Emerging Leaders Program

This Emerging Leaders Program supports those starting out in management positions to understand their leadership style and develop practical skills. It helps emerging leaders in all industries grow emotional intelligence and relationship management skills, so they can have greater impact on team performance. This leadership program focusses on the development of self-awareness, critical thinking, and effective communication.

Partnering with organisations in Melbourne, Sydney and across Australia, we know that leaders face unique challenges in this modern world of work. Here are a few:

1. Professional development: Emerging leaders need dedicated professional development to help them establish fundamental practical skills in leadership. Organisations have a significant competitive advantage and a more compelling EVP for attraction, retention and engagement when leaders are provided with specific skills training to support their leadership development. 
2. Complex world of work: Living in a ‘VUCA’ (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment means that emerging leaders need skills to manage a changing, unpredictable environment. Covid recovery, economic instability and hybrid working call for emerging leaders to develop emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to navigate this type of working context. 
3. Rise of ‘human skills’: More and more, organisations are helping emerging leaders develop both technical skills and soft skills. Emerging leaders need human skills like emotional intelligence, active listening, and managing a range of communication styles, to build stronger, healthier teams. 
4. Managing multiple stakeholders: Emerging leaders need to learn how to balance the needs of multiple stakeholders, including customers, senior management, and their direct reports – who all have different requirements. In today’s fast-paced business environment, team leaders need assertiveness to achieve project goals, while satisfying the requirements of all stakeholders. 
5. Complex macro environment: Organisations are dealing with rapid technological change, a fluctuating economy, and rising expectations from consumers. Leaders need critical thinking skills to help them solve complex problems and collaborate with their teams, so they can handle change and find ways to move through it.

Overall, these challenges present a strong case for setting up emerging leaders with fundamental leadership skills, so they can thrive in a complex world of work and build strong relationships with others.

With the help of this Emerging Leaders Program, participants will enhance their leadership capability in areas such as:

1. Self-awareness: This involves the ability to recognise and regulate one’s own emotions and maintain healthy relationships with others. Emerging leaders can improve this skill by engaging in self-reflection, taking on feedback, and developing empathy. The development of a sound reflective practice helps emerging leaders learn from their mistakes and improve.
2. Curiosity: Emerging leaders build trust when they are genuinely curious and ask questions to learn and improve performance. Emerging leaders can build this capability by challenging their own biases, seeking out learning opportunities and advice from others, and by engaging in active listening.
3. Empathy: Finding ways to relate to other people’s experiences and the emotions they are feeling, gives emerging leaders a better insight into others. When this happens, there is a better opportunity for connection, and difficult conversations when needed. When leaders seek to understand others, they can have open and honest discussions that lead to better outcomes.
4. Empowering others: Emerging leaders who seek to understand other people and appreciate their differences, are better able to maintain healthy relationships. Emerging leaders need fundamental skills in areas like coaching and feedback, so they can listen and provide direction to others, and contribute to positive team culture.
5. Collaboration: Emerging leaders who can appreciate different needs and perspectives among stakeholders are better able to collaborate with others as a ‘team player’. Leaders with emotional intelligence and well-developed communication skills seek to understand their audience to make good connections. They ask questions and actively include all people in conversations and decision-making.

When people in early leadership roles develop these practical skills, organisations benefit from an improved workplace culture that supports teams to do their best work.

What is an Emerging Leaders Program?

Thinka’s Emerging Leaders Program is specifically designed for leaders to grow their self-awareness and interpersonal skills. It aims to provide learners with the skills, tools, resources and confidence necessary to develop fundamental leadership skills. Our specialist facilitators have worked with many leaders in Australian organisations and draw from these experiences to offer meaningful advice and practical strategies to learn from.

Why should my organisation offer an Emerging Leaders Program?

Being part of this Emerging Leaders Development Program can help participants develop essential skills, access mentoring and build partnerships across a supportive community of peers. It can also help participants to support each other to build skills in self-awareness, collaboration, and empowering others. The networking opportunities are crucial to helping leaders help each other.

Who can attend an Emerging Leaders Program?

This Emerging Leaders Program is designed for employees in organisations who show high leadership potential, are entering leadership, or who are new leaders. The frameworks and practical skills we focus on build competencies in leadership, as well as communication skills that help people build trust with team members.

Are Emerging Leaders Programs only available in person?

Thinka’s Emerging Leaders Development Program can be delivered face-to-face or as online learning via Zoom – depending on the organisation’s set-up. It is typically made up of a series of workshops with case studies and tools to support real world application – so emerging leaders can apply practical skills straight away.

Often these are complemented by coaching sessions with a Thinka coach. Coaching plays an important role in challenging old behaviours and supporting leadership development in each of the participants. Organisations might also opt for a blended program that makes use of eLearning modules and other forms of media.