Leadership Foundation

LF Fellowship

I think the benefits for the Fellow are in terms of
professional recognition/career development.

The Leadership Foundation Fellowship is our new support for individual leaders in higher education. It is a straightforward way for you to turn the experience of a Leadership Foundation programme into tangible evidence of effective learning and continue to receive the nurture and inspiration that leaders need. Through continuing professional development and access to unique networking opportunities, the LF Fellowship scheme will provide that inspiration well beyond the lifetime of the initial programme.

• What is the LF Fellowship?
  
• How does it help my institution?
  
• What would I need to do?
• About the Leadership Foundation
• Completing your record
• The validation
• The decision
• The professional year
• Maintaining LF Fellow status
• Fees
  
• Supporting Documents

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What is the LF Fellowship?

The LF Fellowship is awarded in recognition of the work that a participant has undertaken on a programme and beyond it to develop as a leader. Achieving an LF Fellowship involves a combination of your own personal development plan, supporting evidence and bespoke conversations with our specialists. Successfully completing this supported process will lead to the award of the title ‘LF Fellow’.

To achieve this status you will have met the following criteria:

• Identified your development needs as a leader
• Taken action to develop your effectiveness, including applying learning
• Contributed to the development of others
• Assessed the impact of these actions in delivering your institution’s goals.
• How can it help me?

Global competitiveness is driving change in higher education and if the UK is to maintain and enhance its international reputation, quality and effective leadership will be a key mark of difference.

An LF Fellowship will mark you out as someone keeping their leadership skills up to date and enable you to:

• Strengthen the impact of the programme on your own leadership practice
• Explore alternative leadership approaches to deliver results
• Track your progress
• Benchmark against best practice
• Receive recognition of your achievement
• Increase confidence
• Stand out in a competitive sector
• Access the latest in leadership thinking
• Prove your leadership commitment to employers, contacts, and colleagues.

Regular contact with LF programme directors and advisers will provide you with a consistent and expert sounding board.

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How does it help my institution?

Your institution will benefit through its leaders’ opportunities to:

• Expand their networks and through this acquire increased understanding of leadership challenges and responses from across the sector
• Reflect on their own leadership with support from experts, and find ways of increasing their contribution to the institution’s success

Investing in leadership development also helps to raise the game for the whole sector, through shared problem-solving and dissemination of good practice and innovation.

LF Fellowships are not status-based and participants at any level can take part, provided they have completed any of the following Leadership Foundation programmes: Senior Strategic Leadership; Preparing for Senior Strategic Leadership; Heads of Department, and the Future Leaders Programme (Other programmes may be added to this list in due course).

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What would I need to do?

It’s simple. All you will need to do is show that you have applied your learning and experience. You need to:

• Keep a reflective log following the programme you attended
• Receive telephone support in doing so from one of the LF’s experts on leadership development
• When you’re ready, usually after nine to twelve months, complete the LF Fellowship Application Form, providing evidence from your reflective log to show that you meet the criteria.
• Ensure that your application is validated by a senior colleague: LF Fellowship - Guidance Notes for Validator
• Return your application to the Leadership Foundation
• Once you’ve gained your Fellowship, you’ll be able to take part in a selection of our specially-designed CPD activities for LF Fellows each year

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About the Leadership Foundation

The Leadership Foundation has been at the forefront of designing and delivering leadership development specifically for higher education since 2004. With the creation of the LF Fellowships scheme we are ensuring that development does not stop abruptly when your programme ends. Instead, at relatively little cost the value of the programme is further enhanced and the skills you develop are nurtured as your career develops. Our support for you on your journey towards LF Fellowship status means that your development continues long after the programme ends.

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Completing your record

We would like you to provide evidence from your reflective log – not the reflective log itself. Your evidence should include topics such as strengths and areas for improvement as assessed through your programme’s 360-degree feedback process. It should go on to cover what action has been taken to develop leadership skills and effectiveness, and how behaviour and effectiveness has changed as a result of this developmental activity or applied practice. The reflective log should also indicate and identify the development needs of staff or colleagues and the support offered to aid their development. We would expect to see this in the context of staff goals.

You will then need to complete and submit an LF Fellowship Application Form  to the LF.

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The validation

Your application for LF Fellow status must include a supporting statement from a validator who can verify the evidence that you have provided. Ideally this will be someone who is senior to you, for example your line manager, or someone who you work with on a regular basis – such as an HR colleague - who can comment on the impact of your leadership development. Your validator is not asked to comment on your performance, but on your approach to your own and others’ development as set out in the criteria: LF Fellowship - Guidance Notes for Validator.

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The decision

Your application will be assessed by the LF Fellowship panel, which will meet in February and July of each year. If you are successful you will be awarded LF Fellow status.

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The professional year

Your LF Fellowship will last for one academic year. The first full operational year will be 2012-2013. After approval of your submission, renewal of LF Fellow status will be subject to the participation in two out of three of the LF Fellow annual events. (See list below.)

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Maintaining LF Fellow status

In order to maintain your status you will be expected to attend a selection from our range of LF Fellows’ seminars and events. (See list below.)

• As an LF Fellow what further development opportunities will be included/offered?
• The activities include:
• 50% discount off the fee of the annual alumni conference or other networking event
• Early alerts to new research and information published by the LF
• Becoming part of a community of practice
• Free ’hot topic’ seminar for LF Fellows
• £150 discount off your next core leadership development programme
• Attendance at regional networking events for LF Fellows

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Fees

• £500: Programme Plus: begins following participation in a LF core leadership programme, which is the start of your journey to LF Fellow status.
• £195: Payable upon the acceptance of LF Fellowship application.
• £195: Annual renewal of LF Fellow status.

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Supporting Documents

• LF Fellowship - Guidance Notes for Validator
• LF Fellowship - Guidance for Individuals
• LF Fellowship Application Form
• LF Fellowship Brochure

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