systems leadership program
an 8 month collective learning journey to discover, nurture and grow your systems leadership wisdom and experience.
'leadership does not reside in a person but in an arena that can be occupied by offerings of specific wisdom to the needs of the community. so leadership is produced collectively in the community, not the individual... leadership for this era is not a role, or set of traits; it’s a zone of inter-relational process.'
~ nora bateson, ‘small arcs of larger circles’
important dates:
- starting march 7th for australasia (mornings to midday) march 6th for the america’s (afternoon to evening). *please mind the clock changes across the year
- program runs from March to early November
fees:
the program operates with a sliding scale. based on your access to professional development. prices range from $2500-4500 AUD inc. of gst.
read more about our pricing and registration principles here
are you…
curious, a deep listener, enjoy learning with others?
open to diverse ways of knowing and being, and don't expect to have all the answers?
value stretching and growing, appreciating it's not always comfortable?
are you wanting to be in service of the system while caring and sustaining self through the process?
the systems leadership program is a place of care, growth and companionship for the journey in your systems work. it is a place where we will lean
inwards before outwards
towards our experience and contribution in the system over technical innovative solutions
towards wisdom as an expression of leadership
towards peer learning, support and community building
the program’s approach models the characteristics of a complex system by:
- following an adaptive learning path, co-directed by participants
- follow multiple systems thinking lineages and wisdom traditions
- drawing in creativity and playfulness to encourage random new connections and insights
- acknowledging and working with the wisdom of the collective
- engaging emergent learning to reflect and sensemake on the program’s collective journey
- listening deeply to self, community and system through meditation practices
- exploring multiple ways of learning
- building tools and supports as we go to continue to practice with
focus and flow of program:
the program is informed by our systems leadership and systems practice frameworks. the program will begin with a focus on community building and key concepts of systems leadership. from month 2 we being a monthly cycle of:
- live session 1: exploring systems leadership roles, patterns and trends and practice
- offline self - directed learning: paired meetup and private coaching with seanna and dana
- live session 2: meditation and movement, peer coaching and collective explorations of new topics
- offline self - directed learning: individual reflective writing and journey tracking
systems leadership program model
in this program you will be invited to reimagine and work towards the personal goals you want to achieve as a systems leader
outcomes:
- develop your system knowledge and wisdom on key system practice topics across the themes of: being, doing, relating, knowing, thinking and perceiving
- track the expansion of your systems leadership skills across the programs journey
- experience multiple learning modes
- engage and build capacity for collective sensemaking
- weekly space to integrate your learning, both from within and beyond the program
- develop and sustain mindfulness skills and practice
- build long-term peer connections to travel the system journey with
- identify the kind of leader you want to be in the system
- listen, learn and develop capacity to sit with insights from multiple lineages and traditions to managing uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity in the system
- gain understanding of the multiple contexts in which this work occurs via other participants and teachers
- practice responding to the system in real time - via the peer coaching and crowdsourcing responses to systems challenges
- integrate embodiment into your practice
- gain a toolkit of activities and practices which you’ll have experienced through the program
supporting resources:
- all sessions are recorded and slides provided in an online learning platform
- all activities introduced in the program will be made available for continued use through the provision of an activity guide and collected into a toolkit. this is to support your ongoing application of systems leadership
- participants are encouraged to apply what they are learning in their own contexts. the program does not include a standalone project.
pragmatics:
- program runs from March to early November
- 2 hr live zoom sessions best suited to australasia and the america’s
- starting march 7th for australasia (mornings to midday) march 6th for the america’s (afternoon to evening). *please mind the clock changes across the year
- check the world clock for your date and time start
- fortnightly schedule for live sessions. *there are some adjustments to account for easter and anzac day
- total of 4 hours of live sessions each month
- optional activities each month up to 4hrs
- optional readings
- reflective writing
- paired sessions between
- 1 coaching session with Dana and 1 coaching session with Seanna for each participant over the course of the program are included in course fees
read about your program directors
dana shen
dana has over 20 years’ experience working across the public and not for profit sectors in the areas of health, families and child protection. dana recently completed a two-year mindfulness meditation teacher’s course with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and is brings a strong First Nations and Ngarrindjeri lens to mindfulness practice.
seanna davidson
seanna has more than 15 years experience as a systems practitioner, process designer, and educator in systems thinking and systemic change. her work draws on several areas of practice including human geography, art of hosting and theoryU, process work, and developmental evaluation and design.
what folks have said about our programs
“just thank you! one of the best courses i've ever done. It was such a special space that was created each week, i loved the pace, the openness, the flexibility, the reflective practice, the brave idea's and the time and space to just be in it. thank you!!”
“thank you for creating this course! that was a really special experience. i will need more time to think about how it will affect my work, but it has helped me see and think more about the systems around me. it also opened up space to connect with other women in the practice in what felt like an authentic and meaningful way.”
frequently asked questions
do i need to be a senior leader in my organization or community?
nope :) we are totally reframing leadership, and titles are not required. our approach to leadership is about good folks, working in a collective for the health of the whole. sound like you?
should I sign up with colleagues?
yes! this is a great idea to strengthen the capacity for systems leadership in your organization or work. however, it is not required!
do I need extensive experience in systems thinking?
no! this program is not academic, methods or project based, and does not require you to have experience in systems thinking or systems methods. this program has a core focus on you as a practitioner in the system. so open and curious, learning focused minds are welcome. having said that, we will be providing a tool box of practical methods and practices that you can apply if you wish
do I need to attend all sessions live?
we strongly encourage you to participate in all sessions live. however we appreciate that life happens and there will be times when you are needed elsewhere. for that reason recordings are provided. however you will benefit most from the content and the community by participating as much as you can.
do I need to do all the offline work?
we have tried to make this as minimal as possible, while still providing a strong focus on community connection, reflection and learning. it is your choice if you’d like to opt into pair meetings, optional coaching and reflections, but we would offer that it is an important aspect of systems leadership :)
will there be tools to help us apply systems leadership in our own contexts?
absolutely! you'll get a facilitation guide to everything we work with after you've already practiced in session, small group peer coaching for challenges you're working through, a coaching session with each dana and seanna, and paired peer connections for skills and wisdom sharing.
