Learning How to Lead and to Build a Successful Work Environment

Aims

This workshop is designed to support PhD candidates and postdocs in developing the awareness, mindset, and practical skills required to lead effectively in academic, industry, and interdisciplinary environments.
Participants will explore what leadership means in practice, not as a fixed model, but as a set of evolving capabilities grounded in self-awareness, communication, and the ability to navigate complexity. The workshop introduces key leadership concepts and frameworks, enabling participants to reflect on their own preferences, strengths, and development areas, and to begin shaping their own authentic leadership approach.

A central focus is the transition from individual contributor to leader. This includes understanding the difference between managing tasks and leading people, building effective and supportive relationships, and recognising the broader organisational context in which leadership takes place. Participants will also develop their ability to communicate clearly, adapt to different communication styles, and work constructively with a wide range of stakeholders.

The workshop is highly practical and reflective. Participants will be encouraged to work with real situations from their own experience, engage in discussion and exercises, and develop a personalised action plan to support their ongoing leadership development.

Given the breadth of topics, a modular and flexible approach is used. At the beginning of the workshop, participants will identify their priorities, allowing the content to be adapted to their needs and interests.

Content

Day 1: Leadership Foundations and Self-Leadership

• Introductions and expectations
• What is leadership? Personal definitions and perspectives
• Overview of leadership models (e.g. trait, transformational, servant leadership)
• The importance of self-leadership: self-awareness, values, and purpose
• Leadership styles and adaptability in different contexts
• Introduction to emotional intelligence in leadership
• Leadership behaviours and core competencies
• Understanding organisational contexts (academia, industry, start-ups)
• Leading others: motivation, influence, and delegation
• Practical exercises, reflection, and discussion

Day 2: Leading Others and Managing Yourself

• Self-management and emotional regulation
• Stress management, resilience, and sustainable performance
• Communication styles and adapting to different individuals and situations
• Cultural and generational dynamics in teams
• Giving and receiving feedback effectively
• Conflict management and difficult conversations
• Stakeholder awareness and collaboration
• Building effective and supportive work environments
• Leadership differentiators: accountability, focus, and follow-through
• Introduction to storytelling as a leadership tool
• Practical exercises, reflection, and discussion

Methods

The workshop combines conceptual input with practical application and reflection. Methods include:
• Short theoretical inputs and frameworks
• Guided reflection and individual exercises
• Group discussions and peer learning
• Application to real-life situations and case examples
• Interactive exercises and simulations
• Feedback from the facilitator and participants
• Development of an individual leadership action plan

Target Group

All Doctoral Candidates & Postdocs

About the Trainer

Carl Emerson has worked with people at all levels, including senior managers, directors and multi-skilled teams across different geographies and cultures. He has delivered training courses in Egypt, Brazil, Mexico, China, The Philippines, Singapore amongst others and lived and worked in Belgium, the UK and now Switzerland.

Originally a Chemist, most of Carl’s experience has been gained from the pharmaceutical sectors where he specialised in repairing and building relationships and productive cross-organisation teams, but he also has experience working in retail and further education

Carl uses coaching proficiency, story telling, psychology appreciation, Neuro Linguistic Programming as well as knowledge and experience of training and development techniques in each interaction. He is passionate about helping people step into greater confidence and competence and has a unique blend of coaching personal insights to facilitate the unlocking of his client’s potential.

Workload

Total of 17h (Preliminary work 1h, course attendance 16h)

Feature

Once registration is open, applications will be collected for 24 hours and course places allocated by lot. All registrations received after the initial 24h period will be put on a waiting list and assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Course places/places on the waiting list will be confirmed by e-mail. Course registrations can only be canceled before the registration period ends (send an e-mail to grace@unibas.ch). Full course attendance is mandatory. Participants who fail to attend a course without prior notification or withdraw after the registration deadline are subject to a fee of CHF 30. In addition, participants who cancel their course registration at a later point in time, are absent without an excuse or do not attend the entire course will, for reasons of fairness, not be considered for course registration in the following semester and will be removed from other courses offered in the same semester. Please find the detailed regulations on the Transferable Skills Homepage.