Leading Growth

Leading Growth is a leadership development programme delivered by Exemplas and The Leadership Centre at Leeds Beckett University, offered through the West Yorkshire Business Boost service funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It provides selected individual business leaders with structured leadership support intended to drive change and growth within their business. The programme combines expert-led workshops covering self-awareness, strategic leadership, stakeholder mapping and embedding change into company culture, with one-to-one guidance from Exemplas Growth Specialists before, during and after the workshops, and a practical change project developed using an industry growth diagnostic tool. It is described as a high-value intervention with significant expectations placed on participants around change management, impact and traction; if a leader is successful at assessment, the majority of applicants receive one funded place. There is no financial contribution required from the business, and the programme aims to leave participants better equipped to lead change, alongside benefits such as improved culture, teamwork, employee morale and identification of business improvement opportunities.

Available only to individual decision-makers within SMEs based in West Yorkshire that meet the funding criteria; entry is subject to an assessment stage, and it is aimed at leaders pursuing growth aspirations for their organisation.