Duration: 2 Days
Time: 8:30am-4:00pm

Module 1: Lead Yourself

Know yourself clearly. Lead yourself well. Change what happens

Strong leadership begins with the ability to lead yourself. When you understand how you think, respond, decide and show up, you are better equipped to lead with confidence, clarity and purpose. Self-awareness is the foundation for sound judgement, authentic presence and the kind of leadership that builds trust, resilience and impact in the workplace.

Lead Yourself is the first module in the Women in Leadership Programme and sets the tone for the journey ahead. Before we move outward to skills, strategy, and influence, we begin with self-awareness, the most powerful leadership tool available to anyone. You will examine the stories and messages that have shaped you, build a clearer understanding of what drives your behaviour under pressure, and leave with practical tools you can use in your working life immediately.

This practical, reflective and empowering module is designed for the South African workplace context, where leadership is shaped by diversity, complexity, uneven access to opportunity, and cultural dynamics that can make women’s authority harder to hold and harder to have recognised. By engaging these realities openly and constructively, the module creates space for meaningful growth, helping participants recognise the stories, habits and mindset patterns that influence their leadership, while strengthening confidence, values, boundaries and choice. The result is a strong foundation for women to lead in a way that is grounded, intentional and sustainable.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Women in management, team leadership, or senior professional roles who want to lead with greater confidence, clarity, and impact
• Women who are developing towards leadership and want a strong, honest foundation from which to grow
• Women at any career stage who recognise that self-awareness and inner clarity are the starting point for effective leadershi

HOW YOU WILL BENEFIT

• Develop stronger self-awareness and a clearer understanding of the patterns that shape your leadership
• Strengthen confidence and self-esteem in ways that are grounded, practical and sustainable
• Improve your ability to pause, think clearly and respond with intention under pressure
• Build healthier boundaries without losing professionalism, trust, or credibility
• Gain greater clarity on your values and use them to guide choices and behaviour
• Recognise and interrupt mindset patterns that reduce confidence, voice and visibility
• Understand the leadership landscape for women and apply strategies that support more effective navigation

WHAT WILL BE COVERED

Starting the journey

• Welcome, purpose and what this programme is designed to build
• What participants can expect from the module and the broader programme pathway
• Building a learning contract grounded in psychological safety, confidentiality and mutual respect
• Using the learner guide and leadership journal as tools for growth and continued practice

Self-awareness: the leadership foundation

• Understanding the two sides of self-awareness
• Recognising blind spots and how unseen patterns influence behaviour
• Exploring the stories and experiences that shape identity
• Identifying the messages you have received about ambition, belonging, voice and capability, and the affirming ones that are easy to forget
• Choosing what you want to carry forward and what you need to release

Confidence and self-esteem: building the resource

• Understanding the difference between confidence and self-esteem
• Recognising your levels of  confidence and self-esteem and how it shapes behaviour
• Identifying what genuinely builds stronger confidence and healthier self-esteem

The Ladder of Inference: from reaction to choice

• Recognising the patterns behind reactive behaviour
• Learning how to step down the ladder and interrupt automatic responses
• Practising the pause and choosing thoughtful response over reflex
• Applying the model to common workplace triggers and post-training action

Aligning with your values: the decision compass

• Understanding that values are lived standards, not slogans
• Exploring the connection between values, self-trust, confidence and decision-making
• Defining boundaries and understanding why they matter
• Identifying fountains and drains and managing energy as a leadership resource
• Recognising when depletion, frustration or resentment may signal values misalignment
• Protecting your values boundary: using energy management as a leadership strategy

The Leadership Landscape for Women

• Exploring what women bring to leadership
• Understanding the global and South African picture and the forces that shape women’s leadership experience
• Recognising the barriers and influencing factors that may get in the way
• Identifying practical strategies that help women navigate the landscape with greater clarity and agency

Mindset: Unhook the Patterns, Choose the Leader

• Reframing mindset as something that can be examined and changed
• Strengthening choice, agency and self-leadership in daily practice
• Evidence Over Stories: Working with Imposter Syndrome
• Building a more accurate and grounded view of capability and contribution
• Recognising the cost of over-accommodation
• Understanding the difference between care and self-erasure
• Examining the impact of over-apologising
• Replacing unnecessary apology with clearer, more confident communication

Closing Integration

• Developing value-based standards and boundaries to build leadership presence.
• Moving forward: Committing to practical leadership actions that strengthen self-leadership