Overview
DLiP™ is a four-month leadership development experience designed to prepare future partners and practice leaders for the challenges of leading in a modern professional services firm.
Combining practical workshops, coaching, self-assessment and peer learning, the programme helps participants develop the confidence, leadership mindset and commercial awareness needed to lead people, strengthen client relationships and make a greater strategic contribution to their organisation.
This programme will give you 36 CPD hours in total.
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Key details
- Duration: Four months
Spring 2027 cohort - enquire now
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Participant profile
Participants are typically less than 18 months into their first partner role or are one or two career stages away.
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MBTI (Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator)
Understand your leadership style and maximise your impact
Participants complete an MBTI assessment to gain greater insight into how they communicate, make decisions and lead others.
The assessment helps participants:
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Practical workshops
Develop leadership skills for real practice challenges
DLiP workshops focus on the real challenges partners and senior leaders face within professional practice environments.
Participants learn how to:
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180-day plan
Turn learning into measurable workplace impact
Throughout the programme, participants create a personalised 180-day leadership action plan focused on their development priorities and business goals.
The plan helps participants:
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One-to-one coaching
Personalised coaching from experienced practice leaders
Participants receive one-to-one coaching from experienced professional services leaders who understand the realities of partnership and firm leadership.
Coaching sessions provide a confidential space to:
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Learning from peers
Throughout the programme, participants will share the challenges they are experiencing with developing leadership skills in a confidential, supportive environment with peers.
Benefits for Participants: Accelerate your journey to partnership
Participants leave the programme with:
- Greater confidence to lead as a partner or senior practice leader
- Stronger commercial and strategic thinking skills
- Enhanced ability to inspire, motivate and develop teams
- Improved client leadership and relationship-building capability
- A deeper understanding of what successful partnership requires
- A supportive network of peers facing similar leadership challenges
- A practical action plan for continued development and progression
Benefits for Organisations: Develop the next generation of practice leaders
DLiP helps firms:
- Build a stronger pipeline of future partners
- Support succession planning and long-term firm growth
- Develop leaders who can run, lead and grow the business
- Retain high-potential talent through meaningful development opportunities
- Strengthen leadership capability across the partnership pipeline
- Equip future leaders to tackle strategic and commercial challenges
- Encourage knowledge sharing across firms and practices
Cath Harries
An Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant with over twenty years’ experience working with global bluechip companies, public organisations and high-profile charities including PwC, Cancer Research UK, Barclays, The Prince’s Trust, War Child, CISCO and NATO. Cath is a Professional Credentialed Coach (PCC) at ICAEW with the International Coaching Federation, and is certified in Standout and Strengths based coaching. She is both an NLP and MBTI practitioner, and draws on her Somatic Coaching practice – helping clients step out of autopilot to reconnect with the present.
Sue Mitchell ACA
An accredited and highly experienced executive coach and facilitator with 25 years experience within the Professional Services sector. She supports leaders and teams across organisations to drive forward personal, team and organisational change, with a deep understanding of the leadership needs and strategic challenges that they face. Sue began her professional career as an auditor and corporate tax advisor before moving into leadership development. As well as being a senior coach and Head of Coaching within KPMG, she has also worked with the ICAEW for over 10 years, supporting a wide range of coaching, leadership and development programs.
Why firms invest in DLiP™
Successful partners need more than technical expertise. They need the confidence, commercial awareness and leadership capability to lead people, grow client relationships and contribute to firm strategy.
DLiP helps firms develop future partners who are prepared for the realities of leadership. Participants apply their learning throughout the programme, creating immediate value for the business while building the capability needed for long-term success.
For firms focused on succession planning, leadership development and talent retention, DLiP provides a practical pathway for developing the next generation of partners and practice leaders.
