Come and join our Management Development Programme!
Do your managers keep coming to you with problems they should be sorting out themselves? Maybe they’re good at their job but not confident when it comes to leading people, having tricky conversations, or dealing with poor performance. Some may have been promoted quickly without much training and now feel unsure or overwhelmed. You don’t have the time to guide everyone step by step but if they’re not supported, things start slipping.
Our Management Development Programme helps your managers build the skills they need to lead well, take responsibility, and deal with issues, so you can stop stepping in and start focusing on the bigger picture.
2025-2026 Management Development Programme
We’re thrilled to announce that our brand-new Management Development Programmes are up and running!
Venue: Chilston Park Hotel -Boughton Rd, Sandway, Maidstone
Each session is full of useful tips, real-life examples, and simple tools your managers can put into practice straight away. You can sign up for the full programme or just pick the modules that work best for your team.
Sound good? Let’s give your managers the confidence to lead and help your business grow.
Click here to sign up or contact us to learn more.
Let’s build brilliant managers together!
Meet Jackie Brooker: Leadership & People Management Expert with 20+ Years of Experience
Jackie Brooker is the founder of Dakota Blue Consulting and the driving force behind our Management Development Programme. With over 20 years of hands-on experience coaching business leaders, managers, and teams, Jackie specialises in turning good managers into great leaders.
She’s worked with a wide range of small to medium-sized businesses across the UK, helping managers gain the confidence, tools, and mindset to lead people effectively.
Jackie understands the real-world challenges managers face whether it’s handling difficult conversations, boosting team performance, or managing under pressure. Her practical, people-first approach makes the training relatable, engaging and easy to apply from day one.
- Expect energy, empathy, and plenty of real examples.
- Expect to leave each session feeling more confident, more capable, and more in control.
What participants say about the programme?
I really enjoyed my training programme by Dakota Blue. The course was informative and even though I feel I am an experienced manager, I gained a lot of new knowledge. Jackie was an excellent trainer and she made the course a lot of fun. She was patient and able to answer the questions from myself and my colleagues. I have now put my training into practice at work and can see beneficial results already. I will continue to build on the knowledge I gained to become the best manager I can be.
Visitor Operations Manager, Leeds Castle
I highly recommend the management development programme delivered by Dakota Blue. Jackie is professional, knowledgeable and engaging. This program has given me the tools and skills to be a confident manager. Thank you Jackie!
Events Manager, Leeds Castle
I found the MDP program delivered by Dakota Blue Consulting invaluable in helping me understand the many factors and ingredients in managing both employees and myself. The course has a wealth of information and material, the modules are very interactive and I enjoyed the free discussions and listening to other participants (and realising the challenges are the same regardless of industry). I will be implementing our key takeaways from the course and we have requested a ‘team’ follow-up meeting with Dakota Blue to ensure we keep on track! I would thoroughly recommend any business to use this course to advance their Management teams' performance in handling staff.
Director, IT Support Services Provider
The Dakota Blue Management Development Programme goes beyond the standard off the shelf training course. The programme was centred around a well-structured syllabus with the added flexibility to respond to my own managerial needs and the practical challenges I was facing, and also those of the other course delegates from which I was able to learn.
By running the programme over multiple session, there were many opportunities to reflect on the new skills and assess how well they were working in real-life scenarios, adding even more value to the course take-aways. My particular training cohort gave a good mix of personalities and viewpoints, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to be part of the programme.
Client Services Director, Accounting Software Provider
I am fortunate to be a member of the current group undertaking the Dakota Blue Consulting management development programme. I have learnt about the strengths and weaknesses of my style and approach to management, and how I can approach situations in a more versatile manner to influence change. The biggest take away is the additional confidence the programme has given me.
Jackie Brooker from Dakota Blue Consulting just has the knack of knowing how to deliver a balanced training session. I was naturally apprehensive about attending, wondering; is this going to be a benefit to me, my company? Who else would be in the room? My apprehension was quickly dispelled.
The programme has an abundance of theory on the specific topic in handouts which form part of the discussion, with slide presentations and video content to expand the subject further. An extremely important element of the programme for me is the time allowed for the cohort to bring into the room, real world experience and questions. This collaboration has been a valuable tool to help us bond as a group, and as a result there is a lot of respect and openness which brings an additional dimension to the learning environment.
I feel it would be wrong not to mention the food! The quality of all the food is amazing, the cake in the afternoon session is to die for!
Operations Director, IT Services Company
