Learning and Development

Person accessing the IoD Digital Academy on a laptop

Any disruption to your day-to-day working life can have a profound impact on how you approach each new challenge. However, even when you’re not in the office, a great director can still lead, inspire and learn – anywhere and anytime.

IoD Digital Academy

In a crisis, your most valuable asset is you. Continue developing your knowledge and skills - around topics like business resilience and strategy, as well as wellbeing and company culture, with the Digital Academy.

Our easy-to-use library offers everything from short articles to longer, in-depth webinars and podcasts, giving you the power to fit your learning around the new structure of your workday. Whether you have a short break between calls or want to schedule an afternoon of professional development, our range of learning - all mapped against the IoD Director Competency Framework - helps you get the most out of your day and gain the knowledge and skills needed in these challenging times.

Visit the Academy

Discover IoD virtual courses

Here at the IoD we are proud to have a community of truly inspiring members, leaders and peers from all over the world - from rulebreakers to trendsetters and one-man-bands to multinationals, and these challenging times are the perfect opportunity to look to them for inspiration and important business lessons.

Leadership Training Opportunities

Two new leadership programmes to help small business leaders grow their companies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic were launched on 3 August.

Small Business Leadership Programme – Delivered via the small business charter, the programme is designed to be manageable alongside full-time work. Participants will attend eight 90-minute webinars across ten weeks, and complete up to two hours of independent study and peer-supported learning per week. Places are fully funded by the Government to support the resilience, recovery and growth of SMEs during and after COVID-19. The programme is free to attend, and places are limited. All participants will be required to complete the course. Eligibility to join the Small Business Leadership Programme:

Your business must be a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) based in England
Your business needs to employ between 5 and 249 people and have been operational for at least one year
The participant should be a decision-maker or member of the senior management team within the business with at least one person reporting directly to them
The participant must be able to commit to attending the full programme

Peer Networks is a peer-to-peer networking programme for SMEs that is delivered locally by the network of Growth Hubs across England. Peer Networks create diverse cohort groups of individuals to collaboratively work through common business issues. Through interactive action learning, they enable you to discuss your own challenges, gain and reflect on valuable feedback and implement practical solutions to overcome them. From finance and HR to sales, marketing and more, expert facilitators give you the flexibility to create a trusted support network that works for you, helping you to build and strengthen your business and improve its overall performance. Who is it for? Peer Networks is designed for business leaders who want to grow and develop their organisation for future success. The programme is available to any SME business that has:

Operated for at least one year
At least five employees
A turnover of at least £100,000
An aspiration to improve

Inspirational cover stars

Director, our magazine for business leaders all over the world, has had some of businesses most influential faces on its cover, sharing their expertise, advice and leadership tools - from Facebook Vice President Lady Nicola Mendelsohn, to author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek and economist Dambisa Moyo. Mary Portas taught us about ‘alpha culture’ and Deborah Meaden gave us her top tips for growth in 5 minutes.

Leadership lessons

Whether you look to an Olympic swimmer turned CEO for inspiration on how to craft a winner's mindset for your organisation, turn to the chair of the National Trust for diversity and directorship guidance or seek the survival secrets of a 100 year old business to stay inspired during this challenging time, we've got leadership lessons for every director.

Learning in your region

Whilst we’ve had to pause a number of events across our IoD regions and nations, you can still find inspiration and motivation from your local community online. Visit your IoD regional hub here and discover webinars, masterminds and other ways to meet, connect and develop your skills, knowledge and local community digitally in these challenging times. Here you'll also find contact details for the IoD team in your area who can offer advice, support and inspiration via email, phone or social media.

In Good Company

What does it mean to be in good company? At the IoD we’re proud of our members and community - from who they are to the businesses they run and the challenges they’ve overcome. We profiled many of these inspiring people in video, text and audio - find out more about them, and be in good company here.