At Epic People, we take a holistic approach to leadership development, combining leadership and management training and coaching, with psychometric testing and 360-degree feedback. Together, these approaches help people leaders build the skills and judgement they need to lead effectively in real workplace situations — not just in theory. Leadership capability can be further strengthened through social intelligence training.
We can also customise a leadership framework for your organisation that fits with your mission and vision, strategy and values.
We work with organisations across New Zealand to develop new and mid-level managers, strengthen leadership capability and build confident, effective people leaders.
Leadership development for the real world
Leadership development isn’t about inspirational speeches or abstract theory. It’s about helping managers:
- Lead people with confidence
- Have effective (and sometimes difficult) conversations
- Build trust, engagement, and accountability in their teams
Effective leadership development takes more than attending a workshop. Managers need opportunities to build practical skills, understand their own strengths and development areas, practise new behaviours and apply what they learn back at work.
That’s why our approach combines leadership and management training with tools such as psychometric testing and 360-degree feedback. This gives leaders greater self-awareness as well as the skills to do something useful with that insight.
Our approach to leadership development
Our leadership development programmes are tailored to the needs of your organisation and the people you want to develop. Rather than starting with an off-the-shelf programme, we look at what your leaders need to do differently or better — and build the development around that.
Our approach is grounded in:
- Self-awareness: Helping leaders understand their strengths, behaviours and development opportunities.
- Real workplace challenges: Focusing development on the situations your managers actually face, from difficult conversations and performance issues to building trust and accountability.
- Adult learning principles: Building on the experience managers already bring and making learning relevant to their roles.
- Practical application: Giving managers tools and frameworks they can use immediately, with opportunities to practise and apply new skills at work.
- Learning over time: Where appropriate, spacing development so managers can apply what they learn, reflect on the results and continue building their capability.
Leadership development can be delivered as a focused intervention or as a programme over time. Depending on your goals, we can combine group learning, individual coaching, assessment and follow-up support, with space between sessions for managers to practise new skills and apply what they learn in the workplace.
Because leadership challenges don’t wait for training sessions, coaching and follow-up support can also give managers a sounding board when they need to apply their learning to a real workplace situation.
Build your leadership toolkit: three pillars of growth
Targeted training
Master the art of people-centered leadership. Our workshops turn complex theory into practical habits that managers can use the very next day to lead more effectively.
Our workshops can be delivered “off the shelf”, or customised for you. We can also create new leadership workshops especially for your organisation.
Focus: A diverse range of courses including our signature Social Intelligence training, alongside core modules for new and mid-level managers.
Benefits: Builds immediate confidence, improves team culture, and equips leaders with the “soft skills” that drive hard results.
Psychometric testing and insights
Psychometric assessments help leaders understand their natural strengths, preferences and behaviours, as well as areas they may need to develop. Used as part of leadership development, they provide valuable insight into how someone leads, communicates and works with others.
Focus: Mapping leadership potential, identifying natural behavioral drivers, and understanding team fit.
Benefits: Removes the guesswork from development, highlights hidden strengths, and provides a data-driven roadmap for growth.
360-degree feedback
Understand how others experience your leadership
360-degree feedback brings together perspectives from the people a leader works with, helping them understand how their leadership behaviours are experienced by others. It can highlight strengths to build on, identify development priorities and uncover differences between intention and impact.
Focus: Measuring current leadership performance and identifying the gap between intent and impact.
Benefits: Enhances self-awareness, provides a safe platform for feedback, and creates clear accountability for behavioural change.
Why leadership development matters for organisations
Leadership development creates benefits beyond the individual manager. When leaders become more capable and confident, the impact can be felt across their teams and the wider organisation.
- The organisation: Build leadership capability, strengthen succession pipelines and create a more resilient and engaging workplace culture.
- The individual: Build confidence and self-awareness, strengthen people-management skills and become better equipped to handle challenging leadership situations.
- The team: Experience clearer communication, stronger relationships, greater trust and more consistent leadership.
When managers aren’t supported to lead well, the opposite can happen: difficult performance issues are avoided, engagement suffers, good people leave and managers themselves can become overwhelmed.
Investing in leadership development isn’t simply about making someone a better manager. It’s about building the leadership capability an organisation needs to perform well now and into the future.
Customised leadership frameworks
For organisations taking a more strategic approach to leadership development, we can create a customised leadership framework that defines what effective leadership looks like in your organisation.
We work with you to identify the capabilities and behaviours your leaders need to deliver your strategy and bring your values to life. The framework can then provide a consistent foundation for leadership development, helping to shape training, assessment, feedback and ongoing development across different leadership levels.
Whether you’re building leadership capability for the future, developing a new generation of managers or creating greater consistency in how people are led, a customised framework helps ensure leadership development is connected to what your organisation is trying to achieve.
Why choose Epic People for your leadership development?
We are a New Zealand‑based HR and leadership development consultancy with over 30 years’ experience working alongside managers and leaders across a wide range of industries. This means –
- Senior HR and leadership experience
- A practical, down‑to‑earth delivery style
- A strong understanding of New Zealand workplaces
- A focus on sustainable behaviour change, not just feel‑good training
- Accreditation to deliver SocialStyle(TM) training
- Accreditation in SHL psychometric tools
Our training is designed and delivered by us and is fully customisable. We partner with you to build leadership capability that actually sticks.
Leadership development FAQ's
Here are some common questions about leadership development programmes and training for new and mid-level managers in NZ.
What is leadership development?
Leadership development is a strategic process designed to expand the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles within an organization. At Epic People, we define it as more than just a “management course”; it is a holistic evolution of an individual’s self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and strategic thinking. By integrating psychometric data with 360-degree feedback, leadership development identifies an individual’s natural strengths and provides the specific training and social intelligence tools needed to lead high-performing teams effectively.
Why is leadership development important?
Leadership development is critical because the quality of leadership is the single biggest predictor of employee engagement, retention, and organizational performance. Effective development programmes help:
- Bridge the “skill gap”: Moving from a technical expert to a people leader requires a completely different toolkit.
- Reduce turnover: People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers. Strong leadership fosters a culture where talent wants to stay.
- Improve decision-making: Through psychometric assessments, leaders learn to mitigate cognitive biases and handle pressure more effectively.
- Drive results: High social intelligence allows leaders to navigate complex workplace dynamics, resolving conflict before it impacts the bottom line.
What is the most effective approach to leadership development?
The most effective approach combines objective data with behavioural growth. At Epic People we use a four-pillar methodology: Psychometric assessments for baseline traits, 360-degree feedback for external perspective, leadership training for core competencies, and social intelligence training for relationship management. This integrated “Auckland-to-Christchurch” delivery model ensures training is relevant to the unique Kiwi “Number 8 wire” mindset.
How do psychometric assessments help in developing managers?
Psychometric assessments provide a scientific foundation for growth by identifying a leader’s natural strengths, derailers, and cognitive styles. Using world-class tools like SHL, we help New Zealand managers understand their “default settings.” This allows for a highly personalised development plan that focuses on real behavioural change rather than generic advice.
Why is 360-degree feedback important for leadership growth?
360-degree feedback is essential because it reveals the “blind spots” between how a leader perceives themselves and how they are actually experienced by their team and peers. By gathering anonymous, structured data from all levels of the organization, we provide leaders with a clear, honest roadmap for improving their interpersonal impact and leadership presence.
What is social intelligence training and why do leaders need it?
Social intelligence is the ability to understand others’ emotions and adapt your leadership style to suit different personalities. In a modern workplace, this is a non-negotiable skill. Our social intelligence training, delivered under our SocialStyle™ accreditation, empowers leaders to communicate more effectively, resolve conflicts faster, and build higher levels of trust within their teams.
How is Epic People different from other leadership training providers?
We focus on SMEs, deliver tailored programs, and combine global frameworks with a down-to-earth kiwi delivery style.
Can leadership development training be tailored to our organisation?
Yes! We can adapt every program to your business goals, culture, and challenges, for in-house delivery.
What is the best starting point for a leadership development programme?
There is no “one-size-fits-all” answer, but we often recommend starting with psychometric testing or a 360-degree review. These diagnostic tools provide an objective baseline of a leader’s current impact and potential. This data allows us to tailor subsequent leadership training courses to address the specific skill gaps that will move the needle most for your organisation.
Can we combine 360-degree reviews with your training courses?
Yes, and we highly recommend it. Many NZ organisations find that training “sticks” better when it is preceded by a 360-degree review. The feedback creates a “hunger for learning” because the leader has seen evidence of where they need to grow. We can then weave those specific feedback themes directly into our modular training workshops.
Who facilitates the assessments and training at Epic People?
All our programmes are led by experienced NZ-based facilitators who are accredited in SHL psychometric tools and SocialStyle™ (Social Intelligence) training. We don’t just “send a report”—we provide expert debriefs and coaching to ensure the data from our 360-degree reviews and assessments translates into real behavioral change.
Does Epic People offer leadership development across New Zealand?
Yes, Epic People provides leadership development, coaching, and workshops throughout New Zealand. Whether you are based in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, or regional centres, we offer both in-person workshops and interactive virtual training. Our programmes are specifically designed to support the growth of new and mid-level managers within the NZ business landscape.
Can I have a customised leadership development framework?
Yes you can! Sometimes a customised leadership framework can be much simpler than using our other tools which are often part of a bigger and more complex competency system. A customised programme can help to build and reinforce the culture you want to build, and your organisation’s values.
Ready to strengthen leadership capability in your organisation?
Whether you’re developing new managers, strengthening the capability of existing leaders, or building a broader leadership development programme, we can help you decide where to start.
Talk to us today about leadership development.
