Leadership and Management Programme CMI Level 5 – EF Educational Tours 

I am not currently working, but I am casually applying for roles as of this week. Before moving to the UK in September of 2024 I was a Sales Manager for a student travel company in Canada. I truly felt like I was in the right seat on the bus as a Sales Leader due to the range of responsibilities. I not only strategized with account managers who had to overcome different challenges in their respective sales regions, but I also coached them on effective sales skills, organized team events, managed escalations with clients, and was an ear when my team needed mental health checks. It was demanding but I appreciated every minute of it. 

I have naturally ended up in leadership roles throughout my life but I hadn’t completed any formal training. So, when I decided to take time off of work for a personal project, I also knew I wanted to engage in leadership development. That’s when I went looking for a course and found the InPD Management and Leadership Programme. I should add that I wasn’t simply convinced it was the right course because of the course agenda, it was also that it was 100% in-person. I feel the best learning happens with people and that certainly rang true through this course. 

“I feel the best learning happens with people and that certainly rang true through this course.”

I loved it! Liam welcomed input and encouraged discussion amongst participants, which really added depth to the learning and ensured we absorbed the insights. I found the models really helpful and have found myself looking at people and situations in everyday life differently after the course. In other words, I finished the course feeling committed to being a more intentional leader in life, not just at work. I was not expecting that at all! 

I was also lucky in that my table was particularly chatty, so we bonded quite a bit over the three days. I also appreciated that we all had very different professional backgrounds as it opened my eyes to different perspectives on managing teams.

“In other words, I finished the course feeling committed to being a more intentional leader in life, not just at work. I was not expecting that at all!”

I feel prepared to externalize conflict from the self, ask more thoughtful questions when there are tensions on teams, and balance leadership with management duties (and how to identify the differences). 

I also feel I’ll have a newfound confidence when managing teams that I didn’t have before. Since I’ve had to manage teams using lived experience and intuition, it’s validating to know I can now act with the addition of text-book based learning.

“I also feel I’ll have a newfound confidence when managing teams that I didn’t have before.”

1. My favourite takeaway was the LADDER OF INFERENCE where you have to reflect on your own initial biases and perceptions in an effort to observe more objectively. 

2. Reflecting on the differences between management and leadership was really insightful. While the lines are often blurry, understanding why they are different can help with managing teams and selecting the best course of action for the circumstance.

3. The section on difficult conversations and, including how to best prepare for them. I wish I had had this before handling some of the situations/staff I managed with as a sales leader. I will certainly reference those notes and slides before my next run-in with conflict management in the workplace (and life).

The in-person instruction was a huge factor here. It seems so many courses have shifted to a virtual classroom that I just know wouldn’t be as effective. I appreciated that InPD offered both options. 

I also liked that the course agenda was available online, in addition to the Instructor bios so you had an idea of who would be running the course.

I’d say the attraction came from knowing that I would have more than my word when applying for leadership roles. As someone who has little work experience in the UK, I am hoping a PD course like this will prove that I am committed to quality leadership, and that I’m capable of being an asset to a UK-based organization. I will have to let you know how that plays out but it has certainly boosted my confidence and that will surely have an impact while I look for jobs.

“…it has certainly boosted my confidence and that will surely have an impact while I look for jobs.”

I’d first ask them what they want to get out of the course as it shouldn’t be a check box exercise. The course was effective because we were able to participate, to share perspectives, and to be challenged a bit. It wouldn’t be as worthwhile for people wanting a lecture-style course. I wouldn’t have wanted it to be that way.

“The course was effective because we were able to participate, to share perspectives, and to be challenged a bit.”