Systems Leadership

Please don’t be distracted or alarmed by our use of the word “leadership” or “systems”

We’ve included a short guide below:

The Approach:

Our systems leadership approach is open to anyone who wants to join the conversation and feels they have a contribution to make.

We have a calendar of masterclasses and sessions that are ongoing, welcoming, and designed so that you can dip in and out of what looks interesting at any point without feeling left behind.

You can book a place on these sessions using the links provided in the 'Upcoming workshops' section below.

Examples of previous work include: Introduction to Systems Leadership, Values led approaches, Systems Leadership Behaviours, Public Narrative, Coaching Development Skills, Working through uncertainty and change, community leadership, Ted Talk Cinema Club and our Big Coproduction Conversation.

Test and Learn

This is all about testing and learning, and this applies to us too. Please let us know if the language feels unclear, or if the description of a session doesn’t make sense.

Please also let us know if it feels like there’s something missing, and we’ll find someone to bring in who can help.

What do we mean by a system?

Designing movement back into daily life is complex and involves building relationships and working differently across lots of institutions, organisations and cultures.

This means that we need a Whole System Approach, because a system can be described as a number of interacting and interdependent things that influence each other and combine to create a common goal or a shared vision.

One change in a system has an impact on everything else, and conversations and passion about the environment, education, volunteering, community safety, health or transport will all have an impact on our ability to live a more active life, because all these things are connected.

No single person or organisation has control, positional power or authority over a system because everyone has a different and unique insight and contribution to make. The person who loves cycling is as valuable as a transport planner.

The volunteer who arranges litter picks because they love our green spaces is as important as a community safety team. The youth worker who enables opportunities for young people to play is as important as the person running a local leisure centre. In a system, everyone has a role to play.

And what is Systems Leadership?

Systems leadership is not about your job role, your position, your status or how much power or authority you have. Systems leadership is a network of people from different levels and places, working collaboratively around a shared vision to create change.

Systems leadership is all about relationships, behaviours, values and trust, and is essential to GM Moving as the challenge of reducing inactivity and enabling active lives for all is complex.

There are lots of different factors involved, and not one single organisation or sector alone has the answer.

There’s no simple process or procedure to follow here, so we need diverse perspectives from lots of different people who collectively are part of the solution.

This means supporting and developing people to enable a transformation in the culture, skills, knowledge, confidence and permissions needed to work in this way.

So, as you can see, this approach is for anyone and everyone who can contribute to Active Lives for All.

Partners involved

All of this is supported by a great team of delivery partners who ask lots of questions, listen, and design spaces that we hope are meaningful and helpful. Our current delivery partners are:

Upcoming workshops

This phase's workshops can be found here.

Past workshops

• Introduction to Systems Leadership
• Ted Talk cinema club: everyday leadership 
• Personal values in professional practice
• Communities of values-based practice 
• Systems Leadership Behaviours 1: Being
• Governance and Leadership 
• Working through uncertainty and change
• Systems Leadership Behaviours: Relating and Communicating
• Ted talk cinema club: trial, error, and the god complex
• Communities of values-based practice
• Systems Leadership Behaviours 3: Learning and Visioning
• Systems Leadership Behaviours 4: Delivering
• Ted Talk Cinema Club: The Science of Women's Leadership
• Ted Talk Cinema Club: Tribal Leadership
• Storytelling with a Purpose - Systems Leadership
• Dancefloor and Balcony: Systems Leadership Reflections