Aspiring Leaders of Excellence Programme (ALEP)

“The best management programme I have ever been on. The facilities and level of tuition are excellent.”

“Hugely enjoyable, extremely thought provoking, and very energising… This is the best programme I have attended during my 26 years in the Home Office – bar none!”

Experienced leaders recognise the importance of continually refreshing and developing their leadership skills. ALEP is a challenging programme that offers senior managers in IND the opportunity to do this, and; improve performance by enabling and empowering others. It is the second tier in our suite of challenging leadership development programmes delivered in partnership with Ashridge Management College and Lane 4 Performance Coaching Consultancy.

Programme profile

The programme comprises three modules delivered either residentially or non-residentially at an off-site location convenient to the main IND estates. The first two modules, run approximately 6 – 8 weeks apart, are three and a half days long. The final one-day module runs approximately three months later again.

The programme includes sessions on the following themes:

• IND business challenges and culture;
• Leading in IND;
• Building high performance in others;
• Developing personal leadership capabilities;
• Managing organisational change;
• Influencing skills; and
• Three elective topics including: personal effectiveness; creativity and innovative thinking; advocacy and enquiry; strategy; leadership and personal impact; and mental toughness.

ALEP centres on a set of leadership capabilities, which build on, and are complementary to, our competence frameworks. You will assess yourself, and get 360° feedback against these capabilities as part of the programme.

Participant profile

This programme is for experienced managers seeking to refresh their leadership capabilities and maximise their performance in, and contribution to, IND. You are likely to be within the grade range SEO/HMI to Grade 7 (possibly HEO/CIO) and will need to demonstrate through your application form a clear and coherent rationale for attending the programme, which will be business focussed.

You should also be very committed to maximising the impact of the programme (which is a significant investment for IND) on your own performance and that of your team and work area. In preparing to attend you should, in consultation with a senior manager, agree your learning objectives (which should have implications at a strategic and or departmental level) and consider not just how you will apply what you learn back in the workplace, but how you will evaluate and review your achievements following the event.

Commitment required

• The support of your line manager and director;
• Attendance at each workshop module, residentially or non-residentially;
• Participation in an intra-module Action Learning Set; and
• Participation in the on-going evaluation and review of the programme.

Programme dates 2006/2007

Cohort 13: Manchester (underway)

Module 1: 21 – 24 February 2006
Module 2: 25 – 28 April 2006
Module 3: 29 June 2006

Cohort 14: Residential at Ashridge:

Module 1: 09 – 12 May 2006
Module 2: 20 – 23 June 2006
Module 3: 21 September 2006

Cohort 15: Sundridge Park:

Module 1: 4 - 7 July
Module 2: 12 - 15 September
Module 3: 6 December

Cohort 16: Residential at Ashridge:

Module 1: 03 – 06 October 2006
Module 2: 14 – 17 November 2006
Module 3: 07 February 2007