The UCU Business School, in collaboration with the UCU Leadership Center and the Ukrainian Prosecutors’ Training Center, with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Office, is implementing the training program «Leadership School for Heads of Prosecutor’s Offices and Departments.»
The program started on May 16 in Kyiv at the Ukrainian Prosecutors’ Training Center with support from the INL Office of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. The training is ongoing, but we are ready to share its progress with you.
«As the UCU Business School, we feel responsible for the future of our country and its reforms. It is important not only to influence the results of our participants but also to enable our organizational and institutional partners to implement their influence and achieve their goals through scaling, cross-disciplinary knowledge, and applying the results. Employees of key state institutions are adopting business practices where changes occur more rapidly and purposefully. This will provide an opportunity to adapt the best approaches to address current challenges,» said Yaryna Boychuk, CEO of UCU Business School.
The UCU Business School continues to train leaders of government services.
Participants include:
- Heads of structural units of the Office of the General Prosecutor;
- Heads, first deputies, and deputies of heads of regional and district prosecutor’s offices;
- Heads of structural units of regional prosecutor’s offices.
«The idea of this program emerged in the context of a broad reform of state bodies, including the prosecutor’s office, in Ukraine. The main goal of the reform is to make government bodies more effective, humane and adapted to the needs of modern society. This training aims to build work on new values already important for contemporary Ukraine. The Leadership School provides the necessary tools for development and lays strong foundations for reforming management styles in prosecutor’s offices, which will contribute to their more effective operation and optimal use of resources. Training is crucial as the world changes, and with it, the challenges we face. What was relevant 5-10 years ago is no longer relevant today. In the context of state bodies, where many people work, it is important to apply a systematic approach to change to manage personnel and resources more effectively. Cooperation with experienced trainers from various fields, including business and public administration, provides an opportunity to apply this experience in the field of criminal justice,» said Yevhen Shatalov, Project Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine’s INL Office.
How was the selection for the program conducted?
We received 92 applications for the training program. The selection process was based on several criteria and occurred in multiple stages: screening, interviews with candidates who best met all criteria, and final group formation based on evaluations from organizers and the grant provider.
At the online interview stage, 34 applicants were chosen. The selection adhered to the conditions previously agreed upon between the Ukrainian Prosecutors’ Training Center, UCU Business School, and representatives from the INL Office of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. Attention was paid to the applicants’ experience, gender, and geographical diversity, as well as the complexity of management challenges and motivation to grow as a leader for their team. As a result, 22 participants were selected for the program.
What is the goal and structure of the training program?
«The value of the program lies in enhancing the managerial potential of heads of prosecutor’s offices and departments; increasing the effectiveness of leaders who set an example for mentorship; influencing future managers and transforming ineffective mechanisms within the state body. Given our goals, leaders from all levels were selected. This diverse managerial experience allows for the exchange of knowledge and skills, interaction, and strengthening of communication and collaboration, adapting the structure to the demands and needs of the time,» said Iryna Paslas, Manager of Management Programs.
The program consists of six modules, each lasting 2 days, over a total duration of five months. The modules take place at the Ukrainian Prosecutors’ Training Center, with two of them being off-site.
«Do everything you want to see in your employees yourself. If you are motivated, you can motivate them. Don’t forget to plan your life: balance work and rest. It is important to take care of yourself to be able to give to others. Build trust in the prosecutor’s office. It’s a difficult and long path, which may take years. But I assure you, we will walk this path and achieve it,» inspired Andriy Kostin, the General Prosecutor of Ukraine, at the program’s start.
One of the training courses took place at the Ukrainian Catholic University, while another was held in the mountains and Ivano-Frankivsk. This course lasted three days and concluded with a session at Promprylad. Renovation, where participants, along with UCU’s Vice-Rector for Strategic Development Sofia Opatska, explored the case of Andrei Sheptytsky’s «Can we think a decade ahead?»
The off-site module transformed approaches to leadership and teamwork.
The most exciting part of the program was the off-site module «Leadership in the Mountains.« It provided unique opportunities for developing leadership qualities in unpredictable mountain conditions. Participants stepped out of their comfort zones, strengthened team spirit, and acquired new skills necessary for effective leadership in prosecutor’s offices.
Thanks to the program, participants:
- realized their inner strengths;
- analyzed their values and uniqueness;
- learned to make decisions quickly;
- experienced the power of team synergy;
- developed effective behavioral models.
Teamwork was a key element of the module. Participants formed groups, created artifacts, developed strategies, and defined tactical steps. This module became a journey towards oneself, others, and God. Each day ended with reflection and feedback, allowing participants to analyze their actions and enhance their leadership qualities.
«The value of this module lies in the ability to test the knowledge and skills gained during training in field conditions, radically different from regular work. Participants had to seek new interaction models, as all circumstances were completely new to them. Despite working in the prosecutor’s office, these individuals came from different cities and departments, which forced them to form new teams and collaborate effectively in these stressful tasks. This helped them learn to build teams and work under uncertainty, which is especially important for prosecutors in modern Ukrainian realities,» said Andriy Rozhdestvensky, PhD, Executive Director of the UCU Leadership Center and Lecturer at UCU Business School.
In addition to the physical modules, program participants also engage in inter-module activities, discussing topics such as «Leadership Maturity and Trust in the Team» with Oleksandra Alkhimovich and «Global Confrontation of Democracies and Autocracies and Ukraine’s Role» with Dmytro Sherengovsky, as well as a meeting with historian and UCU professor Yaroslav Hrytsak.
What value does the program provide to participants?
Participants primarily enhance skills such as:
- Effective time management: dealing with obstacles, achieving personal and professional goals, managing resources, handling expectations, and delegating responsibilities;
- Developing leadership skills and practical tools necessary for leaders today and in the future;
- Key tools for working with organizational culture and values;
- Resilience skills and how to develop them in the workplace; fostering mental health in the team during a crisis and how a leader can impact team resilience;
- Leadership competencies: taking responsibility, making decisions, forming action plans in uncertain conditions, uniting and motivating the team, and establishing effective communication;
- Influencing the organizational culture of the prosecutor’s office to implement strategies;
- Understanding team motivation factors and tools for non-material motivation and how to manage motivation within the organization.
«Prosecutors use the management skills gained not only for personal development but also to improve their work efficiency and impact on teams, regardless of their scale. This program not only develops leadership qualities at the current level but also prepares participants for the challenges of higher managerial positions by implementing advanced business tools in the public sector to ensure the sustainable development of our country,» said Olesya Otradna, Director of the Ukrainian Prosecutors’ Training Center.
The next concluding module will take place in Kyiv and will focus on employee and team motivation. Stay tuned for updates on the development of the training project for heads of prosecutor’s offices and departments.
The UCU Business School is a European-values and approach-based school that has been developing an open and responsible business community in Ukraine for 16 years. With a modern educational campus in Lviv, top-notch practitioner instructors, international lecturers, partnerships with leading universities worldwide, and an active alumni community, the school’s mission is to cultivate a community of ethical leaders who meet global challenges, represent Ukraine on the world business map, build partnerships based on positive-sum principles, and shape global business trends.
