Leadership Development Assignments

AAB leadership development assignments are challenging and inspirational opportunities to develop top talent using real ‘business improvement’ projects at a range of carefully selected partner organisations driving social change in India and Africa.

Assignments are identified in conjunction with the partner organisation and are matched to the objectives, experiences and development needs of each participant enabling participants to address a range of development areas such as self-awareness, self-confidence, perspective, resilience, and vital interpersonal skills in the leadership of people in a global context.

Each assignment is accompanied by a rigorous process that supports the participant in home and host country, and incorporates executive coaching to help participants learn and transfer the positive impact back to the workplace upon return and ensure integration within company development plans. The bespoke design requires deep knowledge of the needs of the individuals and our organisational partners in the developing world.

The development offered by these assignments has proved effective for a range of situations including:

  • Those making the change from functional to general management
  • Those on accelerated programmes of career development within their own company
  • Those assuming global responsibilities or furthering their international careers
  • Experienced and senior leaders looking for a development challenge and considering new career openings

There are two principle models of assignment

  1. Outzone Experience
  2. Pulse assignment

Outzone Experiences

3-4 week experiences aimed at high potential managers, these assignments take participants ‘out of their comfort zones’, completely immersing them in a new culture and environment while they support the local partner organisation. Previous participants report profound experiences leading to increased self-confidence, motivation and greater appetite for more responsibility and challenge.

Example assignments:

  • Supporting the scale-up and replication of a midday meal scheme that feeds 1 million children in rural India
  • Strategic needs analysis of the business of a solar entrepreneur aiming to rid the world of kerosene lamps
  • Developing a business plan for an organisation producing and marketing fair trade produce from indigenous tribal communities

If you’d like to know more please contact us.

Overall, the Outzone Experience has been the most amazing experience of my life. It has opened my eyes in so many ways I could never have imagined and has left me feeling humbled, inspired, motivated and re-energised! I feel very lucky to have been given such an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity. Carolyn Taylor, IBM

Pulse assignments

Bespoke, high-impact learning experiences aimed at senior executives. Participants are paired with a partner organisation for a 3-6 month period to support an area of strategic and ongoing importance. Participants spend 2-3 weeks of time on the ground across 1-2 visits providing remote support through conference call and email during the interim. Participants can expect to:

  • Test self-sufficiency, resilience and creativity
  • Develop perspective and integrity in approach to global issues
  • Understand alternative value sets and inter-cultural differences
  • Make a distinctive personal contribution to the developing world

Example assignments:

  • Supporting organisational change at a regional NGO delivering social care and health programmes in Zambia
  • Mentoring a social entrepreneur who has developed lighting systems for marginalised rural households with little access to electricity
  • Developing the leadership team of an organisation delivering life skills programmes to children from vulnerable backgrounds

If you’d like to know more please contact us.

Unable to pursue a 4-week assignment because of work commitments, my “Pulse” assignment was an ideal opportunity to test myself and my skills in an unfamiliar environment whilst delivering a challenging set of objectives. As a “mature” participant, the assignment was not only a powerful affirmation of my existing skills and abilities but it also served to develop and refresh new skills, particularly the ability to deal with ambiguity – so important in today’s fast-changing world when nothing is certain and boundaries are constantly changing.

One of the characteristics of Pulse assignments is the sustained relationship one develops with the local partner organisation over a 3-month time period between the two shorter assignment periods. In my case, this has enriched me beyond measure and was an unexpected bonus. Ed Williams

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