Stepping into a supervisory role is an exciting milestone—but it also comes with a new set of expectations and responsibilities. The move from being “one of the team” to leading the team can be challenging, requiring not just operational oversight, but also the ability to inspire, influence, and innovate.

In a landmark IBM survey of more than 1,500 executives, creativity emerged as the single most vital leadership skill for the modern era. "From Colleague to Captain" is an engaging, hands-on workshop designed to help recently (or to-be) promoted supervisors and team leads master the mindset and tools to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving workplace. You’ll learn how to navigate your leadership transition with confidence, communicate with impact, foster team trust, and apply creative thinking techniques to drive progress even in uncertain times.

Objective

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Confidently navigate the shift from peer to leader while maintaining credibility and trust.
• Use creative problem-solving strategies to address challenges and spark innovation.
• Communicate with clarity, authority, and empathy in leadership interactions.
• Facilitate discussions and decisions with agility in fast-changing situations.
• Build a collaborative and psychologically safe team culture that supports performance and engagement.

Outline

Module 1 – Stepping Into Leadership

• Understanding the transformation from individual contributor to team enabler
• Recognising your personal leadership style
• The essentials of creative leadership in the 21st century

Module 2 – Leading With Creative Thinking

• Why creativity is a non-negotiable leadership skill in today’s workplace
• The “Creativity Trifecta”: Mindset for modern leaders
• Creativity & Improv tools explored for dynamic thinking

Module 3 – Leadership Communication That Inspires Action

• Frameworks for structuring clear, outcome-driven leadership conversations
• Practising active listening to build trust
• Delivering constructive feedback with empathy
• Leading engaging meetings that produce results

Module 4 – Leading People, Not Just Processes

• Creating trust and psychological safety in your team
• Encouraging diversity of thought and collaborative problem-solving
• Resolving conflicts with understanding and respect

Module 5 – Your Creative Leadership Roadmap

• Crafting your personal leadership commitment statement
• Peer feedback and accountability partners
• Wrap-up activity: “My 30-Day Creative Leadership Game Plan”

Who should attend

Newly (or soon-to-be) promoted supervisors and team leaders; High-potential staff in transition to leadership roles; First-time managers leading small teams or units

Methodology

Programmes are anchored in the A.C.T. Methodology — Action-based learning, Creativity, and Theatre Improvisation techniques. Participants spend 70%–80% of the session in hands-on activities, blending theory, skill practice, experience-sharing, and reflection. This dynamic approach ensures that learning is practical, memorable, and immediately applicable. The result: meaningful transformation in both work and life—boosting confidence, collaboration, and performance

Hazriq Idrus's Profile

• Creative Leadership & Conversations Strategist
• Author, ‘The Stage Fright Antidote!’, ‘Creative Leadership’ + co-author of 10 other books

Hazriq Idrus is a dynamic professional speaker, author, and stage actor who helps leaders and teams unlock their creative potential, sharpen their communication skills, and lead with confidence. Known for blending the art of theatre with the science of leadership, Hazriq transforms the way people connect, collaborate, and create results.

The author of The Stage Fright Antidote! and Creative Leadership — and co-author of 10 other books—Hazriq has inspired over 10,000 professionals across industries since 2005. His engaging keynotes and workshops have impacted audiences at leading organisations including BMW, Petronas, StarHub, and numerous government agencies.

Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications & Media Management from the University of South Australia, Hazriq’s career journey spans customer service, project management, and people development. His signature approach weaves in techniques from acting and improvisation, creating training experiences that are highly interactive, practical, and immediately applicable.

A familiar face and voice in regional media such as Mediacorp Suria, The Straits Times, Radio 938Live, and The Brunei Times, Hazriq also nurtures the next generation of innovators as an Associate Lecturer in a polytechnic in Singapore, teaching courses on creativity, innovation, and design thinking. His ongoing involvement in theatre keeps his creative edge sharp—ensuring every audience he works with leaves energised, inspired, and ready to take action.


ACCREDITATIONS:

• BA Communications and Media Management, University of South Australia
• Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) certification, WDA
• Certified Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, IBM, USA
• Certified Practitioner of Human-Centric Design, LUMA Institute
• Certified Agile Professional, ICAgile, USA
• Certified Agile Leadership Essentials, Scrum Alliance, USA
• Certified Agile Leadership Teams, Scrum Alliance, USA
• Certified DiSC Behavioural Consultant, Institute of Motivational Living, USA
• Certificate of Educational Studies (Public Speaking), College of Teachers, UK
• Certified Service Provider (CSP), Workforce Devt Agency (WDA)
• Certificate in Creative Leadership, Cannes Lions

TESTIMONIALS

“Hazriq has changed my perspective in creative thinking and leadership. When I first attended his 30-minute talk …he made us curious on how we can incorporate creativity in a rigid work sector such as educational management and technology. He asked us to pair up and showed us a simple yet effective technique to be creative in making decisions. (Surprised) at how easy it is to apply creativity in our work. Since then, I teach my course mates and colleagues the same technique so our meetings will be much more efficient. It took Hazriq only 30 minutes to make positive changes to his audiences.”
~ Diyana Tojiman | MA Candidate | Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

“Hazriq Idrus is a great, competent and entertaining speaker. He provided an outstanding presentation at a Kaplan Singapore - University of Essex symposium earlier this year. I highly recommend Hazriq.”
~ Dr Jurgen Rudolph | Head of Research, Senior Lecturer | Kaplan Higher Education, Singapore

“As MC / Event Host at a recent Singapore conference with approximately 220 academics and working professionals, Hazriq Idrus was third speaker on our five speaker event agenda. Having watched him in rehearsals weeks before, Hazriq had a wonderful presence as a speaker who easily engaged the audience with his 'Language of Creativity' message. His timing was spot on with this TEDx style presentation which helped me as MC keep our event on track. I highly recommend Hazriq to help listeners use creativity to live happier lives and something he can speak about if you engage him to speak at your future events.”
~ Rob Salisbury | Event MC | Strategic Resources, Australia