LEADERSET (LEADERSET)

 Grant funding of £1000 available

Leadership For Export Growth

Exporting is a fast track to accelerated business growth for small businesses. LeaderSet is an innovative leadership and management development programme to accelerate business growth by getting complimentary groups of companies export ready - and then matching them to live business opportunities in the emerging markets of East Africa, which are worth over £50 million.

LeaderSet integrates active teaching with practice, encouraging  business owner/managers to relate what they are learning to their own situations, and supporting them through action learning and quarterly seminars to apply their learning to their own businesses.

In addition, LeaderSet participants get FREE access to our Trade Winz service to connect with live export opportunities in the emerging markets of East Africa. This is worth £2000.

This course would ideally suit businesses that have already completed UK Trade & investment's Passport to Export programme, who are looking for their first, or new export contracts.

OVERVIEW
LeaderSet is a unique action learning programme, for new and experienced exporters, bringing together small groups of senior business leaders from non competing sectors in a safe and confidential environment.  Over the next 10 months you will get the peer support you need to :-

• Sharpen your  entrepreneurial or commercial thinking around international trade and business development through the development of specialist leadership and management skills for import/export success.
•  Innovate new products and services, and commercially exploit them to stay ahead of their rivals.
• Gain peer group approach to leadership development, for more creative thinking, and wider sharing of ideas, best practices, issues and solutions.
• Partnership working, with particular emphasis on joint ventures and consortium working.
• Export to East Africa with confidence by working collaboratively with other business leaders to access this emerging market and deliver contracts.

 PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

This is a 10 month programme which consists of:

• 6 x action learning sets consisting of 8 x participants each, to createa  support network for business leaders to take time out to analyze, debate and think through export opportunities and emerging challenges. These will be facilitated by a LeaderGen coach and last for up to three hours.
• Quarterly  Sponsored Seminar events combining case studie, interactive discussions of a range of highly relevant topics. It will also provide the opportunity to meet participants from other LeaderSets in the region to extend regular networking and partnering opportunities.
• Forums conducted through the LeaderGen website portal to provide participants with the space to chat, exchange ideas and submit feedback, as well as participate in interactive webinars and masterclasses. You will get access to a monthly newsletter tailored to your interests, business sector and export destinations.
• Option of  attending UKTI Trade mission to East Africa in Jan 2012 to markets in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda which are results orientated and outcomes focussed.

WHO IS LEADERSET FOR?

Business owners and manager of SMEs in the North West regionin the ICT, Business & Professional Services, Education & Training & Manufacturing sectors who:

• Wish to explore the many export opportunities in the emerging markets of East Africa as a tool for accelerating business growth.
• Are searching for new ideas, and fresh thinking to adapt their offerings, recession-proof their business and safeguard its survivability during these testing times
• Wish to radically transform the way they do business thorugh improving their leadership & management skills, to ensure they survive and thrive in these challenging times.
• Wish to gain knowledge about the processes, the tools and the mechanisms that are critical for making innovation happen within their business.
• Are seeking a stimulating, safe environment within which to test out, share and explore ideas, challenges and problems with a group of peers to generate workable solutions that can be implemented in the business immediately .

At every LeaderSet session:

• Each set member brings a live personal/business challenge, issue or problem to discuss with the group.
• Through a process of structured questioning, other set members challenge views, perceptions, assumptions and understanding, as well as share knowledge.
• New insights, ideas and solutions gained.
• New thinking/solutions are tested out in the workplace.
• Results brought back to set for analysis, what worked, what didn't and why not
• Individual reflects on learning and integrates new knowledge into practice.

This can be supplemented with coaching surgeries after each session where participants can get additional 1 to 1 coaching support to tackle personal issues.

KEY BENEFITS

Participants will gain:-

• The skills and aptitudes to sustainably grow your business through exporting for wealth and jobs creation.
• Development and embedding of essential leadership attributes around vision, inspiration, passion, determination and dynamism to establish a culture of success.
• Sound business management practices to confidently export with a support network of peers.
• Opportunity to build on the personal experiences and knowledge of other participants, enabling them to learn from one another
• Greater confidence in their ability to strategically plan and export successfully.
• Practical application knowledge in how to apply new learning to current business challenges
• Enhanced creativity and innovation skills
• New leads and business partnering or consortium opportunities
• Skillsets to enhance the capacity of the company to grow
   

COST

Total cost of this 10 month programme is £2,000. Eligible companies will receive a £1,000 Leadership & Management grant to help towards the cost. The grant is paid within one week of the full course cost being received by LeaderGen.

You could be eligible for this funding if:

• You are a private sector company or social enterprise based in the North West with between two and 249 full time employees
• You have been trading for more than 12 months and have the potential for high or fast growth

Total cost for 10 month programme to eligible businesses is therefore £1000. Please note: Funding is limited so act quickly to avoid disappointment.

TO APPLY

Please contact the Business & Enterprise Group, Leadership and Management Advisory team by calling 0845 112 0527, emailing leadership@business-enterprise.net or visiting http://www.business-enterprise.net/business-enterprise-group-services/leadership-management-advisory/contact-form/

Please state that you would like to undertake the LeaderSet programme. One of their Leadership and Management advisers will work with you to assess your needs, identify your training requirements and implement a personal development plan, tailored specifically to you and the needs of your business. The adviser will guide you through the funding application and keep in touch to review your progress.

Once your company has been approved for a grant, you should then pay the £2000 course fee either through our website, or requesting an invoice for BACS payment by emailing info@leadergen.com