Aspiring Leaders
Aspiring Leaders is Human by Practice's six-module leadership development programme for people new to leadership or developing into it, accredited at Associate (AIoL) level by the Institute of Leadership.
Based in Edinburgh and supporting organisations across Glasgow, the Northeast, and the wider UK, we help new and developing leaders build the relational foundations that carry them through the rest of their leadership career.
Jess's impact since 2013
About This Modular Programme
Stepping into leadership for the first time, or growing into it, is a different job to the one facing someone who's already led teams for years. Aspiring Leaders is built for that stage: working out who you are in the role, not just what the role technically requires.
Participants leave with practical tools and strategies they can apply immediately. They will:
- Build A Leadership Identity: Working out who they are in a leadership role.
- Strengthen Relational Leadership: Developing the actual skill of working well with other people, the foundation for everything leadership demands.
- Connect With Purpose And Motivation: Creating space to get honest about what's driving their leadership, early enough for it to shape how they lead from here.
- Apply Learning Between Sessions: Using between-module missions and learning transfer records to put each module to work immediately.
- Test Ideas With Peers: Using action learning circles to bring real challenges to people who understand the pressure of leading for the first time.
- Gain Institute of Leadership Recognition: Achieving Associate (AIoL) level professional accreditation, plus personal Institute of Leadership membership and access to its e-learning resources.
How It Works
Leading the Future is hands-on and relational, built around real leadership challenges.
- Baseline Survey: Before the programme starts, participants complete a baseline survey, establishing where they're starting from on relational capability, purpose, and leadership behaviour.
- Six Structured Modules: Each building on real leadership challenges, developing leadership identity, purpose and motivation, and relational capability from the ground up.
- Action Learning Circles (ALCs): Small peer groups meet to work through real workplace challenges together, testing decisions and ideas with people who understand the pressure of leading for the first time.
- Between-Module Missions: Each module is followed by a practical mission that carries the learning into participants' actual work.
- Learning Transfer Records: Used throughout to track how the learning is actually being applied, not just what was covered.
- End of Programme Survey: Participants complete a closing survey at the end of the programme, measured against their baseline to show what's actually changed.
Who it’s for
- People new to leadership
- People developing into a leadership role
- Middle managers and team leaders
- People stepping up into leadership responsibility for the first time
- Public, private, and third-sector organisations
How it's delivered
- Half or full days
- Virtual or in-person
- Experiential learning
- Tailored to your context
- Aligned with your priorities
- Designed to sustain change
Optional Extras
Leadership reflection toolkit
A practical collection of frameworks, prompts, and tools leaders use between modules and beyond the programme.
Follow-on coaching
Optional coaching support for individuals who want to keep working through leadership challenges after the programme ends.
Leadership alumni circles
Ongoing action learning circles for graduates to stay connected and keep testing decisions together after the programme ends.
Aspiring Leaders Across Edinburgh, Glasgow, London & The Northeast
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aspiring Leaders suitable for established leaders?
No. It's built for people who are new to leadership or developing into it, most commonly at middle management level. Established leaders navigating a changing context are better suited to our Leading the Future programme, accredited at Member (MIoL) level.
Is this programme accredited?
Yes. Aspiring Leaders holds Associate (AIoL) accreditation with the Institute of Leadership. Participants also gain personal Institute of Leadership membership and access to its learning resources, including online interactive e-learning modules.
How is this different from a general leadership course?
Aspiring Leaders is hands-on and relational rather than framework-led, built around action learning circles and real challenges rather than classroom theory, from the earliest stage of someone's leadership career.
What's the time commitment?
This programme is delivered as eight facilitated sessions with between-module checkpoints, missions, and peer connection. It's designed to be flexible in terms of a delivery timeline and can be a mix of half- and full-day sessions and webinars, depending on organisational capacity.
Can this be delivered in-house for our organisation?
Yes, this programme is designed to be run in-house, as it is tailored to your organisational context and priorities. We don't believe in delivering a programme that is off the shelf.
Why Aspiring Leaders Matters
New and developing leaders rarely get protected space to work out who they are in the role before they're expected to already know. Aspiring Leaders gives that space early, with Institute of Leadership accreditation confirming the design holds up against a professional standard.
Looking For First-Time Manager Training?
If people across your organisation are stepping into leadership for the first time or growing into it, Aspiring Leaders combines structured content with peer-led action learning to build relational foundations early, not just leadership theory.
Need Support Developing Middle Management?
Middle management is where a lot of leadership capability either gets built or doesn't. Aspiring Leaders is built around real challenges this group is facing right now, worked through in action learning circles rather than left as discussion points.
Looking for Organisational Culture Leadership Training?
Strong cultures do not happen by accident. Effective organisational culture leadership requires leaders to be intentional about how teams are managed, how decisions are made, and how people experience the workplace.
This programme helps leaders move beyond good intentions and develop practical behaviours that reinforce fairness, trust, psychological safety, and accountability. By focusing on everyday leadership actions, organisations can create cultures where people feel respected, supported, and motivated to contribute.
Need Support with Leadership Development?
Today's leaders are expected to balance organisational performance with employee wellbeing, inclusion, engagement, and trust. Our leadership and culture development programmes help leaders navigate these demands while strengthening their ability to create positive workplace environments. The programme is particularly valuable for organisations experiencing growth, change, restructuring, cultural challenges, or increased focus on employee experience.
Why Organisations Choose Human by Practice
Organisations choose Human by Practice because they want practical support that connects leadership behaviour with workplace culture. As a trusted company delivering inclusive leadership training and culture leadership training, we focus on helping leaders create environments where inclusion, accountability, and performance can coexist.
Clients value working with an experienced consultant who understands how leadership decisions influence employee experience and organisational outcomes. They appreciate reliable support from a specialist who combines leadership development expertise, behavioural insight, and practical workplace experience. Whether you need organisational culture leadership support, leadership and culture development programmes, or wider inclusion-focused leadership development, our goal is to help leaders create positive and sustainable cultural change.