With a new training programme set to launch soon for those entering, or aspiring to enter, a leadership role for the first time. Thinking Success UK’s Glynis Osborne gives us a first insight into the rationale behind Stepping into Housing Leadership.

As a Performance Coach and Senior Development Consultant, I speak to lots of organisations about the opportunities and challenges they face in todays social housing sector. As part of these conversations, one thing that always comes up is the importance of staff development and growing a group of future leaders within the organisation. At the very beginning of this journey, it is commonplace for first-time managers to be promoted based on good performance as an officer with little experience and having had to little time to develop or consider the new expectations of a management role.

The challenge here is that the skills to perform as a team member are very different from that of managing a team of people. The managers in these roles often do well by showing colleagues how to go about their day to day tasks and giving direction around deliverable expectations from the organisation. I’ve heard countless times from colleagues how these essential management tasks can be a challenge without any training. New managers need space to develop their style of leadership but with guidance and support to ensure the skills and knowledge they acquire are enabling them to get the best from themselves and the teams they manage.

Then comes the question of value-for-money, from an organisational point of view we want to maximise spend when it comes to training and get the most for our money in terms of the skills and capabilities our colleagues develop as a result. Delegates themselves also want to ensure their time away from the day-to-day role is engaging and ultimately beneficial to themselves and their organisation.

For the first time the Northern Housing Consortium are offering a training programme for new managers or those with potential to step up into a management role. The programme “Stepping into Housing Leadership” will be launched soon and has been designed to develop management skills along with learning more about housing and having the opportunity to develop individuals to reach their potential within your organisation.

The programme will run over a six-month period with seven face to face training sessions, projects to complete within your business, access to networking opportunities at a Northern Housing Consortium event of their choice as well as an invitation to the Northern Housing Summit. All this is aimed to give new managers what they need as individuals to develop within their Housing role.

Spaces are limited, so register your interest today by contacting Liam Gregson, Member Engagement Officer at the Northern Housing Consortium.

Remember, like all of Northern Housing Consortium’s training sessions, we can also come along and run this programme in house for your organisation and your rising stars.