Why Directors Development Programme | In Professional Development

A Directors Development Programme (DDP) is a course specially tailored to individuals looking to progress towards a directorship.

If you have established senior management experience, this course could be the right next step on your career path. In this article, we’ll introduce the Directors Development Programme, and explain the expected learning outcomes and how these can translate directly to benefits for you professionally and your organisation. After reading this article, you’ll be better placed to decide whether this course is right for you and, if so, the options available to you for enrolment. We will also explore how this is an important director training programme to enrol on in order to develop within your role as a director.

What is the Directors Development Programme Accelerator?

This programme is for managers, directors, and senior stakeholders with three or more years of senior management experience. The programme is built around the following learning objectives – 

• To build an in-depth understanding of the role and responsibilities of a director, from your duties through to legal obligations and personal liabilities
• To build skills and knowledge in operations and leadership
• To improve your confidence and effectiveness in board, C, or D-level executive roles
• To strengthen your understanding of best boardroom practice
• To improve your ability to make informed decisions, and to perceive challenges more objectively
• To teach strategies for effective leadership, threat identification, and capitalising on opportunities

This programme covers five core elements: leadership, governance, strategy, marketing and communications, and finance. You’ll spend one day on each, and the course spans five consecutive days. 

There is the option to take this programme on an accredited basis, on completion of which you will receive a PGCert in Strategic Leadership for Directors (WBIS) from the University of Chester.

How can a Directors Development Programme Accelerator help me professionally?

Further to the learning objectives outlined above, the programme covers several key issues directly relevant and useful for your career progression. These include –

• The principles of good governance: to enable you to be a more effective leader
• Boardroom best practice: to align your behaviours and expectations of the boardroom with current best practice
• The role and responsibilities of the board: To further refine your expectations, and to position you to participate effectively in a boardroom scenario
• Strategy development: To help you establish a vision, set a realistic and achievable mission for achieving it, and frame these within a set of core values
• Corporate social responsibility: To ensure your business activities are conducted in a socially responsible way
• High-performance teams: To help you understand what such a team entails, and how to build, inspire, and retain teams of your own
• Decision-making: To strengthen your ability to make effective organisational decisions in pursuit of strategic goals
• Direction, management, and ownership: To allow you to differentiate between the three, and embody the relevant aspects of each when the situation demands
• Financial management skills: To ensure your business activities are fiscally responsible, and that decisions are made with reference to models and projections
• Communication skills: To enable you to communicate with individuals at every level of your organisation effectively
• Performance measures: To provide a framework for the effective evaluation of your activities, and to ensure ongoing success

As you can see, each aspect of the course ties into a key benefit for your professional development. The aim of this programme is to build a holistic managerial skill set and to position delegates as effective and competent managers.

Studying alongside delegates in similar roles at other organisations in different industries also presents a valuable networking opportunity. Many delegates on our courses form lasting connections with an ever-growing community of current and future leaders.

In our courses, we use tools like simulations, discussions, case studies, and role-plays to let you put your newfound knowledge into practice. We’ve found that this leads to deeper retention and a higher likelihood of the course content making an effective transition to delegates’ workplaces.

How In Professional Development can help

At INPD, we are uniquely positioned to deliver high-quality professional training at all levels. We’ve designed our Directors Development Programme Accelerator to quickly and efficiently communicate the core concepts at the heart of directorial development.

We’ve also refined our delivery methods to accommodate virtual-only teaching, both during and after the coronavirus epidemic. This change broadens the appeal of our training courses by giving delegates the option to attend in person or remotely.

We also pride ourselves on offering fully-bespoke training sessions, tailored to the specific needs and challenges of any organisation, and its employees.

To find out more about our courses, bespoke or otherwise, head to our courses page. Here you can filter results by course type, date, learning outcomes, and more.

We have built our business on delivering high-impact training to individuals and organisations across a wide range of industries. Our delegates use the skills they learn in our sessions to hone their skills, tighten their CVs and professional portfolios, and progress to the higher-level roles they desire and deserve. 

Learn with In Professional Development

The Directors Development Programme Accelerator is a specialised five-day course that teaches the integral concepts required for a directorship. By building our course around learning outcomes specific to this trajectory, we empower delegates to take the next step in their career.

By delivering our courses online or in-person, In Professional Development offer delegates maximum flexibility in learning styles. We also provide tailored course content for businesses looking to bring training in house and to embed the skills directly relevant to the challenges faced by their organisation.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard one of our courses and helping you take the next steps forward in your career.