TIM FOSTER MBE.
The LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance, in partnership with the University of Liverpool, is pleased to welcome you on the LMA Postgraduate Award in Strategic Leadership. This Postgraduate Award gives you an opportunity to enhance the skills that you already have, obtain a formal qualification, learn from experts, and improve your leadership and strategic abilities.
You have been accepted on to this Postgraduate Award, not just because of the skills that you already possess, but also because of the input that you can give the programme. The selected cohort is an experienced and impressive group of individuals that can refine their skills and apply their learning, not just within their sport or profession, but to any situation in the future.
This 9-month course will consist of a range of in-person workshops and online learning – both live and in your own time. Assessment is via assignments, group work, and presentations. The programme will challenge you to draw on your own experiences, apply a range of tools and new learning, and is intended to give you an enhanced perspective moving forward.
I hope you enjoy the programme and find it a useful, relevant, and rewarding experience. Members of the LMA and the programme delivery team are here to help you throughout, so please feel that you are supported and can ask for assistance. I wish you good luck and I look forward to working with you.
Tim Foster MBE LMA Head of Performance and Programme Lead
PROF. SUE BRIDGEWATER.
Welcome to the LMA Postgraduate Award in Strategic Leadership, we look forward to working with you over the coming months. The Postgraduate Award is designed to be applied and interactive – you will learn from sharing experiences and working with your peers as well as from the various subject matter experts who have prepared materials and who will engage with you either online or face-to-face during the sessions.
We have included a range of topics within the areas of leadership, strategy and governance designed to equip you with skills and capabilities to operate at Director-level. As a postgraduate qualification, you will be expected to reflect and demonstrate learning at a more advanced level and we will support you in achieving the qualification.
It will be a pleasure to work with you all.
Prof. Sue Bridgewater University of Liverpool and Programme Lead
WELCOME.
The LMA Postgraduate Award in Strategic Leadership is a Master’s level, academically accredited, leadership development programme. The course combines knowledge and experience from the academic, sporting, and business worlds, therefore providing an overarching and unique perspective of theory, experience, and best practice.
The programme is individualised and bespoke, making it suitable for anyone on their leadership journey who is looking to enhance their leadership and strategic oversight or to make a career transition. Previous participants have benefitted from the programme in making the change from player to coach, manager to leader, operational to director, or in gaining a better understanding of their existing role and impact.
Programme delivery includes a mixture of synchronous and “in-your-own-time” learning, online and face-to-face sessions, as well as the use of lecturecasts, the LMA Online Platform, individual tutoring, coaching and a wide range of added support. The LMA Postgraduate Award is delivered and administered by the League Managers Association’s Institute of Leadership and High Performance and University of Liverpool.
The programme aims to:
Equip participants with a skillset and framework that will form the foundation of their leadership and strategic thinking.
Prepare participants for a successful transition to the next level in their career, whether that be as a manager, leader, executive or non-executive role in or outside of sport.
Provide insight, challenge, theory and collective experience from all relevant areas around the academic, sporting, and business worlds.
Blend leadership and strategic theory with lived experience and applied practice.
Be flexible around the demands of busy careers and current roles.
Provide support and guidance through all aspects of the programme and learning journey.
Use a postgraduate modular approach using masters-level credits.
DELIVERY OUTLINE.
The LMA Postgraduate Award in Strategic Leadership delivers teaching and assessment based on 2 core modules:
Module 1 – Leadership – September to December 2024
Module 2 – Strategy & Governance – January to May 2025
Programme sessions will consist of:
6 x 1-day, in-person workshops
(St George’s Park or alternative venue)
8 x 1 hour, pre-recorded lecturecasts.
(Hosted on the LMA Platform and available to view in your own time)
6 x 2 hour, online, drop-in sessions.
(Hosted on Zoom)
The structure of the programme is designed to provide flexibility around other commitments. While there is scope to adapt, participants will get the most from the programme with full attendance and engagement with the sessions.
The programme is intended to be relevant and practical, drawing on participants’ experiences as well as expert opinion.
Participants will have 1-to-1 access to their course tutors throughout the course.
Sessions will be led by experts, academics, and experienced practitioners in their field.
Content will be a blend of academic theory, real-world examples, practical and applicable.
The LMA Postgraduate Award in Strategic Leadership will be based at St. George’s Park, the National Football Centre, and home of the LMA.
TIMETABLE: MODULE ONE.
3rd September 2024
Introduction
Leadership Self-Awareness University of Liverpool
10th September 2024 (Available from)
1st October 2024
30th October 2024
5th November 2024 (Available from)
19th November 2024
6th December 2024
11th December 2024
Leadership Themes
Pre-Recorded, LMA Platform
Leadership Drop-In Session Zoom, Online
Effective Leadership
St George’s Park
Leading Teams
Pre-Recorded, LMA Platform
Creating Winning Cultures Drop-In Session Zoom, Online
Crisis Management St George’s Park
Leadership Round-Up Zoom, Online
TIMETABLE: MODULE TWO.
16th January 2025
21st January 2025 (Available from)
4th February 2025
11th February 2025 (Available from)
25th February 2025
26th March 2025
1st April 2025 (Available from)
15th April 2025
14th May 2025
Introduction to Strategy
St George’s Park
Analysis & Planning
Pre-Recorded, LMA Platform
Strategy Drop-In Session Zoom, Online
Vision & Direction
Pre-Recorded, LMA Platform
Strategy Drop-In Session Zoom, Online
Good Governance
St George’s Park
Governance Codes
Pre-Recorded, LMA Platform
Governance Structures Zoom, Online
Applied Strategic Leadership
St George’s Park
MODULE ONE: LEADERSHIP.
September – December 2024
This module aims to provide a critical understanding of the key concepts, models, and developments in leadership. It will look at the different schools of thought on strategic leadership and different approaches to understanding effective leadership in a variety of applied situations and contexts, at both the individual and group level.
The module will enable delegates to reflect on their role as leaders, their leadership abilities, and identify actions for their own leadership development.
LEADERSHIP
Leadership Self-Awareness
Understand aspects of your leadership values, preferences, and style. Reflect on what leadership is.
Leadership Themes
Consider theories which underpin our understanding of leadership, including individual, group and collective, contextual and situational models.
Effective Leadership
Sources of power, influence and persuasion; Communication, connections and decisionmaking.
Leading Teams
Relationship-based leadership theory, Leader Member Exchange, and Social Identity and leadership.
Creating Winning Cultures
Focus on how leaders shape winning cultures using examples of different leadership contexts.
Applied Leadership: Crisis Management
Look at the challenges of leading in crisis situations using a real time simulation.
MODULE TWO: STRATEGY & GOVERNANCE.
January - May 2025
This module explores the relationship between strategy and governance by examining key concepts of management, organisation, strategy and performance across a range of different organisations in sport and broader business contexts. It will provide a toolkit for analysing organisational structures and effectiveness from both a general management perspective and from a Board governance perspective, including the roles and responsibilities of Boards, Directors, and non-Executive Directors.
STRATEGY
Introduction to Strategy
Understand what strategy is, strategic thinking, decision-making and underpinning theories.
Strategy: Analysis and Planning
Focus on the tools which might be used to analyse external and internal environments, stakeholders and the resources and capabilities of organisations, including an introduction to the key financial statements.
Strategy: Vision and Direction
Look at the innovation imperative to set strategic goals for organisations, including tools to consider vision, mission, values, and scenario planning.
GOVERNANCE
Introduction to Governance
Explore what governance is including political, systemic and organisational models of governance.
Governance Codes and Good Governance
Focus on the governance codes and the importance of Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG).
Governance Structures
Analyse organisational models of governance including the role of Boards, legal and financial aspects of governance, the UK Corporate Governance code and the role of the Non-Executive Director.
APPLIED STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
Leading Change
Integrate the learning from the Leadership and Strategy and Governance modules in applying understanding of change models, processes and leading change.
ADDITIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
1-to-1 Support
Each individual on the programme will have access to the LMA’s team of leadership and career development mentors. Through the LMA’s ILM-accredited mentoring programme individuals will receive specific support including:
• Personal psychological profiling
• Career transition planning
• Development action planning
LMA Institute Content Platform
Each individual will have access to the LMA Online Platform and its significant library of leadership and performance content and resources including LMA personal development guides, video archive and practical personal development resources.
This is also where pre-recorded course content will be posted to view in your own time.
Performance Experiences
During the programme each individual will have the opportunity to attend a bespoke ‘performance visit’ at a selected elite performance environment that best fits with their career and personal aspirations. Previous experiences include, The Red Arrows, Sandhurst, Saracens, Manchester City, Nike HQ, BT Sport.
LMA Institute CPD Events
Throughput the programme individuals will have access to attend all of the LMA Institute CPD events including the Autumn LMA Conference, Insights Webinars, Technical Panels and LMA Masterclasses.
ASSIGNMENTS.
An assignment tests how well you have understood new ideas and knowledge. It also tests how well you can apply new skills.
The assignments on the course take different forms – some are written, some involve presentations or participating in a simulation of real-world situations. They all ask you to apply what you have learned and to reflect on this. They will usually ask you to analyse situations from your own experience either in sport, or more broadly in business and management.
The assignments involve a mixture of group work and individual tasks.
ASSIGNMENT ADVICE.
1. We encourage the use of ideas and frameworks from the course to demonstrate your understanding of the topic and how it might be applied in a football, cricket, broader sport or business context.
2. Referencing any of the books or further reading given during the course, sources given on slides or in the recorded material, or from your own reading and analysis will help to strengthen your answers.
3. Your answers should be evidence-based, making use of data, examples and references to support your points.
4. Written assignments should have an introduction, explaining what you intend to include and how you will approach this, and a brief conclusion summarising your main points or findings. Further guidance may be offered in the assignment brief on what format to use in your assignment; e.g. report, learning journal or diary format.
5. Where a situation could be handled in different ways, we encourage you to discuss the options, select which you think would work best and justify your choice.
6. We offer guidance and feedback where necessary to help you to complete the assignments. Drafts can be sent for feedback to tim.foster@leaguemanagers.com or sue.bridgewater@liverpool.ac.uk before you submit a final version.
LEADERSHIP MODULE: ASSIGNMENT BRIEF.
Assessment of the Leadership module will be in three parts:
1. A 750-word case study analysis (20% of module 1)
• A critical reflection on your experiences of a real-world leadership situation.
• Choose a leadership situation from your experience – this can be in sport or outside of sport.
• In this situation you may have been the leader or you might be reflecting on the leadership style of someone who led you.
• In analysing this, you should choose and apply one or more model / idea.
• The models / ideas used in your case study analysis should come from one of topics 1 – 5 of the Leadership module.
• Reflect upon what worked / did not work well in this leadership experience and what factors contributed to this.
This will be due for submission by 29th October 2024
2. Participation and performance in a Leadership Simulation (20% of module 1)
• The simulation will put you in groups.
• The groups will be the Board of Directors for the purposes of this simulation.
• As the Board of Directors, you will meet a series of situations and will have to determine how best to lead, make decisions and communicate in these situations.
• You will be assessed based on your group’s performance in the simulation.
This will take place during the Crisis Management session on 6th December 2024
3. A 1,500-word Learning Journal: (60% of module 1)
• This will be a self-reflective report of your own leadership practice and an action plan for your future leadership development.
• In order to complete this, you are recommended to take notes of key points and think of actions from each of the sessions as you go through the module.
• We will provide you with a learning journal which you are encouraged to use during the module to make this task easier for you to complete.
• Try to write enough detail in these notes of:
a) What your learning is from the various topics and sessions
b) What actions you might take based on this learning
• You will need to write up a more complete 1,500 word version of these notes for the assignment.
This will be due for submission by 15th January 2025
STRATEGY & GOVERNANCE MODULE: ASSIGNMENT BRIEF.
Assessment of the Strategy and Governance module will be in two parts:
1. 1,500-word critical incident analysis of a personal case study (60% of module 2)
• Think of a situation you have experienced in which some aspect(s) of the Strategy and Governance module would help you to reflect on.
• What happened?
• Which models or concepts you might use to analyse and reflect on this?
• What worked well and what, if anything, might have been done differently in this situation?
• This could look at many things including a strategic analysis of the future trends that might impact an organization or your sport, a culture change, setting the vision, mission and values of an organisation, a stakeholder mapping etc.
This will be due for submission by 25th March 2025
2. 20-minute group presentation on a real-world governance case study (40% of module 2)
• Choose a real-world governance case study based on your own experience, or an example which has been written about in the public domain. This could focus on something which you think is good, not so good, or unique in terms of its governance.
For this case study example, consider the following questions:
• What is the governance structure in this example? Is this a Board of Directors of an organisation which controls and makes decisions, or perhaps one in which several organisations are involved in making governance for a sport? Consider who makes decisions, what is being controlled etc.
• In what way does the governance structure impact on the particular situation you are discussing? Has it perhaps resulted in an issue which needs resolving or has it maybe helped to resolve an issue?
• If the governance structures in this situation were under review, what, if any, changes to governance would you propose and why?
Recorded presentation to be submitted by 13th May 2025.
ASSESSMENT OF ASSIGNMENTS.
The assignments are anonymously marked. Once you complete your University registration, you will be given a University Student number, which you should use on your assignment.
Please do not put your name at the bottom of each page, just your student number. Assignments submitted for assessment will be graded on a percentage scale as set out below.
70+
The candidate showed mastery of the issues with which they were confronted, and demonstrated an excellent understanding of the challenges facing the football manager. The assignment made good use of models and concepts from the course, referenced these appropriately and added a high level of reflective insights based on this analysis. Clear and well justified recommendations.
60-69
The candidate showed a good level of understanding of the issues with which they were confronted, and demonstrated a good understanding of the challenges facing the football manager. The assignment made appropriate use of models and concepts from the course and these were well understood. Analysis was used to provide clear and well justified recommendations.
50-59
The candidate showed a fair level of understanding of the issues with which they were confronted, and demonstrated a reasonable understanding of the challenges facing the football manager. The assignment identified and made some use of models and concepts from the course and these were mostly well understood. Analysis was used to provide clear and justified recommendations.
40-49
The candidate partly understood the issues which they were confronted by, but showed some areas of poor understanding alongside others which were well understood. The assignment used one or two models and concepts from the course but tended towards description rather than analysis and did not fully justify its’ recommendations.
<40
The assignment showed weak understanding of the issues and made insufficient use of models and concepts from the course. Many areas of poor understanding and poorly developed and justified recommendations.
PROGRAMME TEAM.
Tim Foster MBE
Programme Lead
LMA Head of Performance
Phone: +44 (0) 7770 788348
Email: Tim.Foster@leaguemanagers.com
Prof. Sue Bridgewater
Programme Lead
Director of the Centre for Sport Business, University of Liverpool
Phone: +44 (0) 7960 679513
Email: Sue.Bridgewater@liverpool.ac.uk
Sam Westbrook
Programme Manager
LMA Football Operations Executive
Phone: +44 (0) 7443 370170
Email: Sam.Westbrook@leaguemanagers.com
THE LMA INSTITUTE OF LEADERSHIP & HIGH PERFORMANCE.
The LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance is established to provide innovative, engaging and vocationally relevant career-long learning and support to the managers and coaches in professional football in England, throughout their careers.
It takes a person-first, holistic approach to career and personal development and all of its programmes blend academic expertise with applied knowledge of the competitive world of elite level football and professional sport.
Its team of coaches, mentors, industry experts and academics deliver an extensive learning programme:
• University accredited qualifications
• An extensive calendar of CPD learning experiences
• A programme of 1-1 support and career development guidance and mentoring
• A library of wellbeing, learning and performance content
LEARNING NEVER STOPS.