3-Day Future Leadership + AI _ 2026 Course Brochure

“Our experts will guide you through a structured approach and establish a new way of working to sustain innovation. ”

3-Day Future Leadership

Skills

*Including 1-Day

We're ready to help you build the skills for what's ahead.

Hi, we're DesignThinkers.

What makes organizations thrive in times of change? At DesignThinkers, we believe it starts with people. Founded over 20 years ago in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, our mission has always been to help organizations design services that put people at the center. As innovation increasingly relies on both human ingenuity and technological progress, DesignThinkers empowers organizations to stay ahead. We help teams develop the critical skills needed to navigate complexity, combining human-centered design and AI-powered innovation to turn change into opportunity.

This Global Portfolio showcases our 2026 course offerings & innovation programs, alongside client success stories and ways to collaborate, preparing you to lead in a changing world.

Our work is further enriched by long-standing collaborations with leading academic institutions such as Oxford University, Harvard University, the University of Amsterdam, as well as innovation hubs such as DGA and DIFC. We’ re committed to making innovation real by building capabilities, designing for impact, and shaping services that improve lives.

The Future of Work is rapidly shifting.

These are the Top 10 Core Skills you’ll need by 2030.

The world of work is transforming at an unprecedented pace, driven by advancements in AI, technology, and global interconnectedness. By 2030, core skills across industries will undergo significant evolution. To navigate this shift, the future will require a unique blend of creativity, collaboration, adaptability, and a deep understanding of complex systems. As the landscape of work evolves, so too must the way we think, collaborate, and innovate.

At DesignThinkers, we are dedicated to helping you build the skills necessary to lead in this new era. Our curriculum empowers teams with the tools to innovate, collaborate, and harness technology with purpose. These are the essential skills that will drive your success in the future:

Technology skills

AI and big data

Technological literacy

Cognitive skills

Creative thinking

Analytical thinking

Self-efficacy

Resilience, flexibility and agility

Curiosity and lifelong learning

Working with others

Leadership and social influence

Management skills

Talent management

Ethics

Environmental stewardship

Source: World Economic Forum (2025), The Future of Jobs Report

Preparing your team for tomorrow's challenges.

By 2030, the core skills needed to succeed will have evolved beyond recognition. Luckily, we provide the core programs your team needs to stay ahead. We’ ve carefully selected these key competencies: Employee Experience , Customer Experience, Co-creation in Sales, AI-powered impact, and Capability Building to ensure your team is fully prepared for the challenges and opportunities of 2030.

Experience it for yourself. Our approach combines tailored solutions with hands-on training, enabling your team to apply these skills directly for measurable results. Build the future today and stay ahead of the curve.

IMPACT

WITH AI CAPABILITY

BUILDING

"I am always impressed by DesignThinkers' ability to design and deliver sessions that are both highly tailored and impactful, and their approach is deeply rooted in collaboration and adaptability.

" Sterre van der Laken, Salesforce Executive Program Manager Design-Led Data & AI Programs, EMEA

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CO-CREATION IN SALES

We ignite change

Culture

We shape AI-aw

innovation cultu

Our experts will guide you structured approach that in emerging technologies like establishes a future-proof w working to sustain innovat

Content

We solve tomorrow's challenges

We provide the means to bring real and viable solutions to your challenge, using AI-driven insights and validating those with real customers and key stakeholders through masterful presentation.

Capability

We train innova ready teams

Through hands-on training g, we empower your team to adopt a solutionoriented mindset and build confidence in applying emerging AI learning technologies to drive innovation.

Culture

Capability

Content

Now, let's get started!

Future Leadership Skills

*Including 1-Day Strategic AI

"

This 3-day course merges the essential skills of Future Leadership with AI, equipping you to lead with clarity, confidence, and creativity in a rapidly evolving world. Over two days, you ’ll explore what it means to be a future-ready leader through hands-on learning in strategic thinking, communication, and personal reflection. In the second part of the course, you ’ll dive into the practical applications of AI for a day, learning how to confidently use tools like ChatGPT, Komo AI, and DALL·E 2 across different stages of innovation and decisionmaking. You’ll explore where AI fits into leadership and how to guide your organization through change by combining human insight with technological power.

3 days of 8 hours Involvement

Truly a transformative experience, guided by a very inspiring facilitator who helped me harness my leadership potential. It's a real eye-opener. "

Ellen Coerdes University of Amsterdam

Capabilities:

Critical Thinking

In today’ s rapidly evolving professional landscape, staying ahead means more than keeping up. It requires embracing emerging technologies and rethinking how we lead. As AI continues to reshape industries, adapting to these trends is no longer optional for leaders. In this 3-day course, you ’ll develop the essential skills of Future Leadership and learn how to harness the power of AI. Gain the mindset and practical tools to lead with confidence, empower your team, and drive meaningful innovation in a world of constant change.

Applying AI to real-life cases Empathetic

Future Leadership Skills

Future Leadership Skills

*Including 1-Day Strategic AI

Programme

Day three

Applying Strategic AI

09:30 Kick-off

Introduction - Design-led Innovation

Challenge

End-user Research

End-user Insights (individual)

End-user Insight Selection (team)

12:30 Lunch break

Ideation

Rapid Prototyping

Storytelling

Reflection

17:00 End

Outcomes

Becoming familiar with Design-led innovation

Hands-on experience tools/activities

Format session to run with clients

Why choose us? We're best in class for innovation.

Extensive Tools

We provide an extensive set of innovation tools that you can immediately put into practice (e.g., Stakeholder map & CJM) . After completing the course, you 'll gain exclusive access to our L&D library, packed with resources to continue your learning journey.

Expert Masterclasses

During each day, you 'll gain insights from expert-led masterclasses, where seasoned innovators share real-world strategies and lessons from the field. These sessions give you the tools and perspectives to navigate complex challenges with confidence.

Real-Life Challenges

You won ’t be working on hypothetical case studies - you ’ll tackle real-life challenges. By solving tangible problems, you 'll gain practical experience, refine your problem-solving skills, and leave with actionable strategies you can apply immediately.

Official Certification

DesignThinkers is accredited by the Dutch Council for Training and Education. After completing any of our courses, you ’ll receive a recognized official certification, validating your expertise and equipping you with a valuable credential to advance your career.

Prompting

We'll Support your process by using the latest AI applications. Prompt AI to generate ideas on your problem statement, present your persona to AI and ask your research questions, or make a prompt to enrich your CJM by simulating different situations.

Global Community

We’ re proud to welcome a diverse, global community of participants, bringing together professionals from different industries and cultures. That means plenty of opportunities for networking, fresh perspectives, and connections that can shape your future.

Enough about us, who are you?

Managers or Team Leaders

…seeking to enhance their future leadership capabilities in empowering teams to stay focused, aligned to stimulate bold innovation.

Freelancers or consultants

…who want to understand the needs and behaviour of their target groups, and how to help them kickstart innovation by using the latest technologies.

Tech-Savvy Professionals

…focused on leveraging AI for transformative storytelling, and advanced customer engagement strategies.

Innovation Leaders

C-suite Executives

…eager to incorporate AI into their creative workflow, enhancing innovation and efficiency in the design thinking process.

Our tools for growth

Full access to all our DesignThinkers tools in the Online Learn & Development Library will be granted upon completion of the course. Unlimited Access To Our Design Thinking Toolkit

Strategic Thinking AI Prompting Creativity Critical Thinking Empathy

Storytelling

Persona Card

20-45 minutes

Individual or in groups

Sticky notes, sharpies

Personas are used to define who are the customers you are trying to help with their specific problems. They can provide a range of different perspectives on a service, allowing your team to define and engage the different interest groups that may exist within your target segment.

Customer Journey Map

45-60 minutes

Core team

Sticky notes, sharpies

Creating a Customer Journey Map builds empathy by focusing on the present journey of the customer. At its best, this is a continuous activity to plot information about why your customers do what they do and how they experience interacting with organizations and/or services through different touch points.

Idea Brainwriting Tool Service Scenario Map

+4 people

Sticky notes, sharpies

The Idea Brainwriting Tool is a simple and direct tool to start co-creating new ideas in a team. It pushes everyone to contribute in enriching and making ideas more detailed. Everyone in the group works on each other' s ideas by adding, eliminating, replacing and finetuning each idea.

20-60 minutes

Core team

Sticky notes, sharpies

The Service Scenario Map is a tool which will help you visualize the steps and actions your persona takes when using the service or product of your company. It is a visualization of the user experience, using the service designed based on the ideated ideas. 10-30 minutes

AI Prompting

5-15 minutes

Core team

Laptop or phone

Support your process by using AI for the different stages of the Double Diamond. Prompt AI to generate 5 ideas on your problem statement, present your persona to AI and ask your research questions pretending they embody the persona, or make a prompt to enrich your Customer Journey Map by simulating different situations.

Mindsetters | Hands-free

Make pairs. There is going to be a competition making paper airplanes. Let everyone put their dominant hand in their pocket. Give the participants 5 minutes to make a paper airplane; Let everyone throw their plane from behind a common line. For throwing they can use their dominant hand.

AI Tools we like and use

Text-based Image-based

ChatGPT: Conversational AI for text generation and understanding.

Claude (Anthropic): AI assistant for generating,

editing, and analyzing text.

NotebookLM (Google): Research focused chat Model.

Perplexity: AI-powered research assistant.

Audio-based

Descript: AI for audio transcription, podcast

editing, and text-to-speech.

Resemble AI: Text-to-speech tool for voice

cloning and generation.

ElevenLabs: AI for creating realistic voiceovers.

ChatGPT Dall-E 2: Generates creative images from text prompts.

Flux1.ai: AI tool for creating artistic and realistic images.

Ideogram: best image tool to include text in generated images.

Video-based

Runway Gen-3: AI for text-to-video generation.

Pictory: AI tool to create videos from text and scripts.

Synthesia: Generates AI-based videos with digital avatars.

Outcomes, Objectives & Certificate

Core Skills & Applications

What to expect Learning Outcomes

High-energy Training

Learning-by-Doing DT Toolkit & Certificate Learning from internationally recognized facilitators

Multiple expert masterclasses

Did you know?

All our alumni gain unlimited access to our exclusive online L&D Library.

Human-Centred Mindset

Experience with practical tools & frameworks

Ideation & Prototyping (*AI)

Collaborate across disciplines Apply analytical thinking in practi

What's Included?

Your ticket includes a daily healthy lunch, snacks, beverages, course materials for personal use, and an official DTA certificate upon completion.

We value quality! We are accredited by the Dutch Council for Training and Education, ensuring high-quality learning experiences. Participants receive an Official Certificate upon course completion, with exclusive access to our Learn & Develop Library. KHDA Educational Services Permit: 633078

Stepping stones for innovation

We open paths for innovation by helping teams rethink how they create value. Guiding organizations and individuals to see change as an opportunity, we translate challenges into clear directions for growth, building the mindset and capabilities needed to be future-ready.

& we shape capabilities. We solve challenges,

A profile for

One portfolio, infinite pathways. Whet

the top, we offer tailored programs at ev

level

Begin with the Basics. Advance with a Custom Training.

From Aspiring to Accomplished. Leadership Training for What’ s Next.

Elevate Your Leadership. Drive Strategic Success.

Foundational level

Are you an eager explorer?

Do you recognise this?

Lack structured creativity methods. Feel uncertain about where to start with innovation. Struggle to translate ideas into action. Limited confidence in using design tools or AI effectively.

What's in it for you?

Improved creative confidence and practical problem-solving skills; Ability to use and apply design & AI tools with purpose; Turn ideas into tangible results

Applied level

Are you a proactive practitioner?

Do you recognise this?

Struggles with balancing day-to-day operations and long-term goals. Difficulty making confident, wellinformed decisions. Teams lack alignment and efficiency. What's in it for you?

Improved team management and collaboration;

Stronger decision-making skills; Increased operational efficiency.

Executive level

Are you a limitless leader?

Do you recognise this?

Struggles to align teams. Faces resistance to change across departments. Limited time to explore new technologies. Finds it challenging to translate strategy into action. What's in it for you?

Enhanced strategic alignment across teams and initiatives; Strengthened leadership presence in driving transformation; Increased capacity to make future-focused decisions.

"Initially facilitating sounded like something I would never enjoy or be able to do, however after these 2 days I found my happy place in facilitating and connecting people to get to great results together. "

Meet some of our Facilitators

Our coaches and facilitators are all subject matter experts in the field of Human-Centred Design, and have extensive experience in providing project assistance and trainings in Design Thinking. You can find all of our coaches and facilitators on our website.

*Dr. Robert Collins is a business consultant and educator who has been delivering courses through the University of Oxford for over 25 years.

About what we do Expertise

We focus on creating value for people as the most effective way to drive project success and inspire.

"A refreshing

and

engaging experience that went beyond my expectations."

Tupo Muocha, UNICEF

Our worldwide team combines global reach with invaluable local expertise. We approach every challenge from the user ’ s perspective. We focus on creating value for people as the most effective way to drive project success and inspire growth for our clients’ businesses and organisations. inspire growth for our clients’ businesses and organisations. inspire growth for our clients.

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Build confidence and master storytelling techniques to gain buyin and foster engagement with stakeholders through effective presentations and data utilization.

Deep-Dive

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This 3-day course combines the fundamentals of Design Thinking with hands-on applications of AI to help you innovate smarter, faster, and with more impact. * includes latest AI techniques Book

Get in touch via Whatsapp for questions big or small.

Some companies we'r proud to team up with

“I have been to a lot of trainings and conferences, but nothing measures up to the 5 interactive days at DesignThinkers ”

Prof.Douglas Tschopp, Director