The Leadership Currency Hosted By Barclays

Unlock the unwritten rules of management and leadership. Build the influence, visibility, relationships and credibility to lead with impact.
About this Event

Welcome to The Leadership Currency!

An in-person leadership experience for managers and leaders navigating the realities of greater responsibility, influence and impact.

Many professionals are promoted because they’re excellent at what they do. Yet few are taught how to lead people, influence others or navigate the realities of leadership.

You worked hard. You delivered. You got promoted. Along the way the game changed. Nobody showed you how to play.

This is for professionals who:

• Are currently managing people or teams
• Have recently stepped into a management role
• Were promoted into leadership with no adequate training or support
• Want to strengthen their confidence, influence and leadership capability

Through honest conversations with experienced leaders, we’ll explore what really changes when you’re responsible for people, performance and outcomes, sharing practical lessons drawn from real leadership journeys.

You'll know this is for you if...

• You were promoted because you were good at your job — but nobody taught you how to lead. You’re now managing people, expectations and competing priorities while quietly wondering whether you’re getting it right.
• You’ve stepped into a bigger role and your confidence hasn’t caught up with your title. Others see a capable leader. Privately, you’re questioning whether you really belong at this level.
• You are pulled in different directions — sometimes doing the work of multiple roles — without enough hours in the day to meet every competing demand. Yet you're expected to lead, deliver, develop others and remain visible, all at once.
• You’re absorbing pressure from above, protecting your team from below and still expected to remain composed in the middle. You need to influence upwards, navigate difficult stakeholders and deliver outcomes through people you don’t directly control.
• You’re too senior to be vulnerable with your team and not yet senior enough to be in the rooms where the real decisions are made. There’s a particular loneliness in leading from a place nobody prepared you for.
• You’re doing the job but nobody gave you the rulebook. You’re learning about politics, visibility, influence, sponsorship and organisational dynamics through trial and error — and nobody talks about it openly.
• You’re doing exceptional work but the people senior enough to notice can’t see it. You haven’t yet worked out how to be seen without it feeling like self-promotion.
• You’re known as the person who delivers — but you don’t want delivery to become your ceiling. You want to move from being relied upon to execute to being trusted to shape direction, influence decisions and operate strategically.
• You’re ready for what comes next but not sure what next looks like anymore. You know performance alone may not get you there.
• The stakes are higher, the decisions are harder, the feedback is scarcer — and there are fewer people with whom you can speak completely openly.
• You’re successful on paper and carrying more than people can see.
• You want trusted peers. Not another networking event. People who understand what’s behind the job title — and with whom you can have honest conversations about leadership, ambition, mistakes, difficult decisions and the realities of the role.
• You’re tired of figuring this out alone.

If any of this landed — this evening was built for you.

What we'll cover:

Through lived experience and candid conversation with leaders who have walked the path, we’ll explore:

• Getting to the top — what really changes at senior and executive level and how to position yourself for progression
• Building influence — moving beyond delivery credibility to strategic influence, confidence and judgement
• Relationships, access and sponsorship — building the connections that open doors and advocate for you when you’re not in the room
• Navigating power and organisational dynamics — reading the room, negotiating effectively and operating confidently when the rules aren’t explicit
• Making the leadership transition — moving from recognised expert to strategic leader and navigating what that shift really demands
• Staying at the top — navigating pressure, setbacks and competing expectations with greater responsibility
• Sustaining yourself — maintaining high performance and wellbeing without losing yourself in the process

What this is not

• No slides.
• No leadership theory.
• No performative networking.

What you leave with

• Practical leadership insights you can apply immediately.
• Greater confidence in leading people and teams.
• Honest perspectives from experienced leaders.
• Meaningful conversations with peers facing similar leadership challenges.
• Greater clarity, confidence, courage and currency to navigate what comes next — and lead with greater impact.

Your leadership currency isn’t one-dimensional. It is built, invested, leveraged and protected throughout your career.

This evening is where the work to redefine your leadership currency begins.

The Details

📅 Wednesday 7 October 2026

🕔 5:00pm – 7:30pm

📍 In person · Curated · Intimate

Places are intentionally limited to encourage meaningful discussion. If this resonates — register now!

Agenda

🕑: 05:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Agenda

Info: This event includes:
In-person conversations;
Refreshments;
Audience Q&A; and
Post-event networking with like-minded professionals