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STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

FROM OPERATIONAL EXPERT TO STRATEGIC LEADER

The Strategic Leadership Academy is a leadership course 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 an executive education course 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 and management 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

man at stairs
man at stairs

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.

four person on mountain during daytime

LOW EGO. HIGH STANDARDS

LOW EGO.
HIGH STANDARDS

What sets 1664 Training Solutions' Strategic Leadership Academy apart from other 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 THIS LEADERSHIP COURSE FOR YOU?

Does this sound familiar?

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

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Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in
Icon of a checkbox with a check within in

If that sounds familiar, you're EXACTLY the type of leader the Academy has been designed to support.

WHAT KEY LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU'LL DEVELOP

STRATEGIC CAPACITY

Create the time and headspace required for strategic thinking

DELEGATION & ACCOUNTABILITY

Create the time and headspace required for strategic thinking

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

Icon of a group of people
Icon of a group of people
Icon of a handshake
Icon of a handshake
Icon of a clock face
Icon of a clock face
Icon of two people, one behind another
Icon of two people, one behind another
Icon of a ladder entering water
Icon of a ladder entering water
Icon of a human brain
Icon of a human brain
Icon of a line chart, with the line trending upwards representing growth
Icon of a line chart, with the line trending upwards representing growth

THE RESULT

Not just stronger individual leadership and management skills to become a good leader, but stronger organisational capability through the behaviours leaders develop and propagate through the organisation

two people sitting at a table with laptops
two people sitting at a table with laptops

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.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

1. APPLY

Complete the short application, which takes approximately five minutes.

2. REVIEW

Every application is personally reviewed to assess suitability and readiness.

3. LEADERSHIP CONVERSATION

Suitable applicants are invited to discuss their challenges, questions and fit with the Academy.

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.