Proving the Impact of Leadership Development
The overwhelming response to the programme's value is that participants benefitted from: Increased self confidence in their abilities and influence Enhanced focus upon mission, vision & organisational aims for community benefit Widened network of peers, partners and inspiration
Just look at the series of graduate videos we have produced to see the passion, change and enthusiasm harnessed by Inspiring Leaders! |
Inspiring Leaders was developed out of research and consultation with community partners in the Third Sector over a two year period. Through the structure of programme delivery we have integrated the on going gathering of evidence to explain the:
- Need for the programme
- Benefits of the programme
- Impact of the programme
Baseline data gathered from the application, selection and induction process has shown that:
- Despite all applicants being leaders in the community they demonstrated at interview a high level of anxiety about their roles
- Attendees sign up to Inspiring Leaders in order to increase their knowledge and skills to support organisational and personal development
Development and learning is monitored by recording opinion and comment (e.g. online debates). Interesting points from these records have been that:
- The limited understanding by many leaders of how to ‘see’ beyond funding requirements and immediate day to day managerial concerns
- The breadth of creative activity, passion, enthusiasm and selfless endeavours of community based leaders
Feedback is embedded into every session, enabling us to gather evidence of its value, relevance and importance. This has told us that:
- For many participants the seminar programme had ‘exceeded their expectations’
- The structure of Inspiring Leaders facilitates the inclusion of a range of learning needs, backgrounds and abilities to create a dynamic learning environment
Every participant is supported through a post programme interview. This establishes a detailed understanding of community based leaders which in turn generates ideas for partnership working and opportunities. Importantly, past participants are now involved in the delivery of new Inspiring Leaders programmes. 
Every Inspiring Leaders programme is independently evaluated to gather honest and effective information that informs future practice. This has demonstrated that:
- Participation in the programme has facilitated progress towards greater levels of sustainability for the community organisations involved
- Many of the participants have reported gaining a unique insight into their leadership approach and potential.