Become part of an exclusive group of local leaders and join over 200 graduates who have completed the Advanced Leadership Program! 

The Advanced Leadership Program supports senior leaders, or soon-to-be senior leaders, who want to improve performance, empower teams, grow organizations, and succeed in the competitive environment in which they operate. This program is proven to build leaders who are more strategic, innovative, motivational, and valued contributors to their organizations on a broader level. Participants of the Advanced Leadership Program will:

• Build critical leadership skills
• Experience one-on-one executive coaching
• Improve strategic communication skills
• Foster committed teams
• Drive organizational change and success
• Collaborate with top-notch industry peers and grow your network

The program is offered in five modules over four months. Each course is delivered by our expert instructors who provide results-oriented, practical content, combined with real-world experiences and learning activities that help solidify participant knowledge and practice. In addition, this program features high-profile business leaders as guest speakers. The learning experience encourages discussion, debate, and networking where participants learn from each other as well as from our leadership experts. 

Key Learning Outcomes

• Understand your personal leadership style and leverage it to improve your coaching and mentoring skills.
• Enhance your ability to motivate, engage and inspire others.
• Learn effective communication and delegation techniques to enhance and expand your networks and relationships both in and out of the organization.
• Gain the ability to make strategic decisions with more confidence and proficiently adapt to change by understanding the effect of high-impact organizational strategies on growth and productivity.
• Know how to create committed leadership teams, more efficient performance, less turnover, stronger leaders, and positive outcomes.
• Understand how to create a vision for the future of your organization and its responsibilities to the community.
• Develop relationships with and learn from a network of leaders from a variety of organizations and backgrounds.

Program Content

Leading Self
Advancing leadership abilities begins with the individual. Cited as one of the most critical leadership skills, participants will start the program by building deeper self-awareness. Through critical self-analysis and personal assessments, participants will learn how their strengths and weaknesses impact their effectiveness as a leader. These insights will build the foundation that will enable participants to enhance communication and leadership across the organization.

• Legacy Leadership
  Gain an understanding of how the qualities of leaders differ from those of managers. Participants will explore the five best practices of Legacy Leadership--both conceptually and through the lens of their own leadership experience--to uncover personal strengths and development opportunities. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the legacy they want to build and a clearer path toward leading with purpose and impact.

• Emotional Intelligence
  Emotional Intelligence is not just about managing emotions. It involves engaging a distinct combination of emotional, personal, and interpersonal skills and competencies that are essential to leadership and management success. Emotional intelligence skills' training helps team leaders and managers to become aware of how their own EQ is impacting all other leadership skills. Participants will uncover their dominant leadership style and gain an understanding of the impact that their leadership style might be having on their direct reports and other colleagues. Participants will learn how emotional intelligence can impact performance, engagement, and productivity in their employees and work on improving their own EQ competencies.

• Leading with Insight Part 1
  This course introduces participants to the Facet5 Personality Profile--a powerful, research-based tool grounded in contemporary personality theory. Participants will explore the five key personality dimensions and examine how personality influences communication, decision-making, and interpersonal relationships--empowering them to lead with authenticity, adaptability, and impact.

• Coaching for Leaders
  Participants will gain a foundational understanding of executive coaching and how it can support leadership growth. The course includes a live coaching demonstration, an overview of the coaching process, and practical opportunities to engage in coaching conversations. Each participant will be matched with an executive coach to support their development throughout the ALP. This course will help participants identify their coaching goals, understand how to maximize the value of the coaching relationship, and set the tone for a productive coaching journey.

A 360-degree leadership assessment (Strategic leadership Review 360) is completed as a homework assignment with the feedback reviewed in Module 2 of the Program.

Leading Others
A leader's ability to effectively communicate, delegate and negotiate will influence others at each level of the organization. Participants will learn tools and techniques to build trust, enhance relationships and inspire people towards a common goal. Participants will gain effective negotiation strategies to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes when negotiating with internal and external stakeholders.

• Leading with Insight Part 2
  Building on Leading with Insight Part 1, this course leverages the Strategic Leadership Review 360 (SLR360) to help leaders elevate their effectiveness. With their personalized 360 feedback report in hand, participants will identify key strengths, blind spots, and areas for development. The course concludes with the creation of an individualized Leadership Development Plan, supporting sustained growth and intentional leadership.

• Developing Negotiation Skills
  Learn how to arrive at 'win-win' solutions while achieving mutual business gain. Participants learn techniques to strengthen their negotiation position, acquire better deals and contracts, and enhance stakeholder relationships.

• Difficult Conversations & Mentoring in Leadership
  Strong leadership requires the ability to engage in meaningful conversations--whether navigating challenging situations or mentoring others for growth. This one-day course combines two critical leadership capabilities: managing difficult conversations and mentoring effectively. By developing these complementary skills, leaders will be better equipped to foster trust, provide support, and guide growth through intentional, effective communication.

Leading Organizational Strategy
With a deep understanding of their leadership style and new practices to engage others, participants are ready to effect growth and change through organizational strategy. Participants will learn to assess organizational readiness for change, develop and prioritize change strategies and objectives, analyze risk and overcome resistance. Participants will leave the module feeling confident in their ability to manage and lead organizational strategy.

• Inclusive Leadership
  Evidence-based studies show that inclusive leaders create diverse and inclusive workplaces that in turn produce highly engaged employees and greater organizational performance. Inclusive Leadership training will provide leaders with the tools to identify their own individual unconscious biases and preferences and how they may impact the workplace, identify the core traits of inclusive leaders and discuss leadership strategies to make the workplace a more inclusive environment.
  
  
• Leading Strategy and Change
  Participants will assess organizational readiness, craft a compelling change vision, and develop strategies aligned with their organization's culture and priorities. The course also addresses common barriers to change, highlights the link between change and risk management, and provides practical tools to overcome resistance. A structured Change Model guides participants through the human side of change, outlining the stages of transition and the leadership behaviours required to support individuals and teams through uncertainty and transformation.
  
  

Leading Beyond the Organization
Navigating and understanding your organization's role in the market can be the key to success. By examining new approaches to risk management, participants will learn processes and tools to incorporate risk into their strategic plan. Leading Beyond the Organization will review Governance, Integrity, and Ethics best practices to build trust and know how to act with integrity. Finally, participants will examine the role of corporate social responsibility in their organization and understand how to balance its economic and social goals.

• Strategic Risk Management
  Learn the frameworks for identifying, assessing, understanding, acting on, and communicating risk issues in order to create a risk-smart work environment. Participants review recent innovations in risk management approaches and how to use risk management processes and tools for success. Participants learn how to use risk management to improve decision-making, increase capacity, and enhance performance. They also learn to identify risks in an organization; incorporate the assessment of these risks into strategic planning, and translate organizational values and objectives into daily actions focused on success and future planning.  
  
  
• Governance, Integrity, and Ethics
  Review director liability and governance best practices as well as ways to create trust and act with integrity to manage reputation risk. Participants will gain a better understanding of the role of a board director.
  
  
• Business Sustainability and Environmental Social Governance
  Participants will understand how to balance social responsibility and environmental goals with the economic goals of the organization with the aim to develop an overall approach to organizational sustainability. Real-world examples will be given of organizations that have been successful at generating win-wins for both their organization and for society by incorporating environmental, social, and government goals into their business model.

Leadership in Action - Program Wrap-up and Applied Learning Report
The final requirement of the program is the submission and presentation of an Applied Learning Report. The report focuses on the lessons learned in the program and gives participants the opportunity to share what they have put into practice or are attempting in their real-world environment.

Executive Coaching

In addition to the program modules, each participant is assigned an executive coach which they can avail of throughout the program to help them get the most out of their experience.

Recommended Background

• Current leaders with a minimum of five years of experience as middle or senior managers.
• High potential team members you wish to advance within your organization.
• Senior leaders who would like a refresher in current business acumen.

Hear from Our Alumni

"The Advanced Leadership Program at the Gardiner Center was instrumental in providing such an excellent interactive environment for learning. The Gardiner Center provided a wide range of expert facilitators and the class itself consisted of a diverse range of organizations that collectively enhanced the learning experience of this program. The ALP program is an invaluable investment in yourself and your continued development as a leader."

- Krista Tapper, Senior HR Consultant, Higher Talent | 2023 Graduate

"This program has provided me with structure, tools and confidence to excel in leadership at many levels, from leading myself, those closest to me, our whole organization and beyond.  It has helped me recognize my role as a leader, my strengths and weaknesses and to embrace them while always striving to improve. I would highly recommend this training to anyone looking for a challenging and meaningful professional development experience."

- Jason King, Chief Administrative Officer, Western Regional Service Board | 2022 Graduate

"I sought out Gardiner Centre's Advanced Leadership Program because it was a place for me to develop better as a leader, I wanted to network with colleagues that I hadn't had an opportunity to meet previously in my career and I really felt it would be a good place for me to grow."

- Margo Edison, Regional Director, Fisheries and Oceans Canada | 2020 Graduate

"The Advanced Leadership Program at Gardiner Centre provides students with the opportunity to learn from world-class professionals on topics ranging from contract negotiations, corporate social responsibility to emotional intelligence. It not only equips students with the skills required to lead in the workplace but also provides the opportunity for insight into what makes them a unique leader in all aspects of life (professional, volunteer and personal). The world of aviation is constantly changing and the skills learned in the ALP program have assisted me in becoming aware of what is required to be a more knowledgeable and self-aware leader with PAL Airlines."

-Meaghan Ludlow, Controller, PAL Airlines

Over a decade of leadership excellence... 

Program Endorsements & Partnerships

Graduates of this program can receive Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR) equal to one core course in Marine Institute's Certificate in Leadership. Click here to learn more to about the program.Continuing Education

Contact Hours: 98