One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is seeing how the desire to develop and provide learning opportunities for emerging and mid-level leaders is growing across our global network of member organisations. Whether through our Advanced Management Course, the Virtual Young Leaders Programme or our virtual learning courses, it is truly encouraging to hear from members on how the learnings and ideas from these programmes are being shared, applied and adapted within member organisations.
This is one of the key aims of ICMIF’s virtual learning products: to help scale leadership learning opportunities so they reach more people, at more levels of the organisation. Whether through structured opportunities for peer learning, as in the Virtual Young Leaders Programme, or through flexible on-demand content such as our Mutual Leadership course, these offerings are designed to make leadership development more accessible, more practical and more connected to the realities of our sector.
Over the coming months, we are encouraging members to take advantage of two opportunities in particular: the Virtual Young Leaders Programme (VYLP) and our on-demand Mutual Leadership: Adapting to a Complex World course (MLC). Each offers a different way to strengthen leadership thinking and practice within member organisations, and both can have the greatest impact when organisations have several colleagues take part at the same time, supporting each other to apply the learning and build leadership momentum together.
Helping young leaders grow and share their learning
The Virtual Young Leaders Programme is designed for younger professionals (typically aged 18 to 35) who are at an early stage of their leadership journey, whether managing others for the first time, influencing across teams or preparing for future roles. It combines six hours of on-demand content, focused on helping leaders navigate complexity, make better decisions and foster collaboration, with six live virtual sessions for peer discussion and reflection. The programme also includes a CEO roundtable, providing insights from highly experienced leaders in the sector.
For me, one of the key strengths of the Virtual Young Leaders Programme is the way it encourages young leaders to reflect on their leadership, share insights with others, and build confidence to apply what they have learnt. One participant put it this way: “The best part of the programme was the opportunity to connect with mutual employees at similar career points around the world. The conversations were insightful, fun and engaging.”
The peer element of the Virtual Young Leaders Programme helps scale leadership learning naturally, as participants take away new perspectives and ideas that they share within their own teams and organisations.
Developing leadership thinking through on-demand learning
Our Mutual Leadership: Adapting to a Complex World course is designed for existing and emerging leaders who want to strengthen their leadership thinking and develop practical tools to help their organisations adapt to changing environments. It is particularly suited to mid-level professionals who are leading others, formally or informally, and who are grappling with complex challenges in their work.
The course provides a flexible way for leaders to build new thinking and tools into their leadership practice. It focuses on three key areas: navigating complexity, improving decision making and strengthening collaboration. Participants explore frameworks such as pre-mortem analysis, the habit canvas and diagnosing before treating, all designed to help them clarify situations, engage diverse perspectives and act more effectively.
As one participant reflected: “From the very first module, there is a genuine connection. You learn, reflect, and most importantly, you can immediately apply what you learn in your daily life.”
The on-demand format allows organisations to extend leadership learning to a wider group of people, at their own pace, supporting individual reflection as well as opportunities to apply new approaches in practice.
The value of learning together
Whether through the more structured peer-learning of the Virtual Young Leaders Programme or the individual reflection that comes with the Mutual Leadership course, both courses offer organisations a way to strengthen leadership capability at scale. In my experience, the greatest value often comes when organisations encourage several people to take part together. When colleagues can support each other through the learning process, discuss how it applies to their work and share ideas more broadly within the organisation, the impact on leadership thinking and culture is that much stronger.
As one participant observed: “Blending leadership skills with the opportunity to network globally, the programme provided me with tangible skills that I have brought back to my own organisation, and a network of likeminded professionals who I can call upon for support at any time.”
Supporting leadership across our sector
Ultimately, our aim with these programmes is to help ICMIF members build stronger leadership at every level. We want to make leadership learning more accessible, more practical and more reflective of the values and purpose that define our sector.
We also hope these programmes will continue to strengthen the connections across our global network, as members learn from each other, share insights and support one another in building leadership for a complex and changing world.
If you would like to explore how these programmes could help scale leadership learning within your organisation, or if you would like to discuss which option might best support your colleagues, I would be very happy to hear from you.
Find out more:
(Online) Virtual Young Leaders Programme
(Online) Mutual Leadership: Adapting to a Complex World
(In-person) Advanced Management Course
