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As the Organisation approaches its 80th anniversary, the UN80 reform agenda and the UN 2.0 vision call for modernised operations and a results‑driven culture centred on innovation, data, digital capacity, strategic foresight, and behavioural science. These reforms require not just operational shifts but a fundamental rethinking of leadership and management - leaders who can bridge strategy and implementation, build inclusive, more high‑performing teams, and lead decisively amid volatility and ambiguity. In this context, effective leadership is mission‑critical. It is not a discretionary investment but a core enabler of wellbeing, accountability, and operational impact. Resilient, principled leadership will carry the UN through today’s challenges and prepare it for tomorrow’s unknowns. Beyond technical skill, we need adaptive leaders who live our values - integrity, accountability, respect, and inclusion - especially when the pressure is greatest.
Track II: Elevate - From Managing Work to Leading Teams offers a safe, dynamic, and forward-looking space where mid-senior managers can strengthen their leadership and management mindset, enhance critical skills, and connect with peers across the UN System. Through this experience, participants develop a targeted set of leadership and management competencies essential for navigating the demands of executive roles in the UN. These include self-awareness, fostering psychological safety and inclusion, building team resilience, integrity, learning agility, managing people and performance for results, making effective and unbiased decisions, expanding strategic partnerships, and leading through organisational change.
Track II: Elevate - From Managing Work to Leading Teams
targets experienced managers leading teams, projects, or programmes. It focuses on people management, decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and cross-silo collaboration. Participants learn to cultivate psychological safety, manage complexity, and sustain high performance.
Overall Learning Objective
- By the end of the programme, participants will have strengthened their leadership mindset and managerial skills, enabling them to better lead diverse teams, manage performance more effectively, and navigate change with increased clarity and confidence in the UN context.
Modular Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this programme, participants should be able to:
- Lead Through Complexity and Change.
- Analyse how organisational and external changes impact team dynamics and workflows, and apply strategies to navigate them more effectively.
- Identify and implement stabilising actions during times of disruption, and communicate them clearly and in a timely manner.
- Guide teams through ambiguity using adaptive leadership approaches and prioritisation techniques.
- Make Sound, Effective Decisions Under Pressure.
- Apply structured decision-making frameworks to make sound choices in uncertain or high-pressure contexts.
- Identify and mitigate cognitive biases and assumptions to improve the quality of decisions.
- Anticipate consequences of decisions and determine minimal viable actions to maintain progress.
- Foster Inclusive, High-Performing Teams
- Model and sustain psychological safety by creating cultures of trust, openness, and learning from failure.
- Lead with empathy and build strong, trust-based relationships that support team resilience and engagement.
- Address performance and behavioural issues constructively, with confidence and fairness.
- Communicate and Influence Strategically
- Communicate clearly and purposefully to align teams, motivate individuals, and reinforce a shared sense of purpose.
- Build and Sustain Strategic Partnerships
- Outline the value of partnerships in advancing the UN’s mission and identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration.
- Apply practical tools to initiate, manage, and grow partnerships across teams, organisations, and sectors.
- Manage Performance for Results
- Set clear team goals, define success indicators, and align efforts with broader organisational priorities.
- Apply effective people management practices to support individual growth, team performance, and talent retention.
- Translate strategic vision into concrete actions through regular performance monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
Online, blended
Track II: Elevate is designed for mid-level UN personnel (typically P4 and P5) with formal supervisory or managerial responsibilities, including team leads, programme managers, or section chiefs. The Track reflects the breadth of leadership functions across the UN System and recognises the essential contributions of personnel in diverse contractual and geographic contexts - including national staff who coordinate programmes, manage teams, and provide technical leadership in a variety of operational settings. The model is intentionally inclusive of different roles, career paths, and field realities, offering practical tools and experiential learning to support accountability, performance, and inclusive leadership in complex environments.
In addition to P4 and P5 staff, Track II: Elevate is open to National Officer C–D (NOC–NOD) colleagues who hold formal people management or team leadership responsibilities. This inclusion recognises the critical leadership roles national staff play in managing teams, programmes, and stakeholder relationships across field and country contexts.
Participants are accountable for translating strategic direction into team-level outcomes, managing performance, and leading others through complexity. Exceptionally, other grades with significant managerial responsibilities may be considered.
Track II: Elevate is particularly suited for staff who are:
- Managing individuals or small teams and navigating diverse team dynamics
- Leading implementation of programmes, projects, or workstreams
- Supporting strategic planning, coordination, or technical delivery
- Seeking to strengthen people management, decision-making, and accountability skills
USD 2,000
