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Who is this for?

The programme is designed for experienced women managers and professionals who are readying themselves for the move to senior leadership roles.

You will:

• Currently hold a management or leadership position in your organisation;
• Be ambitious and motivated about your future leadership career;
• Want to develop your personal influence and professional skills.

What to expect

Led by experts in the field of women’s leadership with extensive business and academic experience, the programme offers the opportunity to expand your leadership skills and develop an actionable plan to take back to your workplace.

Established for over 25 years and regularly updated to reflect the latest tools, practices and strategies, the programme is evidence-based and grounded in Cranfield’s long-standing research in the areas of gender and inclusion. There is a strong emphasis on the importance of cross-cultural insight and ED&I in modern organisations, and how you can influence change in these areas.

Career coaching models are used in the programme, providing a structured framework for your personal growth and a powerful tool to help you develop a coaching mindset in your interactions with direct reports. You will experience peer-to-peer coaching with others in the cohort, and there is also an option to book sessions with a professional coach to continue your own development.

This unique programme offers a safe environment within a small cohort which builds trust and individual engagement opportunities.  Working in small groups allows you to reflect on organisational challenges and explore personal development insights with other women in similar positions.

You will join a network of peers, academics and practitioners who will provide inspiration and support both during the programme and into the future.  At the end of the programme you will leave with a clear action plan for your continued career progression, with a focus on maximising impact. 

Programme structure

The programme is founded on three pillars of empowerment:

Empower to action

You will review and develop your strengths and practical competencies by establishing a clear understanding of your personal capabilities, enabling you to identify and address areas for development.

As you explore the challenges of navigating organisational culture and internal politics, you will reflect on how institutional values can impact on women, especially those in leadership roles, and consider strategies for challenging embedded policies and processes. 

Empower to influence

Your skills and strengths alone are not enough to achieve leadership success. We will focus on the importance of network mapping and collaboration in developing your social capital.

You will learn how intersectionality (your social, cultural and personal identities) impacts your professional influence, and the significance of understanding and embracing cross-cultural intelligence.

As you evaluate your approach to building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, you will develop clarity around impression management tactics, and personal strategies on how to maximise your visibility in a positive way.

Empower from within

You will examine your individual identity and purpose, embracing your authenticity and recognising any distorting beliefs that are holding you back.

By building your self-awareness and an understanding of how others see you, you will uncover your motivations for success and develop a powerful personal brand. Through deep self-reflection in a supportive environment, you will explore how to maximise your personal influence and unleash your potential.

The insights acquired during the programme will ultimately contribute to a Strategic Career Plan. This plan, building on the re-invigorated sense of identity and energy which the programme brings, is designed to provide the blueprint for your success as you advance your career up to the next level.

Why Cranfield?

Cranfield has a long and prestigious heritage not only in delivering women’s development programmes, but also researching and publishing on equality and diversity in the workplace:

• Cranfield launched the first major women’s management development programme in the UK in 1986 for the largest private employer of women in the country at the time.
• The ‘Women as Leaders’ open programme was launched in 1996.
• Over 2,000 women have experienced a Cranfield women’s development programme.
• The annual Female FTSE Board Report has been compiled by Cranfield since 1999, examining trends in women’s representation on FTSE boards and research on underlying contributory factors.
• The annual Women to Watch list was introduced in 2009, showcasing senior women across sectors and highlighting some of the vast talent pool available.
• Recent Cranfield research commissioned by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) examined ethnic diversity of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 boards.
• Cranfield’s Gender, Leadership and Inclusion Centre is a thriving community of researchers and practitioners investigating factors influencing equity, diversity and inclusion at work, interrogating power and privilege, and pioneering solutions for a more representative workforce with full and effective participation and equal access to opportunities for all.
• The Women’s Leadership Programme is evidence-based with a focus on experiential learning. Our expert facilitators deliver an impactful and relevant experience that addresses the challenges and concerns of today’s women leaders. 

Programme Leader

Dr Deirdre Anderson

Programme contributor

Dr Diana Theodores

Concessions

20% discount (tuition fee only) for Cranfield School of Management Alumni who have attended one of our eligible leadership programmes.

Accommodation options and prices

Tuition, course materials,  and lifelong access to  benefits are included in the price of this course.

Location and travel

Cranfield School of Management is situated in Bedfordshire close to the border with Buckinghamshire. 

The School is located almost midway between the towns of Bedford and Milton Keynes and is conveniently situated between junctions 13 and 14 of the M1.

London Luton, Stansted and Heathrow airports are 30, 90 and 90 minutes respectively by car, offering superb connections to and from just about anywhere in the world.

For further location and travel details

Location address

Cranfield Management Development Centre 
Wharley End
Cranfield
Bedford
MK43 0HG