Talking Point: How the best strategic leaders actually learn
If you're a senior leader on the path to the top of your business, you've probably already completed a mix of leadership development programmes along the way.
Some will have left an impact – others not so much. All will have shaped how you lead now.
But the step up from operational to strategic leadership is different: it requires a deeper shift in personal development to become a leader with the strategic vision, judgement and confidence required.
That's why Partners for Leadership (P4L) is a strategic development 'experience', not a programme – and why it spans two years.
It draws on our experience of how the most effective strategic leaders actually learn, as P4L's Coralie Hooper explains.
Discovering your own leadership style
'It’s a real responsibility to be a leader,' Coralie begins.
‘It's about having really high standards of yourself and everyone else, but in a way that you encourage people to get there. It’s having that growth mindset and being able to see opportunity – that’s the important thing.
'So in terms of leadership development and how we support participants at P4L, it’s helping people to discover their own leadership style.'
Why?
Because, although Coralie believes the word 'authentic' is over-used, people will only follow a leader 'who knows themselves, who is true to themselves and who will make difficult decisions because it will be done in the right way,' she explains.
Creating a safe place to reflect and learn
'Effective leadership development should offer an experience where people get to try things out – but in a safe place'
So how does a leader get to 'know themselves' in a way that doesn't seem contrived?
Having worked alongside countless senior individuals over the last 30 years, Coralie is aware that there's no shortage of psychometric tests 'that say you're this or that type of leader'.
'Actually, I don't care what that 'test' is,' she asserts. 'It's more important to draw out what it says about you and how you can access the parts of you that will have a real positive impact [as a leader].
'And to explore what you can do for those areas where there may be struggles. And how can we help with the extra work that's required?'
For Coralie, this is where Partners for Leadership's expansive two-year approach – built around six overnight retreats in the tranquil setting of Windsor's Cumberland Lodge – comes into its own.
As she explains: 'To my mind, effective leadership development should offer an experience where people get to try things out – but in a safe place.
'It's also about how you then enable leaders to connect what they're learning in those safe places to their day-to-day. How do you make that learning as close to the moment as possible, as opposed to something abstract?
'So I like a model – I like a framework. But I like to use it as a starting point for a conversation. Then I think it’s helpful to have some kind of 'experience' that’s totally unconnected to the participant's business because it resets the bar.'
Why effective leadership development takes time
'Not every leader has time to reflect so giving them that opportunity at our retreats – to apply [what they're learning] to real conversations and things that they're doing – is invaluable.'
Coralie finds action learning groups particularly effective for leaders because, as she points out: 'With leadership development training, you can go on a course for two days but real leadership development is a process over time.
'So at Partners for Leadership, we try to keep closer to each participant to give them that ongoing support.
'It's not about managing them or lots of different input – it's about just being there and helping them to work things out and reflect,' she says.
'Not every leader has time to reflect so giving them that opportunity at our Partners for Leadership retreats – to apply [what they're learning] to real conversations and things that they're doing – is invaluable. That’s where the real learning is.'
An invaluable opportunity to network, learn and grow
Participant feedback from Partners for Leadership's recent leadership retreats backs this up.
'As leaders get more senior they tend to get more lonely because they don't have that peer network,' Coralie says. 'All their time is so focused, they don’t get that space to stop and reflect – not just on what's going on in the world and the business, but also on their own leadership.
'This is why those who have come to our retreats say it's an invaluable experience.
'One, to get 24 hours out of the business to come up for air. Two, to be in a room of other leaders who are from different sectors but who often share the same worries, challenges and concerns.
'And, three, to have the support over their two years as a participant of their own board-level Critical Friend, who's not a coach or a mentor but an independent sounding board.'
Each retreat's programme also includes sessions with expert guest speakers who share their own experiences and insights to prompt group discussions. This enables the leaders to explore what this might mean for them (both personally and professionally) while building a strong network with the people they meet.
'Because it's a real responsibility to be a leader,' Coralie concludes. 'And when Partners for Leadership participants look at other leaders who inspire them, having someone who's not super human, who understands the pressures and how you can really get the best out of other people, is a real asset.'
Looking to the future, we could all do with more leaders like that.
Start your P4L journey today
Discover how Partners for Leadership supports high-potential individuals to step up and lead the field once in role. Visit our website and join our next cohorts, starting 23-24 February, 8-9 June and 21-22 September 2027.
To hear more insights from Coralie, watch her 'How to be an Effective Strategic Leader' podcast with Telos Partners' Adam Campbell here.
Never miss our latest news – subscribe to our monthly email P4L Connect here.
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