Summary
Excelling in your current role builds confidence, however it is not a guarantee of success in your next one. As you take on more leadership responsibility your contribution, and expectations of you, shift too.
At School for CEOs we help to prepare leaders as they step-up to the next leadership level. At the core of our senior leadership programmes; CEO coaching and executive coaching sits our Dimensions framework. The model inspires leaders to review all aspects of their leadership in detail and looks at the requirements needed in the role of Chief Executive or Senior Leader.
Background
Dimensions supports a diverse range of individuals and organisations by strengthening succession pipelines and empowering people on their path to career growth and personal development.
We developed the framework using insights from three sources:
- Our proprietary research, particularly ‘Stepping up to CEO’ which we published in 2013 and ‘Future-proofing the CEO’ which we published in 2016. These reports were based on interviews with over 60 leading businessmen and women.
- Insights from our experienced Faculty of CEOs, Chairs and expert practitioners, who have taught on our senior development programmes. We have been running these since 2012 and they have proven invaluable in understanding the realities of business life at a senior level.
- A comprehensive review of the published literature and research on leadership and personal development.
These insights have proven invaluable in understanding the realities of business life at a senior level.
Dimensions helps leaders identify key areas of focus that will enable them to succeed as they take on greater leadership responsibility. The framework outlines five key dimensions you need to master to demonstrate you’re ready to progress to the next leadership level.
Managing Up – forming the right relationship with your boss and other senior stakeholders. Here the focus is on identifying the key stakeholders above you in the organisation and creating strategies to work with each of them. We look at how you develop your followership skills. The aim is to build sponsorship and support for both the work you are currently doing and your career progression.
Managing Down – leading both your immediate team and the wider organisation. We focus on your leadership skills, both of your own team and more broadly, so that you develop your followers in turn. We explore the challenges of communication and scalable leadership – touching everyone in the organisation – and look at your mentoring of others.
Managing Out – working with stakeholders outside your organisation. Here we consider the outside world, the broader landscape of external stakeholders including shareholders, regulators, government, the media and the communities within which your organisation functions. You need to build a network which endures through changes.
Managing In – keeping your feet on the ground. This looks at self-management. High-profile, demanding jobs come with varying and competing pressures and priorities. We consider how to stay grounded in the middle of it all, developing a leadership mindset looking at purpose and resilience.
Managing Across – getting your peer relationships right. Unless you are the Chief Executive already, interacting with your senior leadership peers is an important influence on your current effectiveness and future career progression. It’s important to consider how you develop strong relationships with your peers. This also sets the scene for some of your peers to become followers in the future.
Leadership transitions can often be complicated and messy. Using our in-depth Dimensions self-assessment - with structured support from an accredited coach facilitator – leaders can take control of their leadership development and create a 3-5 year plan to navigate these significant leadership transitions with purpose, confidence and clarity.
The self-assessed questionnaire
To understand how effectively you manage each dimension and whether you are ready to step up to the next level, our self-assessment questionnaire asks over 100 questions about your approach to the five dimensions. The questionnaire is hosted on-line and takes about 30-40 minutes to complete.
The questionnaire contains several statements, you are asked to consider each statement and select the most appropriate response.
The Dimensions questionnaire is stretching as it invites you to self-assess against some of the experiences and relationships that would set you up for success at Executive level. This may mean that some of the questions might not seem as relevant to you right now, however they could become important as you step up in the organisation.
The questionnaire is used across a wide range of sectors. While it is designed to have broad applicability, you may still feel that one or two questions are simply not applicable to you. If this is the case, don’t worry!
What our Clients Say
“The Dimensions model provides a simple to understand, yet effective way of managing your everyday and long-term interactions with colleagues and stakeholders”
Steve Othen, HR Future Leader of the Year 2017
Links to our services
The School for CEOs Dimensions framework is having a lasting impact for organisations. They tell us that it augments and complements their leadership competency models. Individuals have said that the framework has helped them prepare for and achieve promotion, or advancement, into more senior roles. Leaders use the model with their teams; boosting resilience, collaboration and effectiveness.
Our Runway programme helps aspiring senior leaders understand the challenges they might face as they progress through these leadership transitions, considering personal ambition and creating a 3-5 year development plan.
Each session at The Vital Few - an immersive two-day New CEO programme - is anchored in the Dimensions framework enabling new and aspiring CEOs and MDs to consider their leadership in a holistic way.
For coaches seeking to develop their practice, our Dimensions Certification for Executive Coaches explores how to administer the online questionnaire and examine reports to interpret the results as well as deliver the Runway programme.