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Leading People

Page updated 31 July 2024

Leading people is the ability to influence others in a positive way and mentor, motivate and guide others towards the achievement of goals. A leader can align and build effective teams both within School/Unit/College and across UCD and works effectively with senior management and with the University's academic and business communities.

RISE Leadership and People Management Programme

The RISE programme is designed for all Senior Leaders and People Managers across UCD.

This Leadership programme has been created to support the delivery of the UCD Strategy 2020-2024, '(opens in a new window)Rising to the Future'. As per our strategy, we commit to rising to meet the global challenges of the future through the excellence and impact of our research, scholarship and innovation, while ensuring every member of our community is enabled to achieve their full potential.  

RISE is delivered by our strategic partners (opens in a new window)Flow Group. The modules are designed to facilitate participants coming together to reflect and plan their individual and collective approaches to navigating an ever-changing and complex landscape, and each session includes personal reflection, action planning, small group conversation, idea generation and discussion.

Booking your place on RISE
To book your place on any of the RISE offerings please visit the dedicated RISE Booking Portal available to People Managers and Senior Leaders.

Please note only eligible participants will have access to book on the UCD RISE Leadership and People Management Programme.

RISE Programme Overview:

RISE new format for ESS Modules 2024

This high impact programme is designed as a learning journey which consists of a number of modules which must be completed in sequence. Senior Leaders and People Managers will attend the Core Module together to share experiences and work to create common approaches and language.  People Managers will then attend their Essentials modules in sequence (There is only one Essentials Module for Senior Leaders).

RISE Insights
The programme also offers RISE Insights Sessions on HR, Organisational Change, EDI, Finance and Research Finance and DiSC. These optional 90-minute offerings delivered by our UCD colleagues provide specialist advice and guidance. Insights Sessions can be attended at any time once you have completed your Core module.

RISE Peer Connect
These one-hour self-contained sessions allow for the continuation of learning and sharing among our diverse community of people managers and leaders. The purpose of these facilitated sessions is to connect peers in small groups of three, with each person talking through a challenge, idea or insight, sharing experiences and using the group as a confidential sounding board.

The Insights and Peer connect sessions can be attended at any time throughout your RISE journey.

Aurora is a leadership development programme for those who identify as female. It was developed by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education in the UK. You can read more about the programme at (opens in a new window)Aurora | Advance HE

The programme is designed to introduce key leadership topics and skills through four online one-day workshops, complemented by online networking, action learning sets and resources.  Advance HE also host an in-person networking event as part of the programme.

The UCD HR People and Organisation Development Unit support the UCD Aurora cohort by hosting several local in-person events such as the UCD programme launch and closing events, mentee training and a mid-programme review event. On-going support is ensured through institutional mentoring.

Aurora is supported in UCD both by an overall Institution Champion, Professor Regina Uí Chollatáin, and an Aurora Coordinator in HR People and Organisation Development. 

Applications for the 2024-25 Aurora Leadership Development Programme are now closed. 

Aurora Programme dates and outline

Date Time Topic/Activity Delivery Host 
03-Oct-24 12:15 - 14:00 Introduction to Aurora In-person UCD
10-Oct-24 09:30 - 13:30 Mentee Training In-person UCD
11-Oct-24 10:00 - 12:30 Introductory Webinar  Zoom Advance HE
18-Oct-24 10:00 - 15:00  Identity, Impact and Voice Zoom Advance HE
08-Nov-24 10:00 - 15:00  Core Leadership Skills Zoom Advance HE
29-Nov-24 10:00 - 15:00  Action Learning Set 1 Zoom Advance HE
12-Dec-24 10:00 - 15:00  Politics and Influence  Zoom Advance HE
22-Jan-25 10:00 - 15:00  Adaptive Leadership Skills Zoom Advance HE
14-Feb-25 09:30 - 16:00 Your Future in Higher Education In-person Advance HE
19-Feb-25 11:30 - 12:30 Mid-Aurora Review In-person UCD
06-March 25 10:00 - 15:00 Action Learning Set 2 In-person Advance HE
28-May-25 11:30 - 14:00 Post Programme Review  In-person UCD

Participants

The programme was established in 2013 and has run in a number of venues in the UK and Ireland, including London; Manchester; Bristol and Glasgow and Dublin. UCD has supported over 185 women to participate in the programme since 2015,  demonstrating the University's commitment to leadership development and gender equality.

Mentors

Aurora requires that the University puts systems in place to help support and develop participants on their Aurora experience. This includes having mentors in place to work with participants. Although the development days are run over 5 months, the mentoring arrangement is for the duration of one year to help participants maximise the benefit of the programme.

Guidance on choosing a mentor is available below:

2024-2025 Aurora Guidance in Choosing a Mentor

Should you have any queries in relation to Aurora in UCD, please contact (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie.

If you have questions relating to other leadership or management development please discuss this with your Line Manager or Head of School/Unit at your annual P4G conversation.

Who is this course for?
This course is for all staff members interested in developing their coaching skills. Adopting a coaching approach focuses on helping people to do their best thinking. The practice of coaching goes to the heart of developing talent, improving performance, empowering accountability for progress and creating a positive culture. 

What topics will be covered?

  • The elements of coaching: attention, intention and great questions
  • The role of coaching in developing and supporting a range of stakeholders in a variety of situations (supervision, formal management, peer support, etc.)
  • How coaching also benefits the leader (coach) and the whole team
  • Using a coaching style – slower pace, silence, listening, asking questions, refraining from giving advice
  • Identify solutions to individual challenges/opportunities
  • Practice coaching sessions with trainer and/or colleagues

How long is this course?

The total course duration is 3.5 hours. 

Following the session participants will be provided with resources to further engage in the topic, this may include suggested reading, LinkedIn Learning videos or  other online content and materials to continue your development.

Booking:

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for?

This training is for those who have recently become people managers, including faculty members managing postdoctoral fellows in UCD. Embarking on a new team lead or management role can mean a significant shift in approach, relationships and responsibility. This practical workshop will provide an opportunity to consider how best to support and motivate others and to build the performance of those who report to you through feedback and effective workload management.

By the end of the workshop participants will: 

  • Feel more confident in their management skills 
  • Have learned a practical approach to delegating to their team 
  • Understand how to support and motivate others 
  • Have had the opportunity to practice giving and receiving feedback 

How long is this course?

The course is 1 day in duration.

What topics will be covered?

This workshop will support you to gain clarity and purpose as you move into your new role, developing an understanding of the core mindset and skills necessary for success as you manage those around you.
This workshop will focus on 3 key management skills: 

  1. Delegation/workload management 
  2. Supporting and motivating others 
  3. Receiving and providing feedback. 

This workshop will be interactive, including experiential activities, individual work and group work and scenario-based practice to bring learning to life. Participants will be asked to reflect on their experiences, explore approaches and ideas, and create practical action plans that will address their individual work needs.

Following the session participants will be provided with resources to further engage in the topic, this may include suggested reading, LinkedIn Learning videos or other online content and materials to continue your development.

Booking:

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for?

This course is aimed at all staff members. The workshop will help participants to better understand the importance of developing psychological safety for teams and utilise a model to monitor how they are building and maintaining trust amongst peers.

How long is this course?

The course duration is 3.5 hours.

What topics will be covered?

  • The concepts of trust and psychological safety from a work perspective
  • The Trust Triangle; the overlap between trust and psychological safety 
  • Participants will be challenged to reflect and explore the concepts of Trust and Trustworthiness
  • Participants will be given the opportunity to evaluate where they and their team members may be on a psychological safety measurement and the implications of the result
Following the session participants will be provided with resources to further engage in the topic, this may include suggested reading, LinkedIn Learning videos or  other online content and materials to continue your development.
Booking:

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

The "THRIVE - Leadership in Research" 2024 Programme is a joint initiative between UCD People and Organisation Development and UCD Research in consultation with our training partner 64 Million Artists. This important programme will contribute to the development of our UCD Faculty members at Lecturer/Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level and supports the delivery of UCD’s strategic plans.

The programme equips participants with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and confidence needed to realise their ambitions in UCD. Utilising a holistic approach, it provides a significant opportunity for Assistant Professors/Lecturers and Associate Professors across all disciplines to develop leadership and innovation skills in a group environment with peer-to-peer collaboration and networking.

Find out more about "THRIVE - Leadership in Research" and submit your application on our dedicated webpage.

UCD People & Organisation Development

Roebuck Offices, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 4919 | E: peopledevelopment@ucd.ie