CMI Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management

Units 5003 Performance Management and 5012 Being a Leader

This is a proposal for a programme for all middle managers.

The aim of the programme is to facilitate and support personal and group learning and development in order to develop managers who are more confident and competent to perform the full range of management tasks effectively.

Learning outcomes for middle managers: On completion of this programme participants should be able to:

  • Manage their staff individually and in teams through the performance management process including planning and running supervision, appraisal and personal development meetings and team meetings
  • Apply their understanding of Kolb’s Learning Cycle to the supervision process in order to ensure that supervisees are always learning and therefore improving performance
  • Apply their understanding of their own and others learning styles to ensure that supervisees can learn and therefore maximise performance
  • Use their power and authority appropriately in the supervisory relationship
  • Develop and adapt their leadership and management style according to the situation and person they are dealing with in order to increase their influence and thereby maximise performance
  • Set SMART objectives and follow these up during the supervision cycle
  • Write and manage learning plans
  • Coach their staff for improved performance
  • Use the appropriate policies and procedures for managing staff
  • Manage challenging staff situations effectively
  • Manage themselves so that they are working ‘smarter not harder’
  • Apply their understanding of the organisations ethical and value-base to their approach to leadership
  • Develop clarity of focus and use this to lead the team in the achievement of clear objectives.

Learning Methods

The programme will consist of:

  • 7 training days. These will be interactive and engaging and focus on the real life experience of learners
  • Six Action Learning Sets (1/2 day) one following each training day. The learning sets will be an integral part of the course and will be run with smaller groups than the training days. The learning sets will give participants an opportunity to consolidate their learning and to address an issue that is of concern to them, in a systematic way with the support of their peers and the facilitator. Learning sets also teach participants valuable skills such as asking facilitative questions, active listening, being solution focused and problem solving which they can use in supervision and appraisal to develop their own staff.

Learners will be provided with a comprehensive learning manual with support materials for the course and the assessment and space to record their own learning. Previous learners have told us that they keep these on their desks and use them for reference long after the course has finished.

The programme is a generic management skills course and congruent with National Occupational Standards for Managers. It is also congruent with the NOMs Probation Leadership and Management Framework and the Prison Service Leadership Qualities Framework.

Assessment: Assessment will be by 6 short assignments (approx 1000 words each) against the assessment criteria for the CMI Certificate in Management Level 5 Units 5003 and 5012. Full details will be given at the launch. The modules are mapped very closely to the CMI criteria so as long as learners turn up and take part they should not find the assessment too demanding.

Indicative Contents:

Although to an extent the content of the programme is constrained by the requirements of the CMI, there is a lot of flexibility to make the programme fit the needs of your Trust.

The training is learner centred and uses real life example generated by the participants. The Action Learning Sets enable participants to put theory into practice working on issues that are concerning them.

Module 1: Launch of the programme

Session headed up by Chief Executive or Deputy Chief Executive (first half hour) with the trainer to:

  • Launch the programme and convey senior management support
  • To introduce the design of the programme and answer any questions
  • Set the context
  • Open up the debate about the relationship between leadership and management
  • Introduce the concept of the Emotionally Intelligent manager
  • Setting up exercises for the programme, reminding participants that they have to take responsibility for their own learning 
  • Introduce participants to action learning. 

Module 2: Supervision, Appraisal and the Performance Management Framework

  • Understanding the performance management process and how supervision and appraisal fit into it
  • Understanding the wider context of supervision and appraisal
  • The nuts and bolts of the supervision interview
  • Developing the team
  • Personal style and situational leadership
  • Managing a diverse workforce fairly
  • Setting and managing SMART objectives.

Module 3: Developing your Staff for Improved Performance

  • Understanding and helping staff who are ‘stuck’
  • Identifying individual learning needs within set objectives
  • Writing and managing development plans
  • More aspects of team work
  • Practical coaching skills (this will form a major part of this day).

 Module 4: Leading Sustained Improvement

  • Understanding and using policies and procedures
  • Giving feedback
  • Motivating staff
  • Using assertive influencing skills
  • Using authority appropriately
  • Being solution focused
  • Structuring and managing performance improvement plans.

Module 5: Leading in a Changing Organisation

  • Theories and models of change management
  • Applying our knowledge to actual changes currently being managed
  • It is often the way you look at it: understanding the effects of change on individuals and helping them to manage those effects and develop a solution focused approach
  • Managing resistance
  • Managing the effects of change on ourselves
  • Understanding the organisations culture and managing in an evolving culture.

 Module 6: Leading for Excellence

  • Reminding ourselves of the vision and what are the values of the Trust (links back to day 1)
  • Fundamental concepts of excellence
  • Business planning: our part in it  (we are all leaders)
  • Customers and stakeholders, who are they and how do we work together to produce excellent results for them
  • Performance Breakthroughs.

Module 7: Final day

  • Pulling all the threads together
  • Revisiting the accreditation process
  • Presentation to LDU heads and senior managers.

More Information:

Sally Cherry – Learning and Development Manager (Management Development)  Midlands Regional Probation Training Consortium

T: 0121 730 3360  M: 07976901187  E: Sally.Cherry@swm.probation.gsi.gov.uk