Effective leadership is fundamental to the future success of your organisation and of the social enterprise sector.  Leadership development enhances every area of your business model and operations, and will maximise your potential to deliver social value and return on investment.

Social Enterprise UK have developed a Social Enterprise Leadership Development course which is being delivered by Real Partners CIC, designed for professionals keen to improve their performance and grow their organisations through effective and focused leadership. The course includes personal leadership development days, and the opportunity to meet and learn from other leaders through social enterprise visits, roundtables, and peer-to-peer events.

More courses will take place next year with a programme for three different cohorts - Emerging social enterprise leaders, Senior social enterprise leaders, and leaders of organisations looking to become social enterprises. Expressions of interest in future courses can be sent to leadership@socialenterprise.org.uk.

Senior Social Enterprise Leaders

The Senior Social Enterprise Leadership course has now started and will run through to November - further information is available in the course programme. 

Social Enterprise leaders need tailored development programmes which truly understand the social enterprise business model and the challenges that face the sector. Participants will have the opportunity to learn with and hear from other like-minded social leaders, talk openly and honestly about their experiences, and share real-life examples of best practice that leaders can take back to their own organisations. Speakers on the programme will include senior leaders from Social Enterprise UK, HCT, Hillholt Wood, Stride, The Healthy Hub CIC and Age UK.

Read this piece, by Craig Carey, Social Enterprise UK Programme Manager, for an insight into the first two days of the course, and the following piece for testimonies from our participants and Real Partners, CIC, who are delivering the programme.

Participants will address the fundamental requirements of leading an effective, innovative and successful social enterprise, based on four themes:

1. Leading your social enterprise – motivating and leading a successful organisation.
2. Managing your social enterprise – readiness to manage a productive and profitable venture.
3. Marketing your social enterprise – communicating with and influencing others.
4. Sustaining your social enterprise – creating a long term balance of people, income and planet.

The Social Enterprise Leadership Development course will help participants to:

• Become an inspirational leader and role model by learning to use the skills, strategies and secrets from successful enterprise leaders and dynamic real time case studies.
• Become a skilled and confident leader who can build winning teams to achieve outstanding success
• Work brilliantly with others by building the capability to influence key stakeholders, forge relationships and maintain productive partnerships.
• Develop commercial acumen, improve strategic thinking skills and shape a value-driven social enterprise culture.
• Develop a marketing mindset and maximise your organisation’s potential in today’s challenging environment.

Emerging Social Enterprise Leaders

Earlier this year, Social Enterprise UK and Real Partners CIC delivered the successful Social Enterprise Emerging Leaders course, with 17 leaders participating from a variety of social enterprises, voluntary and public sector organisations. The course was very well received, and case studies telling the story of what some of the leaders gained from the course can be found on our Resources page here.

Here's what some of the Emerging leaders had to say about the course:

“It has given me the confidence to lead an organisation based on my vision and values”

“The opportunity to consider and relate theory in to practice and discuss operational challenges was hugely beneficial”

“As a result of attending I have an increased knowledge of enterprise models and can now support the development of further opportunities for us”

“Group discussions were especially valuable in gaining an insight of a the wide variety of work being undertaken by social enterprise, and developing understanding of theory into practice”

“I will use and refer back to the materials provided and the network will be invaluable”

A booklet produced by Real Partners CIC, outling four essential skills for today's leaders, is available here.

For an evaluation of the Social Enterprise Emerging Leaders course, please click here. 

The ‘Social Enterprise Leadership Development programme’ is currently funded by the BIG Lottery Fund’s Investing in Social Enterprise Expansion (I-SEE) programme 2009-2012. The programme will be continuing after the funding has finished as we develop the course further.