Personal Leadership Skills for Emerging Executives: Self-Management and Influence Training Course

Programme Summary

Personal Leadership Skills for Emerging Executives, covering self-management, personal influence and sustained credibility, is the subject of this five-day training course for senior managers, heads of function and newly appointed directors, ending in a personal leadership plan. Capable specialists often reach senior roles with little structured practice in leading themselves first, and teams then see inconsistency under pressure. The programme moves from foundations, through self-awareness and feedback, to self-management, then to influence and application in the participant's own role. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this Personal Leadership Skills for Emerging Executives programme for senior leaders.

The Business Case

Emerging executives are judged on how they manage themselves long before they are judged on strategy. Leaders who understand their strengths, set clear goals, protect their attention and influence without relying on authority build teams that follow them willingly.

• Team Confidence: Grows when a leader behaves consistently under pressure and keeps commitments.
• Personal Effectiveness: Improves as goals, priorities and energy are managed deliberately.
• Career Readiness: Strengthens as feedback is sought early and acted on with discipline.

Tools and Evidence Base

• 360-degree feedback: It gathers views from managers, peers and team members and anchors the self-awareness work in Session 2.
• Johari window: It structures the discussion of strengths, blind spots and disclosure in Session 2.
• SMART goals: They shape the goal-setting and the personal leadership plan in Sessions 3 and 5.

Intended Participants

• Senior managers who are moving into director-level responsibility.
• Heads of function who lead through influence across departments.
• Technical and professional experts newly responsible for larger teams.
• High-potential executives preparing for broader roles.

The programme suits leaders in banking, energy, healthcare, telecommunications and public administration.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to assess their own leadership strengths and blind spots using structured feedback.
2. Participants will be able to define personal leadership goals that are specific and measurable.
3. Participants will be able to prioritise time, attention and energy across competing demands.
4. Participants will be able to adapt their influence approach to different stakeholders.
5. Participants will be able to construct a response plan for pressure and difficult moments.
6. Participants will be able to design a personal leadership plan for the next six months.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Foundations of Personal Leadership

What does it mean to lead yourself before leading others?

• Personal Leadership Versus Positional Authority Discussion
• Leadership Strengths Self-Assessment
• Role Expectations Mapping
• Personal Purpose and Values Statement
• Leadership Turning Points Review

Day 2: Self-Awareness and Feedback

How do others experience your leadership, and what do you not see?

• 360-Degree Feedback Interpretation Workshop
• Johari Window Exercise in Pairs
• Blind Spot Conversation Guide
• Behaviour Under Pressure Review
• Feedback Request Script

Day 3: Self-Management of Goals, Time and Energy

Where do your attention and energy actually go?

• SMART Goals Drafting Clinic
• Time and Attention Audit
• Priority Matrix for Competing Demands
• Energy and Recovery Planning Template
• Saying No Without Damaging Relationships

Day 4: Influence and Relationships

How do you move people when you cannot simply instruct them?

• Stakeholder Influence Map
• Credibility and Trust Building Habits
• Listening and Questioning Practice
• Presenting a Position With Conviction
• Managing Disagreement Respectfully

Day 5: Applying Personal Leadership in the Role

Is the personal leadership plan ready for real use?

• Reviewing the Session 2 Feedback Findings Against Real Cases
• Refining the Session 3 Goals and Priority Choices
• Rehearsing a Session 4 Influence Conversation With Peer Feedback
• Sequencing Personal Leadership Habits by Impact
• Completing the Personal Leadership Plan

Methodology

The programme uses a structured exercise method built on self-assessment, reflective writing and peer feedback. Participants examine their own working patterns, test new habits through role play in small groups and receive specific observations. Discussion centres on behaviour others can see, not on personality labels.

• Suggested activity: Interpreting a sample feedback report and agreeing three development priorities.
• Suggested activity: Auditing one working week and redesigning the next.
• Suggested activity: Rehearsing an influence conversation with a sceptical stakeholder.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a personal leadership plan. It holds a strengths and blind spot summary, SMART goals, a weekly time and energy design, an influence approach for key stakeholders and a habit calendar with review points. The plan is reviewed with a trusted colleague after the programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should attend personal leadership skills for emerging executives?

Personal leadership skills for emerging executives suits senior managers and newly appointed directors who want a disciplined approach to self-management and influence.

How does personal leadership skills for emerging executives use feedback?

The programme uses 360-degree feedback and the Johari window to help participants see strengths and blind spots, then turns the findings into development priorities.

What do I take away from personal leadership skills for emerging executives?

You leave with a personal leadership plan holding SMART goals, a time and energy design, an influence approach and a habit calendar with review points.

How is personal leadership skills for emerging executives different from a team management programme?

Personal leadership skills for emerging executives centres on how the leader manages and influences themselves, while a team management programme centres on directing groups and processes.