LEAD Overview
An innovative programme for developing leadership in SMEs
LEAD is a ten month programme which has been specifically designed by Lancaster University Management School for owner-managers of small to medium sized businesses. The programme concentrates on two areas of the business: the business itself and the personal development of the owner-manager, providing a framework to increase profitability, diversify and grow the business.
We have worked directly with over 250 companies on LEAD since we launched the programme in 2004 in a pilot funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency. Independent evaluation conducted by Newcastle University shows that our LEAD graduates have, seen increases in profit (70% of participants), turnover (55%), employment (49%) and productivity (65%). The mean turnover increase reported by LEAD participants is in the order of £360,000 per annum, equal to a 13.8% annual growth rate. Their mean annual employment growth rate is 16.8%.
LEAD has now been rolled out across the North West of England, under a programme funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency. That programme involved a network of thirteen LEAD providers, who delivered LEAD to 1,250 regional SMEs under our guidance. Our partners in Swansea and Bangor Universities are also delivering the LEAD Wales project to over 600 Welsh companies.
What value can the LEAD programme bring to your organisation? Find out more in this video.
This innovative programme integrates active teaching with practice, regularly encouraging participants to relate what they are learning to their own situations, and supporting them through coaching and action learning to apply their learning to their own businesses. Additionally, it builds on the personal experiences and knowledge of participants, enabling them to learn from one another.
Case Studies
In our video case studies, participants explain how the LEAD programme has benefitted them and their businesses.
‘LEAD gave me the ability to move away from ‘running’ the business to ‘growing’ the business’
‘It has helped to tackle difficult situations and look to ways of making the business more profitable and secure’
‘LEAD has helped me regain a work-life balance’
