Developing Confident Leaders Through a Leadership Programme

Context

A large academic institution engaged Taylor Clarke to design and deliver a leadership development programme for approximately 40 leaders who had not previously received formal leadership training. The aim was to build leadership capability, support cultural alignment and enable leaders to operate more effectively within a complex, high-performing academic environment.

The programme was delivered across two cohorts and designed to be practical, reflective and closely aligned to the organisation’s leadership behaviours and strategic priorities.

Programme Philosophy

Taylor Clarke’s approach to leadership development is grounded in the belief that when Purpose, People and Performance are aligned, organisational potential is released.

This principle underpinned the design of the programme, with the institution’s leadership themes explicitly mapped to Taylor Clarke’s leadership framework. This ensured consistency, relevance and a clear narrative across all modules, while anchoring learning in the organisation’s own context.

Approach

The programme was designed using an evidence-informed, experiential learning approach focused on “what works” in real leadership situations. Key design principles included:

• Alignment with organisational strategy and leadership expectations

• Experiential learning rooted in participants’ day-to-day leadership challenges

• Cohesive programme narrative linking all modules together

• Career relevance and practical application

• Integration with wider people practices and organisational change

Participants were encouraged to learn together and from one another, supported by facilitated workshops, reflective practice and structured peer learning between modules.

Programme Structure

Each cohort participated in six extended, face-to-face workshops, delivered as interactive learning sessions rather than lecture-style training. Short theory inputs were followed by skills practice, reflection and feedback, ensuring learning translated into behavioural change.

The programme, known internally as “Let’s Talk”, centred on developing leaders’ capability to have effective, constructive conversations across six core themes:

• Leadership – understanding the shift from manager or operator to leader

• Purpose – aligning individual, team and organisational goals

• People – collaboration, talent development and inclusive leadership

• Performance – delivery, feedback and growth mindset

• Teams – psychological safety, collaboration and effectiveness

• Change – leading through transition, resilience and sustaining change

Workshops were supplemented by reflective practice tools, guided self-reflection and curated digital resources to support continuous learning between sessions.

Reflective Practice and Application

Between workshops, participants met in facilitated reflective practice circles. These sessions enabled leaders to reflect on actions taken, outcomes achieved and lessons learned, using a coaching-based approach to explore live leadership challenges.

This structure ensured development was continuous across the programme rather than confined to the workshops themselves, reinforcing accountability and practical application.

Impact and Outcomes

Of the original cohort, the majority completed the programme and went on to apply their learning in practice. Participants worked in small groups on executive-sponsored projects, presenting their outputs to senior leaders following the programme. Several of these projects were adopted or progressed as part of wider organisational initiatives.

Feedback captured at programme completion indicated that participants:

• Developed greater confidence in their leadership role

• Shifted from operational problem-solving to more strategic leadership behaviours

• Changed how they approached conversations with colleagues and teams

• Reported tangible improvements in team effectiveness and outcomes

Participants were able to clearly articulate what they had learned, what they were doing differently as leaders and the impact this had on their teams or units.

The success of the programme has led to the commissioning of additional cohorts, embedding the approach as a core element of the organisation’s leadership development offer.