systems leadership program

an 10 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’

watch the information session

a program delivered in partnership

important details:

starting february 6th 2025
10am AEDT - check your local time zone
*please mind the clock changes across the year

fees:

the program will offer an early bird registration rate of $3000 AUD inc. of gst from November 7th to December 31st.

Regular program fees are $3500 AUD incl of gst starting January 1st.

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

explore our theory of change for systems leadership

the program’s approach models the characteristics of a complex system by:

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 flows through 4 key stages for the live sessions.

Community Building: sessions 1-3
Systems Leadership Foundations: sessions 4-5
Practicing Systems Leadership: sessions 6-21 which cycle between key concepts and application, meditation and peer coaching, reflection and integration
Celebration and closing: session 21

To further support learning, connection and integration the program includes:

Paired peer meetups
Private coaching with seanna and dana
Self - directed learning: individual reflective writing and journey tracking

hear from current participant zenaida beatson,

designer and director @ for purpose

read the transcription

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
tools 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 are available for continued use through access to our shared mural board.
participants are encouraged to apply what they are learning in their own contexts. the program does not include a standalone project.

pragmatics:

program runs February to early November
2 hr live zoom sessions best suited to australasia
*please mind the clock changes across the year
fortnightly schedule for live sessions.
total of 4 hours of live sessions each month
optional activities each month up to 4hrs
- individual reflective writing, tracking and course integration
- paired peer conversation between live course sessions
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

"i was really was impressed by Dana and Shauna and their experience and knowledge in systems and how they're able to share it in such an inclusive way. i really love that they marry science and Indigenous knowledge and can draw upon so much experience in the field of complex systems."

~ zenaida beatson, designer and director, for purpose

"i feel new confidence about my role in systems leadership and have strengthened my connections and support network too"

~ euan black, wilto willo lead - network and initiative partnership, TACSI

"dana and seanna work seamlessly together to provide a grounded, safe and authentic learning environment and over time a community of people who looked forward to learning about themselves at a deeper level - anchoring themselves in a mindful presence, opening up to learning, sharing ideas, concepts, framework about systems thinking and the personal and professional struggles and successes in maximising impact for the betterment of society across various complex systems."

~ steph mudie, dhs south australia, senior project officer

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.