IGNITE: Women’s Leadership Programme
A 12-month, strengths-based programme that prepares women in middle management to step into significant enterprise and people leadership roles.
At a glance
Learning objectives:
- Build a clear understanding of personal strengths, experience and purpose, and lead from them with confidence.
- Write an authentic personal leadership philosophy grounded in self-insight.
- Lead others through negotiation, collaboration and communication from a strengths-based perspective.
- Build a network of allies, sponsors and partnerships across the organization.
- Develop executive presence and the credibility to be considered for senior roles.
- Mentor and coach other women, building leadership capability beyond the cohort.
Who’s it for?
- Women in middle management roles preparing for senior enterprise or people leadership.
- High-potential women identified in talent or succession plans.
- Organizations seeking to strengthen the pipeline of women into senior leadership.
- HR, L&D and diversity leads looking for a sustained, structured intervention rather than a one-off event.
Many organizations lose women from the leadership pipeline at middle management. The causes are rarely about capability. They sit in less visible factors: limited access to sponsors and networks, uncertainty about personal brand, and barriers to advancement that go unnamed. The commercial cost is a narrower pool of future leaders and the loss of experienced talent. Addressing it requires sustained development, not a single workshop.
Programme Overview
IGNITE is an award-winning programme for women in middle management, originally designed for a financial institution. It supports a deliberate shift from capable manager to confident enterprise and people leader. Running over 12 months, it combines monthly virtual modules, group coaching and a strengths assessment, leaving room for reflection and discussion-based learning between sessions. Shared experience across the cohort builds a lasting peer network.
Leading from Strengths
Participants start with CliftonStrengths to identify their top talents. They build a clear picture of their strengths, experience and purpose, and use it as the foundation for how they lead.
Credibility and Influence
Through work on values, reputation, personal brand and influencing styles, participants learn to build credibility, navigate the organization and develop networks of allies and sponsors.
Leading Others and Change
Modules on trust, accountability, difficult conversations, change and decision-making build the practical capability to lead teams and deliver results through others.
From Strengths to Project ME
IGNITE is anchored by two elements that make development personal and visible.
- CliftonStrengths pre-work: every participant completes the assessment before the programme begins and receives a debrief in Month 2. It gives each woman an evidence-based view of her natural talents and how to apply them as a leader.
- Project ME: a personal development project scripted from Month 2 and built throughout the year. In the final two months, each participant presents her Project ME and her Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) to the cohort.
The result is a programme that ends with a clear, owned plan for each participant’s next career stage, rather than a set of workshop notes.
We offer flexibility
IGNITE is delivered virtually, so cohorts can bring together women from different sites, regions and functions. Content and examples can be adapted to your sector and organizational context.
Ignite
CliftonStrengths assessment and debrief.
12 monthly modules, each delivered as two 90-minute virtual sessions.
Two group coaching sessions with a senior coach, in Months 2 and 10.
Project ME: a personal development plan built across the year and presented to the cohort.
Cohort-based design that builds a lasting peer network.
Adaptable to your sector and organizational context.
Got a question?
We have lots of FAQs that might help you answer your questions on this programme.
Key benefits
When women leave the leadership pipeline at middle management, organizations lose experienced talent and narrow their pool of future senior leaders. IGNITE addresses the factors that drive that loss, building the credibility, networks and confidence that move high-potential women into senior roles.
Strengthen the pipeline of women ready for senior enterprise and people leadership.
Reduce the loss of experienced women at middle management level.
Build leaders who understand and apply their strengths with confidence.
Increase executive presence and visibility across the organization.
Build networks of allies and sponsors that support progression.
Create a cohort of ambassadors who mentor and coach other women.
Give every participant an owned, presented plan for her next career stage.
Are you interested in this programme?
Get in touch here, whether you want more information about the programme, speak to our leaders or book the programme.
Case Studies
Tenacity: Empowering Women Leaders
Tenacity is a bespoke leadership development programme created to empower women leaders across a global banking organisation. Over 600 participants from around the world built confidence, capability, and connection, resulting in 50% upward progression and a 75% progression rate among retained participants.
Developing Resilient Incident Leaders
Strengthening decision-making, communication and leadership resilience under pressure.
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Emotional Intelligence for Future Leaders
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Annual Planning Workshop: Turning Strategic Intent into Measurable Execution for a Leading Middle Eastern Defence Service Provider
A two-day facilitated workshop that helped a senior leadership team agree its 2027 priorities and translate them into owned, measurable OKRs and KPIs.
VIEW CASE STUDYFAQs
IGNITE is designed as a connected 12-month programme, with each module building on the last and Project ME running throughout. Individual modules can be discussed for specific development needs.
Women in middle management roles who are preparing to take on senior enterprise or people leadership responsibilities. It suits high-potential women identified in talent or succession plans across any function.
Women often face barriers to advancement that are less visible and less discussed, such as access to sponsors, informal networks and unspoken expectations about leadership presence. A dedicated cohort creates space to address these directly, and builds a peer network that continues after the programme ends.
CliftonStrengths is an assessment that identifies a person’s top natural talents. Each participant completes it before the programme and receives a debrief in Month 2. It provides the foundation for her leadership philosophy and development plan.
Project ME is each participant’s personal development project. It is started in Month 2, built throughout the year and presented to the cohort in the final two months, alongside her BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).
Each monthly module is two 90-minute virtual sessions, plus two group coaching sessions across the year. Participants also apply the learning between sessions and develop their Project ME.
A longer format leaves room for reflection, practice and discussion between modules. It allows behaviour to change gradually in role, and gives the cohort time to build lasting relationships.
Yes. Examples, case material and emphasis can be adapted to your sector, culture and the specific career challenges women face in your organization.
Yes. As a virtual programme, IGNITE can bring together participants from multiple countries and regions.
