Reflective Leadership Development Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Senior Managers, Middle Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LD-179

Before you join: Participants should have experience managing people, projects, stakeholders or operational responsibilities, and should be able to discuss real leadership situations without disclosing confidential details.

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

Reflective leadership addresses a common management problem: capable leaders can act quickly yet repeat unhelpful patterns because they do not examine the assumptions, emotions, power dynamics and evidence shaping their decisions. Under pressure, a manager may avoid difficult feedback, over-control a team, misread stakeholder resistance or make a decision that conflicts with stated values. Structured reflection creates the discipline to pause, test interpretations and choose a more deliberate response.

This course develops practical reflective habits for managers leading people, projects, services and change. Participants use Schön’s reflective practice, Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, the Ladder of Inference and Johari Window to examine leadership incidents. They strengthen self-awareness, emotional regulation, listening, inquiry, feedback, ethical judgement and systems thinking. The course also addresses cognitive bias, psychological safety, role power, conflict patterns and the translation of reflection into observable leadership behaviour.

Teaching combines concise tutor input with case analysis, guided reflection, peer discussion, group exercises, leadership simulations and structured application planning. Participants work with realistic incidents such as a failed programme handover, a team performance concern, a disputed operational decision or stakeholder resistance to change. They leave with a personal reflective leadership plan, a repeatable incident review template, a values-based decision checklist and selected behaviour commitments for use with their teams.

The course is suited to experienced supervisors, managers, technical specialists moving into people leadership, project leaders and functional heads. It is particularly relevant where leadership judgement, staff relationships, public accountability, client trust or cross-functional delivery are central to results.

What you will be able to do

  • Apply Schön’s reflective practice to analyse leadership incidents and response choices
  • Use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to produce evidence-based incident reviews
  • Identify cognitive biases, emotional triggers and assumptions affecting management judgement
  • Conduct reflective conversations using active listening, inquiry and Ladder of Inference techniques
  • Give and receive developmental feedback using the SBI feedback model
  • Assess leadership decisions against stakeholder impact, values and ethical principles
  • Map team dynamics and systemic causes using causal loop diagrams
  • Create a 90-day reflective leadership development plan with measurable behaviour commitments

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Clearer awareness of personal triggers, assumptions and leadership habits
  • A repeatable method for reviewing difficult management incidents
  • More credible feedback and performance conversations with staff
  • Better judgement under ambiguity, conflict and stakeholder pressure
  • A focused 90-day plan for changing observable leadership behaviours

For your organisation

  • Managers make more considered decisions before issues become escalations
  • Teams receive clearer feedback, listening and follow-through from leaders
  • Leadership responses align more closely with organisational values and accountability
  • Recurring people and delivery problems are examined for underlying causes
  • Development investment produces documented behaviour commitments and review actions

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can distinguish reflective leadership from habitual management responses and analyse a leadership incident.

  • Schön’s reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action distinctions for managerial judgement
  • Kolb learning cycle linked to leadership incidents and behavioural choices
  • Reflective leadership compared with technical problem-solving and habitual response patterns
  • Critical incidents selected using consequence, uncertainty, emotion and stakeholder impact
  • Assumptions, feelings, actions and results separated within incident accounts
  • Confidentiality boundaries for reflecting on staff, clients and sensitive decisions

Participants can assess how identity, values and personal patterns influence their leadership behaviour.

  • Johari Window used to examine known, hidden and blind leadership behaviours
  • Leadership identity shaped by role expectations, experience and personal values
  • Personal values ranked against difficult workplace choices and competing commitments
  • Emotional triggers identified through body signals, thoughts and recurring reactions
  • Strengths overused under pressure and their unintended effects on colleagues
  • Reflective journal entries structured around event, meaning, learning and next action

Participants can test interpretations and recognise biases before acting on incomplete information.

  • Ladder of Inference traces data selection, meaning-making and action choices
  • Confirmation bias challenged through disconfirming evidence and alternative explanations
  • Attribution errors separated from observable behaviour and situational constraints
  • Reframing techniques generate multiple interpretations of stakeholder resistance
  • Fact, inference and judgement labelled within management conversations and reports
  • Sensemaking questions expose missing evidence, affected parties and uncertainty

Participants can manage emotional responses and maintain constructive leadership presence in demanding situations.

  • Amygdala hijack recognised through urgency, defensiveness and narrowed attention
  • Pause protocols create space between trigger, interpretation and leadership response
  • Cognitive reappraisal changes emotional meaning without denying operational facts
  • Window of Tolerance applied to difficult meetings and escalating conflict
  • Naming emotions precisely improves regulation, empathy and decision quality
  • Recovery routines protect judgement after setbacks, criticism and sustained workload

Participants can conduct reflective conversations that surface perspectives, concerns and learning.

  • Active listening distinguishes paraphrasing, summarising, attending and empathic acknowledgement
  • Open inquiry questions test assumptions without leading or interrogating colleagues
  • Advocacy and inquiry balanced using Argyris’ left-hand column technique
  • Ladder of Inference conversations make reasoning visible and discussable
  • Silence used deliberately to support thinking, emotion processing and response quality
  • Conversation contracts establish purpose, confidentiality, challenge and follow-up expectations

Participants can use reflection to give feedback, invite challenge and strengthen learning relationships.

  • SBI feedback model connects situation, behaviour and observable impact
  • Feedforward requests focus colleagues on future behaviour and support needed
  • Psychological safety examined through leader reactions to questions and mistakes
  • Defensive routines recognised when feedback threatens competence, status or control
  • Receiving feedback uses clarification, evidence testing and response commitments
  • Peer reflection agreements define candour, confidentiality and constructive challenge

Participants can examine how power, inclusion and values affect leadership decisions and relationships.

  • Formal and informal power mapped across teams, partners and decision forums
  • Privilege and positionality considered when interpreting voice, silence and disagreement
  • Ethical decision screening tests consequences, duties, rights and fairness
  • Values conflicts identified between performance targets, care obligations and transparency
  • Stakeholder analysis identifies affected groups, influence and legitimate interests
  • Speaking-up conditions assessed through reporting routes, retaliation risks and leader conduct

Participants can make and review decisions using evidence, stakeholder insight and explicit reasoning.

  • Cynefin framework distinguishes clear, complicated, complex and chaotic situations
  • Decision logs record evidence, assumptions, options, risks and rationale
  • Pre-mortem analysis identifies foreseeable failure modes before commitment
  • Red-team questioning challenges preferred options, blind spots and groupthink
  • After-action reviews compare intended results, actual results and contributing factors
  • Escalation criteria clarify when authority, risk or uncertainty requires consultation

Participants can identify systemic influences behind recurring leadership and team problems.

  • Causal loop diagrams map reinforcing and balancing patterns behind recurring issues
  • Iceberg model separates events, patterns, structures and mental models
  • System boundaries defined before diagnosing responsibility, cause and possible intervention
  • Stakeholder feedback loops examined for delays, incentives and unintended consequences
  • Five Whys analysis distinguishes proximate causes from management system weaknesses
  • Small tests of change designed with measures, review dates and decision rules

Participants can establish a disciplined personal practice and 90-day leadership development plan.

  • Weekly reflection routines scheduled around significant meetings, decisions and interactions
  • Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle applied to a current leadership challenge
  • Behavioural commitments written as observable actions, triggers and success measures
  • Peer accountability partnerships set review questions, meeting cadence and confidentiality
  • Manager feedback requests target priority behaviours and evidence of progress
  • Ninety-day development plans connect reflection habits to role-specific leadership goals

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

What you take back to work

  1. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle incident review template
  2. Personal leadership triggers and strengths profile
  3. Ladder of Inference conversation worksheet
  4. Values-based decision checklist
  5. Causal loop diagram template
  6. 90-day reflective leadership development plan

Who should attend

  • Senior Managers — examine leadership judgement affecting teams, services and strategic delivery
  • Middle Managers — replace habitual responses with deliberate people-management practices
  • Project Managers — reflect on stakeholder decisions, conflict and delivery pressures
  • Team Leaders — improve feedback, delegation and day-to-day team relationships
  • Technical Specialists — strengthen self-awareness during transition into leadership responsibilities
  • Change Leaders — interpret resistance and adapt leadership approaches during organisational change

Skills and tools covered

Reflective practiceLeadership self-awarenessEthical judgementDevelopmental feedbackSystems thinkingAction planning

Tools and standards

Schön’s Reflective Practice, Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, Ladder of Inference, Johari Window

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short tutor briefings to introduce reflective practice models, followed by case work, individual writing, peer discussion and facilitated group analysis. Participants examine realistic leadership incidents involving performance, conflict, change, operational risk and stakeholder expectations. Simulations allow participants to practise inquiry, feedback and response choices while receiving structured observations. Each module links reflection to workplace action, and the final sessions convert learning into a practical 90-day development plan with review points.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience managing people, projects, stakeholders or operational responsibilities, and should be able to discuss real leadership situations without disclosing confidential details. Familiarity with basic management concepts, such as delegation, performance conversations and decision-making, is helpful. The course assumes willingness to examine personal habits, receive peer observations and maintain a reflective journal during the programme. No prior study of psychology, coaching, organisational development or formal leadership models is required. Participants do not need to bring an existing development plan.

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

Participants should have practical responsibility for people, projects, stakeholders or operational decisions. Prior leadership theory or coaching qualifications are not required.

Bring notes on two or three real leadership situations that can be discussed without naming individuals or sharing sensitive information. A laptop or notebook is useful for reflective writing and action planning.

The course is designed for managers, team leaders, project leaders and technical specialists with leadership responsibilities. It suits people who want to examine how their behaviour affects decisions, relationships and team performance.

General leadership courses often focus on leadership styles, delegation and team management techniques. This course concentrates on the disciplined examination of personal judgement, assumptions, emotions and behaviour before choosing future actions.

Participants leave with templates for incident reviews, feedback conversations, decision checks and systems analysis. They also create a 90-day plan with specific behaviours, review points and accountability arrangements.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between tutor input, structured reflection, case analysis, group discussion, simulations and development 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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