Leadership Accelerator Programme

Leadership Accelerator Programme

Overview

The Leadership Accelerator Programme (LAP) is a six-month, high-impact development experience for managers in small and medium-sized businesses who need to step into real leadership maturity.

SMEs rely heavily on their managers, yet many have never been properly developed for the reality of the role. The result is familiar: escalation, firefighting, inconsistent people leadership, avoidance of difficult conversations, and decisions that don’t always reflect commercial reality.

LAP closes that gap. It develops the mindset and behaviours leaders want most: ownership, accountability, confident people leadership and stronger commercial judgement. The programme combines immersive in-person learning with practical coaching pods and applied workplace focus, so behaviour changes are visible in day-to-day leadership, not just in the training room.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the Leadership Accelerator Programme, participants will be able to:

  • Lead with greater self-awareness, confidence and consistency
  • Communicate with clarity and credibility, especially under pressure
  • Take ownership of outcomes and reduce reactive firefighting
  • Set clear expectations and standards so teams know what “good” looks like
  • Hold effective performance, accountability and feedback conversations
  • Coach rather than rescue, reducing dependency and upward delegation
  • Build stronger trust, alignment and team effectiveness
  • Make more confident, commercially sound operational decisions
  • Prioritise, delegate and manage workload with better judgement
  • Influence stakeholders and manage expectations to protect delivery and service

Learning Details

Target Audience

The Leadership Accelerator Programme is designed for:

  • Managers and leaders in small and medium-sized organisations
  • Newly appointed managers stepping into people leadership responsibilities
  • Experienced managers who need to operate with greater maturity and confidence
  • Leaders who are technically strong but less confident in people or commercial leadership
  • Organisations seeking practical leadership impact rather than theory-heavy training

LAP is particularly valuable where managers are expected to “run the business day-to-day” but still rely heavily on senior leaders for decisions and problem-solving.

The Leadership Accelerator Programme is structured around three leadership horizons, delivered over six months:

Leading Yourself

Build self-awareness, leadership identity and presence. Develop emotional intelligence, ownership mindset and communication behaviours that create confidence and trust.

Leading the Team

Strengthen people leadership capability. Set clear expectations, hold accountability, address performance issues early and build teams that take ownership rather than escalate.

Leading the Business

Develop commercial judgement and broader business leadership. Improve prioritisation, delegation and decision-making, and strengthen stakeholder leadership and service excellence.

Each stage builds on the last, ensuring leaders progress from personal impact to team leadership and finally to business-level thinking.

This programme combines immersive learning with coaching and applied focus, ensuring learning transfers into day-to-day leadership behaviour.

  • Duration: 6 months
  • In-person learning: 3 x 2-day chapters (Months 1, 3 and 5)
  • Coaching support: 2 x online coaching pods (Months 2 and 4), small groups (typically 5–6 delegates)
  • Impact review: Sponsor and delegate follow-up in Month 6 (30–45 minutes online)

Benefits

For participants

  • Greater leadership confidence and credibility
  • Practical tools for communication, accountability and decision-making
  • Improved ability to handle pressure and difficult conversations
  • Stronger judgement, prioritisation and delegation
  • A clearer leadership identity and more consistent leadership impact

For the business

  • Reduced escalation and firefighting
  • Stronger ownership and accountability at manager level
  • More effective people leadership and performance management
  • Faster, better quality operational decisions
  • Teams that require less hands-on intervention
  • Reduced pressure on senior leaders and HR

Client Success Stories

Zestfor Quote

The Leadership Accelerator Programme is a new programme, so formal client case studies are not yet available.

However, LAP is built on Zestfor’s established leadership development expertise and proven delivery approach, combining immersive in-person learning, coaching support and a six-month journey focused on measurable leadership impact.

Why Choose Zestfor?

Facilitation not lectures

Our hands-on, practical and action-oriented workshops encourage collaboration and active learning.

Tailored approach

Our workshops are customised to meet the unique needs of individuals and teams.

Expert facilitators

Benefit from experienced professionals with a track record of catalysing positive transformation.

Proven results

Join a growing list of satisfied clients who have seen tangible improvements in performance and collaboration.

Register Your Interest

Fill in the form below to learn more about this programme or call us on 0845 548 0833 to discuss how we can tailor it to your needs.

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