Empowering Women for Leadership (online)



Overview

Step into leadership with confidence, clarity and authenticity

This course is open to anyone looking to better understand the challenges women face in leadership, and take action to overcome them. Whether you're navigating your own leadership journey or working to build more inclusive environments, you'll gain the insight, strategies and confidence to create meaningful change and feel truly empowered. 

Grounded in workplace psychology and evidence-based research, this course explores how gendered expectations shape behaviour and career progression, and how you can challenge the systems and assumptions that hold people back. We’ll also explore internal factors that can make it harder to progress, including self-doubt, Imposter Syndrome and implicit belief systems, and discuss practical ways to reframe or move beyond them. 

Through guided reflection, discussion and case studies, you'll examine how to lead with greater impact, support others more effectively and contribute to a workplace culture where more women feel empowered.

Programme details

Explore how bias in talent recognition, selection processes and workplace expectations can limit visibility, representation and opportunity, particularly for women and other underrepresented groups. 

You’ll examine the beliefs and behaviours that shape how women are perceived at work, and how organisations, and the people within them, can play an active role in challenging outdated models of leadership. Together, we’ll explore how to create space for more women to lead and flourish. 

Key themes :

  • Overcoming stereotypes in female workplace behaviour, and how they’re expected to behave in leadership roles 

  • Identifying and learning from role models 

  • Overcoming common self-limiting thoughts and behaviours 

  • Strengthening your sense of agency to lead and influence change 

  • Building a definition of success that’s authentic and sustainable for you 

  • Exploring how women are shaping the future of leadership and the workplace 

By the end of the course, you will be able to:  

  • Recognise key mechanisms affecting the perception of female behaviour and the limitations of those perceptions 

  • Identify how those mechanisms may be influencing your organisation and progression 

  • Explore some common thought and behaviour patterns that often limit success 

  • Identify strategies, techniques and events from the lives of some real-world examples of successful women 

  • Understand the value of female leadership and how to make your impact 

Dates, times and delivery 

Sessions will be held over Microsoft Teams. 

The course will be delivered in four sessions: 

  • Three 1.5-hour workshops on Monday 24 November, Tuesday 25 November, and Friday 28 November, from 11:00 - 12:30 (UK time) 
  • A 1- to 1.5-hour case study group activity on Thursday 27 November from 11:00 - 12:30 (UK time)

A world clock, and time zone converter can be found here: https://bit.ly/3bSPu6D

You may be grouped into a smaller team for this case study activity and analysis. 

To support the online sessions, you should actively engage in offline activities, such as the introductory tasks. 

This is a ‘virtual classroom’ course. To replicate the experience of a classroom, the sessions are live and are not recorded. 

No attendance at Oxford is required and you do not need to purchase any software.

Accessing Your Online Course 

Details about accessing the private MS Teams course site will be emailed to you during the week prior to the course commencing.  

Please get in touch if you have not received this information within three working days of the course start date. 

Certification

In order to be eligible for a certificate of attendance, you will need to attend the whole course. Participants who meet this criterion will be emailed after the end of the course with a link, and instructions on how to access their University of Oxford digital certificate.

The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate, as well as share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £535.00

Payment

Fees include electronic copies of course materials.

All courses are VAT exempt.

Register immediately online 

Click the 'Book now' button on this webpage. Payment by credit or debit card is required.

Tutor

Dr Jane Pollock

Independent Consultant and Researcher

Jane is a Chartered Psychologist, an Independent Consultant in Organisational Psychology, and a tutor and lecturer in Psychology and Statistics. She has a history of highly successful courses in both Psychology and Business streams, and takes a practical approach to a subject crucial to the success of people in organisations.

Application

If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please click the 'Ask a question' button at the top of this page.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online using Microsoft Teams. You will be required to follow and implement the instructions we send you to fully access Microsoft Teams on the University of Oxford's secure IT network.

To participate you must be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

It is advised to use headphones with working speakers and microphone.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support