Aspiring Managers’ Programme
The University of Westminster was established 180 years ago to educate the working people of London. They have become known for the many ways in which they help their students realise their full potential, regardless of background.
Their vision is to have a university where discoveries are made, barriers are broken, diversity is celebrated and where everyone is welcome. Their people stand out as significant contributors to their communities, through their innovation, enterprise and problem-solving – seeking to make the world a more sustainable, healthier and better place.
Delivery and approach
The programme ran over a period of 4 months for 12 aspiring managers with varying skills and experience, with a mix of academic and support staff.
10Eighty designed and delivered four bespoke half-day modules. The programme was a great opportunity for delegates to come together, share best practice and hear different views, perspectives and approaches from their peers. In between each module, they committed to tangible actions to help them work on an aspect of their development.
The programme was made up of four half-day modules:
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The role of the manager, the manager mindset and playing to my strengths
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Understanding teamwork and collaboration
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Building a positive team environment
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Using mentoring to engage and motivate a team
Delegates described the modules as “informative, helpful, excellent quality, an opportunity to create tangible actions, professional and a relaxed space to share ideas”.
All delegates fully agreed with the statements:
‘This module was a valuable investment for the University into the support and development of its employees.’
‘I have a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of managers’
and ‘Attending this module was a good use of my time’.
90% of delegates fully agreed that they would recommend the programme to a friend or colleague, whilst the remaining 10% mostly agreed.
70% of delegates fully agreed with the statement ‘I learnt a lot from this programme’, whilst the remaining 30% mostly agreed.
The Programme
This bespoke programme was aimed at aspiring managers within the University. It focused on the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are needed to be an effective manager, providing aspiring managers with the opportunity to reflect on their personal reasons for wanting to move into a management role, the change in mindset managing a team requires and an understanding of the important part managers play in creating a positive team culture within the University.
It provided participants who were considering a management role at some point in their career with a fantastic opportunity to understand the role and responsibilities of a manager, practice some of the key skills great managers excel at and reflect on whether this is a role they would like to take on in the future.
Client feedback
“Thank you very much, Katherine, for running such an engaging and thought-provoking programme for our colleagues at Westminster, which has been reflected in the positive feedback.” – OD Sponsor
Participant feedback
“The session reinforced the type of manager that I would like to be one day. Essentially, a manager who encourages collaboration, builds a strong team through trust and listens to those on their team.”
“The thing I most enjoyed about the programme was the time to reflect on why I want to become a manager, how I would go about it etc. It was great to have a couple of hours to focus on my development, which doesn’t normally happen with things being so busy with work, family life etc.”
“The thing I learnt from the programme was that when becoming a manager, be true to yourself and an authentic version of yourself. Yes, you may need to dial up/down certain characteristics of your personality, but don’t feel that you need to act in a certain way as a manager.”
“This module was informative; everyone was sharing ideas and experiences. I think the content has been great but also having some space/time out from busy working lives to focus on something that I want to achieve in the future is really helpful.”
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