The Strategic Mindset of Leadership

To begin you will explore how the world and our environment have changed and build an understanding of how uncertain the business world is, and how this necessitates strategic leadership. Building on this, we will explore how to lead with a paradox mindset—balancing agility and consistency, global integration and local responsiveness. We will also explore what does it mean to foster organisational resilience not as a fixed trait, but as a dynamic capability that organisations can develop to weather disruption, including digital shocks and workforce transformation. The day will conclude with a chance to network with your cohort at a welcome dinner.

The day will begin with an in-depth exploration of adaptive leadership principles and challenges, focusing on how this leadership approach enables strategic leaders to navigate the discomfort and uncertainty inherent in transformational change, including digital transformation.

Building on this foundation, we will shift our focus to firm growth strategies, with particular attention to mergers and acquisitions (M&A). We will examine the concept of synergies—the anticipated benefits from combining operations, resources, or expertise—and their critical role in driving M&A activity. The session will explore the different types of synergies, the common pitfalls in extracting them, and the factors that contribute to both M&A success and failure.

While we will explore mergers and acquisitions as a specific growth strategy, the underlying principles such as identifying synergies, managing integration, and navigating complex change are highly relevant to any strategic initiative.

You  will gain a deeper understanding of strategic alignment and insights into integration challenges. You will start to harness tools for identifying and leveraging synergies and gain an understanding of how to manage resistance, uncertainty and cultural shifts. The day will conclude with a guest panel in the evening.

We will explore leadership capabilities that will enable you to thrive in the world and look at how the new emerging theory of open strategy, can be applied to strategic leadership challenges, where we will challenge traditional notions of strategy formation by drawing on recent research and practice cases.

This session will explore how organisations can strategically engage external voices—customers, partners, and even competitors—in shaping future directions. It’s highly relevant given the shift toward platform thinking and digital ecosystems as part of broader digital transformation efforts.

After this session you will reevaluate your role as a strategic leader in an increasingly networked and transparent world. You will leverage open strategy tools and practices to foster innovation, alignment and agility.

This will take place on 8 December, after the first part of the programme has ended. This immersive in person day invites you to step back, reflect, and reconnect with your leadership purpose. Through guided journaling, self-coaching exercises, and reflective circles, you’ll consolidate what you’ve learned, gain sharper insight into your leadership learning, and explore how to apply key frameworks to real-world challenges. Designed to foster self-awareness, resilience, and decision-making clarity, the day provides a supportive space to embed habits that drive long-term effectiveness. We’ll conclude with a relaxed networking session over food and drinks, giving you the chance to reconnect with your cohort, share insights, and celebrate the progress you’ve made.