Ashridge Executive Education’s fast track leadership programme prepares Saudi employees transitioning into managerial positions

Ashridge Executive Education will condense 10 years of managerial learning into just three days of lessons to prepare Saudis, entering managerial roles, to be better equipped. 

According to Rory Hendrikz, Managing Director of Ashridge Middle East, says: “Saudi Arabia has a relatively young population entering the workforce and they are often on a fast track career growth path. We believe they can be better equipped to handle the challenges of leadership if they can learn from experienced leaders. So, we have condensed the knowledge a leader with ten years of experience would have, into a three-day programme, for those taking up managerial positions for the first time.”

The programme which is called ‘Leading on the Edge’ will help participants to learn key lessons on their own terms and practice their responses to situations in a safe environment. By experiencing some of the critical incidents that they are likely to face as a leader, they will be equipped and supported to deal with the situations more effectively as they arise.

A few of the situations they will encounter during the three-day programme include:

- Stepping up to take responsibility and to lead

- Making decisions within uncertain, ambiguous contexts

- Delivering results through and with others

- Handling difficult conversations

- Managing stress and recovery

This experience will allow them to assess their readiness for leadership and prepare for likely challenges.

According to Rory, “Successful completion of this programme is a true testimonial of their readiness to take on leadership roles and we are very happy to help future leaders prepare themselves for the challenges that are likely to arise in their career. It is not for the faint of heart, but in the future, when it really matters, they will know what to do.”

The program will offer a 3-day experiential simulation where participants will experience a range of challenging leadership dilemmas. Also, they will receive in-depth developmental feedback from coaches, tutors, and fellow participants, allowing them to assess their readiness for leadership and prepare for expected encounters.

A coach will meet with the participants before the beginning of the program to understand their requirements and how ready they are to take up the next step in their career. After the programme, the coach will remain in touch with them to support them as they take their leadership role forward.  The participants need to do a final project related to applying the learnings at work, which will allow them to earn a Certificate of Application. They will also enjoy 30 days of access to Ashridge’s online virtual learning portal.

Interested candidates can register at Ashridge Executive Education  to attend the program which will take place from 06 Mar - 09 Mar 2018 at Hult campus in Dubai Internet City. Alternatively, Ashridge faculty can also deliver the programme at the premises of any Saudi company interested in hosting it exclusively for their employees.