Continuing Professional Development
Leadership for professionals
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
This course will enable you, as a finance professional, to review your leadership style and identify how you could improve your leadership skills and effectiveness, and develop an environment that empowers others and encourages innovative thought. It encourages you to: review your decision making; consider how effectively you create and communicate a vision; and build and improve networks inside and outside your organisation.
This course, developed in conjunction with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), will interest:
- first-line and middle managers in large organisations
- those with a leadership or management role in smaller organisations
- organisations seeking to improve leadership.
Course content
You will work through the course at your own pace. The study material examines five main areas: What is leadership?; Impact on others – motivation and empowerment; Decision making; Vision and goals; and Networking. The underpinning activity of the course is a Personal Development Plan in which you select and reflect on two areas of leadership where changes could be made to improve your personal impact.
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- understand the different approaches to leadership and assess which of these suit different situations
- distinguish between leadership and management
- understand the importance of emotional intelligence in professional leadership
- understand what an effective leader can do to empower others
- enable the creation of an innovative and creative climate within an organisation
- appreciate the influences on decision making and use that insight to identify ways to make more effective decisions
- create and communicate a vision
- identify ways in which goal setting can be effectively linked to your organisational objectives
- appreciate the factors that affect personal, operational and strategic networking.
The strong link between course learning and your work practice creates relevant, enduring and transferable outcomes. It requires no more than 30 hours of your time in total, over whatever period suits you. But the learning is far richer than more expensive one- to three-day workshops. Register online today and start tomorrow – no need to wait!
The course, which has been developed in conjunction with the Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA), features the distinctive strengths of The Open University (OU) from its years of expertise in work-based learning:
- The convenience of accessing its clearly presented and sequenced materials, activities and support whenever suits you and wherever you have access to the protected course website – if you prefer, you can print key materials to work on them offline.
- The support of an expert learning adviser who can clarify course materials, answer questions and help you relate the course to your specific needs.
- A work-based activity helps you to connect the course to your individual and organisational context and needs. This is built up from short activities during the course, leading to a Personal Development Plan. At the end of the course you send this to the learning adviser, who provides personal feedback.
- Certification of completion from the OU for those who complete the course. You can use this to demonstrate your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity to your employer and/or professional body. (N.B. The course does not carry academic credit points.)
Entry
Although there are no formal academic requirements to study any of our CPD courses, you are expected to have some experience in the field and the course assumes a familiarity with the subject.
For each course you can register and begin at any time during the life of the course. You can study at your own pace and submit your work-based activity at any date before the final submission date for the course. Information about the final submission date is available when you register for the course.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course is delivered wholly online. Learners who use screen readers or who cannot use a mouse will not be able to access some course material or some course activities without assistance. Written transcripts of the audio interviews are available on the website. If you are a new learner with the OU, make sure that you have our booklet Meeting Your Needs. You can obtain a copy by contacting our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Course materials
What's included
All learning materials, exercises, study support and work-based activity are delivered entirely online.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Learner support
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond to you direct within 24 hours. Other support is available via the course forum, library, StudentHome website and computing helpdesk.
Work-based activity
The work-based activity for this course is a written report and has been designed as an integrated ongoing activity that you submit at the end of your study. It will allow you to reflect on your learning and how to use it in your professional work.
Professional recognition
Successful completion of the course enables us to recognise your achievement of the course learning by issuing an OU certificate, which you can use to document your commitment to continuing professional development in your personal portfolio, or to provide evidence to employers or a professional body.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
Study explained
- Special fee arrangements
- - the OU has relationships with many professional bodies, and as part of those relationships members may be entitled to special fee arrangements.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Got a question?
Contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service
Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90
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