STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
FROM OPERATIONAL EXPERT TO STRATEGIC LEADER
The Strategic Leadership Academy is a professional development programme that exists for operational experts whose technical excellence now needs to be complemented with executive leadership skills, and whose next stage of growth depends on developing as a strategic leader.
It is a leadership programme that has been created for experienced professionals whose leadership responsibilities have evolved beyond the primary application of their own expertise, and who recognise that the leadership skills and behaviours which created previous success in their career now require deliberate professional development to meet the demands of greater organisational responsibility.
This is not about changing who you are. It is about shifting your leadership identity and honing your leadership style and skills to become the strategic leader your organisation now needs you to be.
THE CHALLENGE
Organisations evolve, people are promoted, responsibility increases, complexity increases, expectations change, leadership roles expand.
Yet leadership development often assumes that capability and skills naturally grow alongside it.
In reality, many exceptional operational leaders and senior managers eventually encounter a point where the way they have always created value begins to limit the organisation they have successfully built.
The instinct to remain involved
The desire to solve problems personally
The need to make the important decisions
The satisfaction of being the expert others depend on
THE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP TRANSITION™
One observation emerges time and again through executive coaching, career guidance, leadership development and organisational consultancy, regardless of the sector.
Leaders rarely struggle because they lack capability. Capability is what took them into leadership positions in the first place.
They struggle because the way they create value has fundamentally changed.
Early in a career, value is created through personal expertise, technical competence and individual contribution.
As organisational responsibility increases, whether through promotion, organisational growth, transformation, succession or increasing complexity, leadership becomes progressively less about personal output and increasingly about effective people management skills: creating the conditions in which other people can succeed.
That transition is rarely recognised. Even more rarely is it deliberately developed.
We describe this as the Strategic Leadership Transition™.
The Academy exists to help leaders navigate it successfully.
LOW EGO. HIGH STANDARDS
LOW EGO.
HIGH STANDARDS
What sets 1664 Training Solutions' Strategic Leadership Academy apart from other leadership and management courses and qualifications is our ethos of LOW EGO, HIGH STANDARDS. This means:
LOW EGO
HIGH STANDARDS
arriving with curiosity rather than certainty. It means asking questions without embarrassment, admitting when something has not worked, being prepared to challenge your own assumptions, and recognising that leadership development is not about proving how much you already know.
taking your own development seriously. We prepare, we contribute, we reflect honestly, we challenge one another respectfully, and we apply what we learn in practice. We believe evidence matters, thoughtful discussion matters, and following through on commitments matters.
IS THE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FOR YOU?
Do you recognise any of these?
Your organisation depends too heavily on your expertise
You have capable people, yet they still rely on you for direction
Your organisation has grown faster than leadership capacity around it
Important decisions still come back to you
Delegation happens, but ownership does not always follow
Strategic thinking and long-term leadership is regularly displaced by operational priorities
You know your leadership needs to evolve, but you are not looking for another generic leadership programme
If that sounds familiar, you're EXACTLY the type of leader the Academy has been designed to support.
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP INQUIRY
At the heart of the Strategic Leadership Academy is the STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP INQUIRY: a year-long investigation into genuine leadership challenge, opportunity or question from within their own organisation.
The Strategic Leadership Inquiry is purposeful work that creates value for your organisation while supporting your own development as a strategic leader. Rather than asking participants to step away from their professional responsibilities in order to learn, the Academy encourages them to use their everyday leadership as the environment in which meaningful learning takes place.
Your organisation becomes the context. Your leadership becomes the subject. Your development becomes the outcome.
During the opening phase of the Academy, you will work with your Faculty Mentor to identify the question that will shape your inquiry throughout the year, culminating in an Executive Paper and presentation at graduation.
WHAT KEY LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU'LL DEVELOP
STRATEGIC CAPACITY
Create the time and headspace required for strategic thinking
DELEGATION & ACCOUNTABILITY
Delegate responsibility without losing clarity or ownership
LEADERSHIP DEPTH
Develop stronger leaders throughout the organisation
OWNERSHIP & CULTURE
Build cultures of accountability and responsibility
DECISION MAKING
Improve the quality and consistency of organisational decisions
REDUCED DEPENDENCY
Reduce reliance on yourself as the central point of control
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Lead organisational growth without becoming the permanent bottleneck
THE RESULT
Not just stronger individual leadership and management skills, but stronger organisational capability through the behaviours leaders develop and propagate through the organisation
HOW THE ACADEMY WORKS
The Strategic Leadership Academy is a leadership development programme that combines practical learning with real organisational application.
Every element has been designed around behavioural change rather than information transfer.
The programme brings together a carefully selected cohort of leaders and future leaders who learn alongside one another through facilitated discussion, practical application, executive coaching, reflection and shared experience.
Participants leave not simply with new ideas, but with new habits, new perspectives and a practical framework for continuing their leadership development long after the formal programme has concluded.
They also become part of an alumni network of leaders who have shared the same developmental journey and can continue to challenge, support and learn from one another.
JOIN THE 2026 FOUNDING COHORT
The Strategic Leadership Academy is pleased to announce the details for the 2026 Founding Cohort!
Programme begins 20 October 2026
Location: Reading/Thames Valley
Cohort: Maximum 15 participants
Format: Approximately monthly, full-day in-person Academy sessions, supported by online Faculty Mentor meetings and ongoing Strategic Leadership Inquiry work
Investment: £395 + VAT per month by Direct Debit, or £4,250 + VAT as a single annual payment
Admissions remain open until the Founding Cohort is complete
THE INVESTMENT
The Strategic Leadership Academy is designed as a year-long educational experience rather than a series of individual training sessions. Your investment provides access to the complete programme, including all in-person Academy Days, online development sessions, faculty mentoring, reflective practice activities, learning resources, and membership of a cohort committed to supporting one another throughout the programme.
MONTHLY INVESTMENT
£395 + VAT
per month
12 month commitment
ANNUAL INVESTMENT
£4,250 + VAT
single annual payment
OR
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
1. APPLICATION
Complete the online application form, introducing yourself and your leadership context.
2. CONVERSATION
Suitable applicants are invited to an informal conversation with a member of faculty to establish whether you and the Academy are a right fit for each other.
3. OFFER
Successful applicants receive an offer of membership.
4. WELCOME
Before the first Academy Session, participants receive their welcome pack, initial reading, access to Academy resources and an introduction to their Faculty Mentor.
It is important not only that the Academy is the right fit for you, but also that where you are in your leadership journey is appropriate for the programme and the cohort you would join.
If we believe the Academy is well aligned with your current leadership journey, we will invite you to a Leadership Conversation.
This provides an opportunity for us to explore your current challenges, answer your questions and determine together whether the Academy represents the right next step for you and your organisation.
Application now open for the FOUNDING COHORT, commencing in AUTUMN 2026
GOT A QUESTION ABOUT THE ACADEMY?
Have questions about the Academy? Get in touch by filling out our contact form or send us an email with your query and we will come back to you with the answers you need.
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