Development Plus

What is it?
Who is it for?
What does it consist of?
What does it cover?
What results can I expect?
How do I know it works?
What do I do now?

What is it?

Originally commissioned by the UK Home Office (a major government department). Development Plus is for senior women reaching for the top.

The stretching and supportive, work and personal development programme is delivered in a modular format over several months.

Development Plus is a bespoke programme, researched, tailored and designed specifically for each organisation. We deliver the programme ourselves and do not license trainers for Development Plus.

Who is it for?

Women aspiring to reach the top, or senior management levels, or senior Civil Service roles currently dominated by men.

What does it consist of?

intensely practical one and two-day modules spread over six to nine months
one-to-one coaching
a tastefully produced briefcase-style folder containing specifically tailored course materials, all in one place, and a specially recorded relaxation CD
specialist input from more senior managers in the organisation
individually tailored assignments running between the modules

What does it cover?

a rigorous self-assessment related to competencies
self-efficacy
leadership qualities and skills
whole brain thinking and brain wiring
emotional Intelligence
emotional behaviours at work
the ‘Strength Deployment Inventory’
preparing for an assessment centre (where appropriate)
passing an assessment centre (where appropriate)
health and stress management
making the most of change
learning styles
designing a practical strategy to get you where you want to go
presenting yourself effectively and appropriately for leadership roles.

What results can I expect?

Development Plus delivers tangible benefits for senior women and their organisations which can be clustered under these headings:

more senior women applying for the top jobs
more senior women applying to assessment centres for top jobs
more women passing assessment centres
more resilient thinking
improved performance
enhanced customer service or satisfaction
tighter focus on organisational needs
increased confidence in their abilities as managers and leaders
improved stress and health management
improved management and leadership skills

How do I know it works?

Questionnaires are issued before and after the course, so that changes and results can be compared over the duration of the training. The results are:

promotion – 10% achieved promotion before the end of the course
applied for posts at a higher grade – 30% applied for a higher grade before the end of the course
better awareness of top level – reported by approximately 90%
confidence to reach top level within 5 years – increased
management and leadership abilities – increased
self perception of leadership/senior management potential – increased
self recognition of management strengths doubled – 100%, up from 50%
having clear career strategies – increased ten fold
work life balance –moved from 50% saying ‘definitely out of balance’ to over 50% saying ‘definitely in balance’
better communication – improved from 67% to almost 100% reporting the ’ability to communicate at all levels’
knowledge of, and access to, sources of support – increased
emotional intelligence – increased
effective networking – more than doubled
managing pressure – ability increased
confidence – increased
skills development awareness – increased fourfold
coaching and mentoring support – accessed by 80%
better stress management – reported by a third of respondents

Read what other people have said about Development Plus.

What do I do now?

Development Plus is a bespoke programme, researched, tailored and designed specifically for each organisation. We deliver the programme ourselves and do not license trainers to deliver Development Plus.