capable teams and maintain accountability without becoming controlling or remote.

This course develops the practical leadership methods needed to lead teams and initiatives with greater consistency. Participants assess their leadership mandate, identify behavioural strengths and derailers, adapt their style to individual capability, communicate decisions clearly and hold productive performance conversations. They use recognised frameworks including RACI, GROW, SBI, ADKAR and the Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes to manage delegation, coaching, conflict, change and cross-functional work. The course also addresses decision quality, stakeholder management, team operating rhythms and leadership credibility.

Instructor-led sessions combine short briefings with cases drawn from public services, banking, international development and corporate operations. Participants analyse realistic leadership situations, practise conversations, compare management choices with peers and receive structured feedback. Each participant builds a Leadership Effectiveness Action Plan containing a leadership purpose statement, stakeholder map, delegation priorities, communication commitments, development actions and 90-day implementation milestones.

The course suits experienced supervisors, team leaders, managers and specialists moving into wider people or project leadership responsibilities. It is particularly valuable for professionals whose results depend on influencing others, improving team performance and leading through organisational change.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess leadership effectiveness using results, relationships, reputation and renewal criteria
  • Diagnose personal leadership strengths, derailers and behavioural triggers using structured feedback
  • Select leadership approaches using Situational Leadership II and delegation risk criteria
  • Conduct feedback, coaching and performance conversations using SBI and GROW
  • Set team expectations through SMARTER objectives, operating standards and review rhythms
  • Resolve conflict using Thomas-Kilmann modes, DESC scripts and interest-based negotiation
  • Make accountable decisions using RAPID, bias checks and pre-mortem analysis
  • Create a 90-day leadership effectiveness action plan with measurable commitments

Benefits of attending

For you

  • A clearer leadership purpose and behavioural commitments for daily management decisions
  • Greater confidence conducting feedback, coaching and difficult performance conversations
  • Practical delegation methods that reduce unnecessary escalation and reverse delegation
  • A repeatable approach for handling conflict without avoiding issues or damaging relationships
  • A 90-day plan linking leadership development priorities to current work responsibilities

For your organisation

  • More consistent management standards across teams, locations and reporting lines
  • Clearer accountability and faster decisions through defined roles and escalation thresholds
  • Improved performance conversations before delivery, conduct or retention issues worsen
  • Better adoption of operational changes through planned stakeholder communication and reinforcement
  • Stronger cross-functional coordination through clearer handoffs, commitments and review routines

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define their leadership mandate, accountabilities and stakeholder expectations.

  • Leadership effectiveness assessed through results, relationships, reputation and renewal
  • Personal leadership purpose linked to team mandate and stakeholder expectations
  • Role clarity using RACI for decision rights and accountabilities
  • Stakeholder mapping by influence, interest, expectations and required engagement
  • Authority, responsibility and accountability distinguished in delegated work
  • Leadership values translated into observable behavioural commitments

Participants can identify behavioural patterns that strengthen or weaken leadership credibility.

  • Johari Window identifies blind spots through feedback and self-disclosure
  • DiSC preferences interpreted cautiously without stereotyping colleagues or direct reports
  • Emotional intelligence domains applied to pressure, conflict and difficult conversations
  • Trigger log connects events, assumptions, emotions, actions and consequences
  • Strengths, derailers and energy drains reviewed against leadership demands
  • Personal development priorities selected using 360-degree feedback evidence

Participants can match leadership behaviour and delegation levels to individual needs and task risk.

  • Situational Leadership II matches direction and support to competence and commitment
  • Task maturity assessed separately from confidence, motivation and demonstrated capability
  • Directing, coaching, supporting and delegating behaviours compared for common scenarios
  • Delegation brief specifies outcome, boundaries, authority, resources, checkpoints and escalation
  • Reverse delegation identified and redirected through ownership questions
  • Follow-up cadence calibrated to risk, capability and decision reversibility

Participants can communicate expectations, decisions and feedback with clarity and respect.

  • Message maps connect purpose, audience, key points and required action
  • SBI feedback frames observations, impact and future requests without personal judgement
  • Active listening uses paraphrasing, probing questions, silence and summary
  • Communication channels selected by urgency, ambiguity, sensitivity and audience reach
  • Town-hall messages address context, decisions, implications and next steps
  • Managing-up conversations present options, recommendation, risks and decision requests

Participants can set measurable expectations and coach employees towards improved performance.

  • SMARTER objectives connect team outputs, measures, owners and review dates
  • Performance expectations set through standards, examples, constraints and priorities
  • One-to-one meetings balance delivery review, support, development and wellbeing
  • GROW coaching structures goal, reality, options and commitment discussions
  • Feedforward requests focus attention on future behaviour and observable improvement
  • Performance gaps diagnosed across skill, will, resources, process and role clarity

Participants can address conflict, poor conduct and disagreement without avoiding accountability.

  • Crucial Conversations model separates facts, stories, feelings and requests
  • Thomas-Kilmann modes selected according to stakes, relationships and time pressure
  • DESC script prepares assertive requests, boundaries and consequences
  • Interest-based negotiation distinguishes positions, interests, options and objective criteria
  • Psychological safety restored after mistakes through inquiry, accountability and learning
  • Bullying, harassment and conduct concerns escalated through appropriate formal channels

Participants can make timely decisions while managing risk, bias and stakeholder input.

  • Decision-quality criteria define purpose, alternatives, evidence, risk and ownership
  • RAPID assigns recommend, agree, perform, input and decide roles
  • Bias checks address anchoring, confirmation bias, groupthink and sunk-cost thinking
  • Pre-mortem analysis identifies failure modes before irreversible commitments
  • Risk matrices compare likelihood, impact, controls, owners and review triggers
  • Escalation thresholds distinguish operational decisions from executive-level decisions

Participants can plan leadership actions that build commitment and sustain change adoption.

  • ADKAR diagnoses awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement gaps
  • Change stakeholder analysis identifies sponsors, resisters, influencers and affected groups
  • Case for change connects operational evidence, human impact and desired outcomes
  • Resistance conversations surface losses, concerns, misinformation and practical barriers
  • Change communications sequence sponsor messages, manager briefings and feedback loops
  • Adoption measures track behaviour, capability, milestones and benefits realisation

Participants can establish team practices that improve coordination, trust and follow-through.

  • Team charter defines purpose, membership, norms, decisions and meeting cadence
  • Tuckman's stages guide interventions during formation, conflict and stabilisation
  • Belbin team roles inform balanced contribution without fixed labels
  • Meeting design separates information sharing, problem-solving, decisions and commitments
  • After-action reviews capture intent, results, causes and agreed improvements
  • Cross-functional handoffs clarified through service levels, dependencies and escalation routes

Participants can translate course methods into measurable leadership routines and a 90-day action plan.

  • Leadership effectiveness dashboard combines outcome, people, stakeholder and improvement measures
  • Weekly operating rhythm aligns priorities, decisions, meetings and communication routines
  • Stakeholder commitments tracked through owners, dates, evidence and follow-up
  • Personal leadership charter states principles, non-negotiables and behavioural commitments
  • 90-day action plan sequences priorities, milestones, support and review points
  • Peer accountability arrangements test progress, obstacles and course corrections

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Leadership mandate and stakeholder mapping template
  2. Situational Leadership II delegation planner
  3. SBI feedback and GROW coaching conversation guides
  4. Team performance and one-to-one meeting checklist
  5. Decision rights and escalation matrix
  6. 90-day Leadership Effectiveness Action Plan

Who should attend

  • Team Leaders — need consistent methods for directing, coaching and holding teams accountable
  • Operational Managers — need stronger control of priorities, performance and cross-functional dependencies
  • Project Managers — need authority and influence methods when leading without formal control
  • Department Heads — need clearer decision rights, stakeholder communication and leadership routines
  • Newly Promoted Managers — need practical structures for leading former peers and setting expectations
  • Technical Specialists — need people leadership skills before assuming wider management responsibility

Skills and tools covered

Adaptive leadershipPerformance coachingStakeholder managementConflict resolutionDecision accountabilityChange leadership

Tools and standards

RACI, GROW coaching model, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, ADKAR model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce each method, followed by case analysis, paired practice, group exercises and facilitated reflection. Cases reflect common management challenges: missed delivery commitments, underperformance, stakeholder conflict, operational change and team handoffs. Participants apply frameworks to their own roles through structured worksheets and receive feedback on leadership choices, communication and action planning. Simulations focus on feedback, coaching, delegation and conflict conversations. The final sessions convert learning into a practical 90-day Leadership Effectiveness Action Plan.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least one year of experience supervising staff, coordinating projects or influencing colleagues without direct authority. They should be familiar with basic organisational goals, reporting lines, meetings and performance expectations. The course assumes participants can reflect on recent workplace situations and discuss them professionally. Prior formal leadership training is not required. No psychometric certification, coaching qualification, management degree or specialist sector knowledge is needed. Participants may attend while preparing for a first management role, provided they can apply the methods to a current team, project or stakeholder challenge.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have experience supervising people, coordinating projects or influencing stakeholders. Formal management training is not required, but you need current or recent work situations to use during application planning.

Bring examples of current leadership challenges, such as a performance issue, delegation problem, change initiative or stakeholder disagreement. A laptop or tablet is useful for completing templates, although course materials are provided.

It is designed for team leaders, managers, project managers, department heads and technical specialists moving into people leadership. It is less suitable for participants seeking only executive strategy or board governance content.

First-time manager courses usually focus on core supervisory responsibilities and transition into management. This course assumes some leadership exposure and places greater emphasis on effectiveness, behavioural impact, adaptive leadership, decision quality, conflict and change.

You will leave with templates for delegation, feedback, coaching, stakeholder management and decision accountability. The 90-day action plan identifies specific leadership behaviours, work priorities, milestones and review points for use with your manager or mentor.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with about 6.5 contact hours daily. Ten modules are taught in sequence across the week, with time for cases, conversation practice, group analysis, feedback and action planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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