Preparing for Leadership

Build the confidence and practical skills to take the lead.

Learn. Apply. Succeed.

  • Clarify what effective leadership requires and assess the strengths you already bring to the role
  • Identify the leadership capabilities you need to develop based on expectations from senior leaders, colleagues and team members
  • Adapt your leadership and communication style to different people, situations and development needs
  • Connect day-to-day responsibilities to your organization’s vision, mission and values so you can lead with greater strategic awareness
  • Strengthen your leadership presence by communicating with clarity, building trust and acting with greater credibility and confidence
  • Build influence before relying on formal authority by identifying key relationships, understanding what matters to others and choosing the right approach to gain support
  • Navigate organizational politics and challenging conversations more constructively while protecting relationships and keeping work moving
  • Begin developing others by recognizing motivation drivers, practicing coaching conversations and planning effective mentoring relationships

Is This Course Right For You?

Aspiring and new leaders who want to build confidence, credibility and influence before or as they take on greater leadership responsibility.

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The Learning Experience

  • Assess your leadership style and strengths. Use the Everything DiSC Work of Leaders® assessment, self-assessments and reflection to better understand how you lead and where you may need to flex your approach.
  • Practice real leadership situations. Work through scenarios, influence case studies, small-group exercises and partner role-plays involving communication, executive presence, trust, difficult conversations and coaching.
  • Turn insight into action. Develop your own strategic direction and leadership statement, identify key relationships you need to influence, practice coaching and mentoring skills, and finish with a workplace action plan.

Duration: 14 Hours 
Delivered in classrooms across Canada and Live Online. 
Available for private delivery and customizable to match your organization’s needs. 

What People Are Saying

“This course has been invaluable to my growth into leadership. I've been a professional for over 15 years and the modules taught - the exercises within - have been a game changer for me. Highly recommend.”

- Heather C.

$2,695 Non Member Fee
$2,395 Member Fee
View our pricing options
  • Date
    Location
    Time

Do you need a different date or location? We offer Courses On Request.

$2,695 Non Member Fee
$2,395 Member Fee
View our pricing options
  • Date
    Location
    Time

Do you need a different date or location? We offer Courses On Request.

When colleagues learn together, everyone benefits!

Connect with an advisor to discuss delivering this course to your team.

Frequently Asked Questions

 I’m an individual contributor with no direct reports. Is this leadership training right for me?

Yes. This course is designed for professionals who are preparing for leadership as well as those who are new to a leadership role. You do not need to have direct reports to benefit. You’ll explore what effective leadership requires and build skills in communication, credibility, influence and relationship-building that can help you demonstrate leadership before you have formal authority.

 How will this course help me take the lead without a leadership title?

You’ll learn how to build influence through credibility, relationships and an understanding of what matters to others. The course explores different sources of power and influence, how to identify the people whose support you need and how to present your ideas persuasively when you cannot rely on formal authority.

 What skills will I develop in this preparing for leadership course?

You’ll develop skills in leadership communication, adapting your leadership style, building trust and credibility, influencing others and navigating organizational politics. You’ll also explore strategic direction, challenging conversations, employee motivation, coaching and mentoring.

 How can I build confidence and credibility as a new or aspiring leader?

Preparing for Leadership helps you examine how you communicate and the impression you create as a leader. You’ll explore leadership presence, assess your strengths and development areas, practice communicating with greater clarity and confidence, and identify behaviours that build trust, including openness, credibility, humility, competence and generosity.

 Will I learn how to handle difficult workplace conversations?

Yes. You’ll explore why people may behave in challenging ways and practice approaches for listening, clarifying the real issue and responding without becoming emotionally caught up in the interaction. You’ll also role-play a challenging workplace conversation and receive an opportunity to apply the techniques in practice.

 Does the course include coaching and mentoring skills?

Yes. You’ll explore how leaders can motivate and engage others, prepare for and practice a coaching conversation, and distinguish coaching from mentoring. You’ll also consider what makes an effective mentoring relationship and develop a plan for a mentoring relationship.

 How do I know if I’m ready for a leadership role?

You may be ready to take on greater leadership responsibility if you’re being asked to influence others, take ownership of broader results, support colleagues, or step into situations where people look to you for direction. This course helps you assess your current leadership strengths, identify development areas and build the communication, credibility and influence skills that can help you prepare for the next step.

 Do I need to be promoted before I can start developing leadership skills?

No. Many of the skills covered in this course, including communication, trust, influence, relationship-building and handling challenging situations, are useful before you have formal authority. Developing them early can help you prepare for a future leadership role and demonstrate greater leadership capability in your current work.

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Course Reviews

4.4 ★★★★★★★★★★ 292 Reviews

Participant Feedback Summary (AI generated based on all reviews)

Participants say Preparing for Leadership: What It Takes to Lead is informative, relevant, and useful for people considering or preparing for leadership responsibilities. Participants describe gaining insight into the distinction between leadership and management, appropriate workplace language, and methods for handling conflict, praise, and colleague interactions. They also valued the mix of lectures, individual activities, small-group scenarios, and discussion, which helped keep the learning experience engaging and connected to leadership development. Several comments note that the course helped participants reflect on their next career steps, build confidence, and identify future learning needs as they prepare for leadership roles.

  • Leadership readiness
  • Leadership vs management
  • Workplace language

Recent Reviews

  • Past Participant, Account Manager Dec 14, 2025

    Great tools for preparing for leadership. It seems to be one of many required courses to ensure a full and comprehensive awareness, but I enjoyed that this created that realization and included a few recommendations along the way for future course considerations.

  • Caesar R., Account Manager, AEC Industry Dec 14, 2025

  • Andre L., Account Manager Sep 14, 2025

    It was great to learn appropriate workplace language and work on methods to handle conflict/praise with colleagues.

  • Past Participant, Senior Relationship Manager Mar 26, 2025

  • Past Participant, Reinsurance Analyst Mar 26, 2025

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