Jane Crowe, Curriculum Quality Leader at New College Lanarkshire successfully completed CDN’s Emerging Leadership Programme in August 2020.
We spoke to her about what made her sign up, what she learnt and what it was like doing the course during lockdown…
What made you sign up for the Emerging Leadership Programme?
‘I have been working as a Curriculum Quality Leader for 10 years. I decided to sign up for the Emerging Leadership Programme as I wanted to explore and reflect on my current leadership practice, reflecting on my skills, competencies, values and beliefs. Being part of an educational establishment myself, I also saw this as an opportunity to touch base and to experience being a student again. I think it’s really important to relate to and understand the experiences our students face today.’
What did you learn on the course?
‘I learnt so much about my current leadership practice and how to develop and improve! I found the different leadership styles /theories fascinating and enjoyed identifying which ones I could relate to and was currently implementing.’
How did you find working on the course during lockdown?
‘Working on the course during lockdown did present some challenges – mainly juggling between work commitments and the inconvenience of day-to-day challenges that we all faced, but I adapted to this quickly. This was mainly down to the support I was given by my CDN lecturer. I feel that she really supported me and encouraged me to keep going!’
What did you enjoy most?
‘I enjoyed the structure and the nature of the course. It was good to meet many different and interesting people who shared their experiences in relation to leadership within the workplace. I also enjoyed the atmosphere within my course group. My lecturer made this extremely engaging through using a variety of different approaches such as group work, discussion and activities, all of which kept us fully engaged and motivated.’
Would you recommend CDN’s Emerging Leadership Programme to others?
‘I would highly recommend this course. Many people may consider going on this course if they are just starting out in a managerial career, but as an experienced manager, I found this to be a great opportunity to reflect on and evaluate my leadership skills at present. This is something I personally wanted to do before progressing on to further studies in Leadership. This is a worthwhile course for those who want to ensure they are an effective leader and for people who want to make a difference! I would like to thank my Lecturer and CDN for the support and guidance given to me throughout this course. I look forward to studying with CDN again in the near future.’
Are you a practising or aspiring manager/ leader? We are now taking applications for the next cohort of the Emerging Leadership Programme, which starts in October 2020.
Find out more about Emerging Leadership Programme here
