Tag: Talent

Session 2 – The Tragic Gap

This is the second of three 90-minute themed sessions supporting senior leaders, with a focus on reflection, resilience and discernment through the Thinking Environment. Designed for those navigating change in complex roles.  The series began with Loving the NHS (without adoring it), and continues with this session, The Tragic Gap, followed by Session 3: Navigating Change and Uncertainty.

About the session:

Based on the work of Parker J. Palmer, the Tragic Gap describes the space between the way things are and the way we know they could be. For many NHS leaders, holding this gap is part of daily life: we long for equity, compassion and systemic change, while grappling with resource constraints, bureaucracy and moral injury.
This session offers a compassionate and practical lens to help leaders stay grounded in that tension. Using the Thinking Environment®, we’ll reflect on how to maintain moral courage without collapsing into cynicism or retreating into wishful thinking. It’s a powerful space for those who care deeply and need a place to breathe.

Objectives:

  • To introduce the Tragic Gap as a leadership stance amidst systemic tension and change.
  • To support participants in navigating disillusionment, fatigue, or idealism.
  • To foster resilience by framing leadership as a practice of staying present in complexity.

Outcomes:

  • Participants will develop a deeper understanding of the psychological demands of leading through uncertainty.
  • They will explore how to avoid common traps of cynicism or false optimism.
  • They will leave with a framework to support long-term engagement without burnout.

Who’s the session for?

These sessions are for Senior Health Leaders working across the South East who play a pivotal role within the region’s Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). This includes leaders working at provider level, General Practice, within an Integrated Care Board (ICB), across Community sector or as part of a partner organisation. 

Book your Place:

Bookings have now closed, if you would like to attend please email [email protected].

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The session will be delivered virtually.  Please ensure that you can access a confidential quiet space for the duration of the session. The joining instructions, including the meeting room link, will be sent one week prior to the session. If your circumstances change and you can no longer attend, please email [email protected].

Our Commitment: 

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected].

About the Facilitator

Mitzi Wyman is a leadership consultant, former lawyer and NHS Faculty member with a background in organisational psychology. She’s on the global Faculty of Time to Think and is completing her certification in the Courage & Renewal® approach developed by Parker J. Palmer. Mitzi leads NHS programmes across London and the Southeast, and offers open courses in the Thinking Environment® and reflective leadership practice.

Session 1 – Loving the NHS (Without Adoring It)

This is the first of three 90-minute themed sessions supporting senior leaders, with a focus on reflection, resilience and discernment through the Thinking Environment. Designed for those navigating change in complex roles.  The series continues with Session 2: The Tragic Gap and Session 3: Navigating Change and Uncertainty.

About the session:

Many healthcare leaders feel a deep pull to “give back” to the NHS — a kind of vocational loyalty that fuels purpose, but can also create personal strain. This session invites participants to pause and reflect on the cost of this sense of obligation. Drawing on Nancy Kline’s insight that love welcomes scrutiny, while adoration resists it, we explore how to stay committed to a system we also need to question.

We’ll use the Thinking Environment® to hold a space where honesty, affection, frustration and hope can all be present. This isn’t a workshop about critique — it’s a space to discern what loving the NHS really means for each of us.

Objectives:

  • To explore participants’ emotional and professional connection to the NHS.
  • To create space for critical reflection without fear of disloyalty.
  • To introduce the Thinking Environment® as a way to hold tension between care and scrutiny.

Outcomes:

  • Participants will gain language and confidence to examine their loyalty to the NHS more discerningly.
  • They will experience a way of thinking that allows both affection and challenge.
  • They will leave with a deeper sense of clarity and internal permission to reflect, without abandoning commitment.

Who’s the session for?

These sessions are for Senior Health Leaders working across the South East who play a pivotal role within the region’s Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). This includes leaders working at provider level, General Practice, within an Integrated Care Board (ICB), across Community sector or as part of a partner organisation. 

Book your Place:

Bookings have now closed but if you would like to attend, please email us at [email protected].

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The session will be delivered virtually.  Please ensure that you can access a confidential quiet space for the duration of the session. The joining instructions, including the meeting room link, will be sent one week prior to the session. If your circumstances change and you can no longer attend, please email [email protected].

Our Commitment: 

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected].

About the Facilitator

Mitzi Wyman is a leadership consultant, former lawyer and NHS Faculty member with a background in organisational psychology. She’s on the global Faculty of Time to Think and is completing her certification in the Courage & Renewal® approach developed by Parker J. Palmer. Mitzi leads NHS programmes across London and the Southeast, and offers open courses in the Thinking Environment® and reflective leadership practice.

Developing Excellence Series: Bitesize Leadership (ii) – Governance and Relationships

About the masterclass and the series

The series consists of 3 bitesize sessions each with a different focus, which can be attended independently or as a full programme. All sessions are 2.5 hours and will be delivered virtually, covering areas including: Governance; board assurance and risk; system and partnership-working; Chief Executive and Chair relationship and leading the executive team; a Well-Led organisation; regulatory compliance, and balancing statutory accountabilities. ​

This session will consist of:

  • Governance:
    • Well-Led Context
    • Unitary role of the Board
    • Council of Governors
  • Relationships:
    • Chair and CEO relationships
    • Executive Team dynamics
    • NED dynamics
    • Internal stakeholders
    • Working with the regulators

Who is this masterclass for?

This masterclass, and the series, is for the South East Aspiring Chief Executive Pool but may be opened to all Board members in the South- East region or our other talent pools should we not reach sufficient numbers.

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The session will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page); we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitators – Aqua Lead Faculty

Cath Hill

Cath is a qualified accountant with a career spanning senior leadership roles across the NHS in finance, consultancy, audit, strategy, and business development. Her breadth of experience and strategic insight have positioned her as a trusted advisor in healthcare governance and leadership. At Aqua, Cath leads the organisation’s Board-level consultancy on Well-Led leadership, regulatory preparedness, and governance. She has successfully led over 50 developmental and governance reviews for NHS trusts, community interest companies, and private sector organisations, supporting their readiness for Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessments.

Sue Holden

Sue has worked in the NHS for over 40 years after initially starting her career as a librarian.  Sue trained as a nurse, then midwife and worked clinically for over 15 years before developing her interest in OD and learning.  Sue worked as an Executive Director in a Teaching Trust before moving to become the Lead Improvement Director for NHSI in 2015.  Sue worked with Trusts in Quality and Financial Special Measures prior to being appointed as the National Director for Intensive Support, NHSE.

Developing Excellence Series: Bitesize Leadership (i) – Learning, Improvement, Innovation, Quality and Culture

About the masterclass and series

The series consists of 3 bitesize sessions each with a different focus, which can be attended independently or as a full programme. All sessions are 2.5 hours and will be delivered virtually, covering areas including: Governance; board assurance and risk; system and partnership-working; Chief Executive and Chair relationship and leading the executive team; a Well-Led organisation; regulatory compliance, and balancing statutory accountabilities. ​

This session will cover:

  • Governance: Well-Led Context
  • Learning: Patient safety learning; Research
  • Improvement/Innovation: Ensuring Improvement and innovation led from top; Culture in the context of QI, conditions created by the CEO / Board; Digital transformation
  • Quality Improvement: Systematic approach; National Improvement Initiatives
  • Culture: Values driven (Integrity and openness); Listening up/Speaking Up; Closed cultures – How to create a culture of psychological safety and accountability; Encouraging a culture where services are improved by learning from mistakes, staff and patients are encouraged to identify areas for improvement, and not afraid to speak out.

Who is the masterclass for?

This masterclass, and the series, is for the South East Aspiring Chief Executive Pool however it may be opened to all Board members in the South- East region or our other talent pools should we not reach sufficient numbers.

 

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The session will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitators – Aqua Lead Faculty

Dr Sonya Wallbank

Sonya has worked across the NHS as a Director of service delivery and workforce, leading complex change programmes including the wellbeing response for NHS staff during COVID-19 and HR and OD transformations for the NHS and DHSC. Her experience in developing restorative approaches to supervision and leadership uniquely positions her to support aspiring board members in developing sustainable and authentic leadership practices.

 

Developing Excellence Series: Bitesize Session – Systems Governance and Relationships

About the masterclass and series

The series consists of 3 bitesize sessions each with a different focus, which can be attended independently or as a full programme. All sessions are 2.5 hours and will be delivered virtually, covering areas including: Governance; board assurance and risk; system and partnership-working; Chief Executive and Chair relationship and leading the executive team; a Well-Led organisation; regulatory compliance, and balancing statutory accountabilities. ​

This session will include:

  • Governance:
    • Well-Led Context
    • Engaging the Board
  • Relationships:
    • System Partners (Partnership Governance, partnership engagement, System decision making)
    • Place Based and GP (NHS Plan)
    • Public stakeholders – Service User Engagement
    • Press

Who is this masterclass for?

This masterclass, and the series, is for the South East Aspiring Chief Executive Pool but may be opened to all Board members in the South- East region or our other talent pools should we not reach sufficient numbers.

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The session will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitators – Aqua Lead Faculty

Cath Hill

Cath is a qualified accountant with a career spanning senior leadership roles across the NHS in finance, consultancy, audit, strategy, and business development. Her breadth of experience and strategic insight have positioned her as a trusted advisor in healthcare governance and leadership. At Aqua, Cath leads the organisation’s Board-level consultancy on Well-Led leadership, regulatory preparedness, and governance. She has successfully led over 50 developmental and governance reviews for NHS trusts, community interest companies, and private sector organisations, supporting their readiness for Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessments.

Sue Holden

Sue has worked in the NHS for over 40 years after initially starting her career as a librarian.  Sue trained as a nurse, then midwife and worked clinically for over 15 years before developing her interest in OD and learning.  Sue worked as an Executive Director in a Teaching Trust before moving to become the Lead Improvement Director for NHSI in 2015.  Sue worked with Trusts in Quality and Financial Special Measures prior to being appointed as the National Director for Intensive Support, NHSE.

E, D and I and Health Inequalities Series Session 4: Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion ‘difficult conversations’ 

About the workshops

This is the fourth in a series of five interactive workshops designed to develop your individual knowledge base ‘self as an instrument’ or agent of transformational change, understanding difference as intersectional through your lifelines exercise and to put this reflexive learning into the context of system power and privilege, allyship in order to develop systemic and action-orientated interventions and outcomes related to the social determinants of health and their impact on structural inequalities.

The series will consist of 5 workshops, each with a different focus, which can be attended independently or as a full programme, which is highly encouraged allowing participants to develop a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making.

The workshop series includes:

Session 1: EDI and your role as a CEO – Introduction – 27th November 2025​

Session2: Power and Privilege working across difference – 11th December 2025​

Session 3: Allyship – developing inclusive allyship in practice – 22nd January 2026 ​

Session 4: Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion ‘difficult conversations’ 22 February 2026 (this session)​

Session 5: Social determinants of health and population health and structural inequalities – understanding and applied practice group exercise – 5th March 2026

Objectives for Workshops 1 – 5

The objectives of the workshops are to understand:

  • – Your role as an ‘instrument of change’
  • – Your intersectional relationship to others, including your health populations
  • – How to develop skills of allyship
  • – Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion
  • – Understanding trauma and psychological safety through the lens of inclusion
  • – The relationship between the social determinants of health and structural inequality
  • – How to develop an approach to the intelligent use of data to inform decision-making

Outcomes from Sessions 1 – 5

At the end of the series you will have:

  • – Developed confidence in understanding and using EDI terminology, data and lived experience intelligently
  • – Explored power and privilege in organisational life
  • – Developed skills and approaches acting as an ally to excluded groups
  • – Explored the emotional experience of giving and receiving feedback
  • – Develop an understanding of trauma and psychological safety in relation to marginalised groups
  • – Made the connection between individual and systemic issues of inequality and population health
  • – Considered the use of resources and the waste of resources in relation to discrimination
  • – Developed a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making

Who is this workshop for?

The workshop, and the series, is for the NHS South East Aspiring Chief Executive Talent Pool and Board members in the South-East region.

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The workshop will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitator – Dr Sandie Dunne

Dr Sandie Dunne has been advising senior leadership teams and individual leaders on how to reflect on and improve their ways of working for more than 20 years.

An experienced and accredited coach, Sandie supports leaders to become more mindful in their approach to whole organisational development. Her work includes a focus on developing organisational structure and culture, with the aim of achieving improved outcomes for staff and communities.

Sandie brings deep knowledge and experience of facilitating group dynamics and systems thinking, based on psychodynamic approaches, and a finely tuned equality, diversity and inclusion lens. Her work has global reach – she has worked with clients on every continent, creating work which has global impact, from climate policy influencing and activism to women’s rights.

E, D and I and Health Inequalities Series Session 1: EDI and your role as a CEO – Introduction

About the workshops

This is the first in a series of five workshops designed to develop your individual knowledge base ‘self as an instrument’ or agent of transformational change, understanding difference as intersectional through your lifelines exercise and to put this reflexive learning into the context of system power and privilege, allyship in order to develop systemic and action-orientated interventions and outcomes related to the social determinants of health and their impact on structural inequalities. This interactive virtual session explores the critical role of equality, diversity, and inclusion in effective leadership.

The series will consist of 5 workshops, each with a different focus, which can be attended independently or as a full programme, which is highly encouraged allowing participants to develop a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making.

The other workshops include:

Session2: Power and Privilege working across difference – 11th December 2025​

Session 3: Allyship – developing inclusive allyship in practice – 22nd January 2026​

Session 4: Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion ‘difficult conversations’ – 2nd February 2026​

Session 5: Social determinants of health and population health and structural inequalities – understanding and applied practice group exercise – 5th March 2026

Objectives Workshops 1 – 5

The objectives of the workshops are to understand:

  • – Your role as an ‘instrument of change’
  • – Your intersectional relationship to others, including your health populations
  • – How to develop skills of allyship
  • – Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion
  • – Understanding trauma and psychological safety through the lens of inclusion
  • – The relationship between the social determinants of health and structural inequality
  • – How to develop an approach to the intelligent use of data to inform decision-making

Outcomes Workshops 1 – 5

At the end of the series you will have:

  • – Developed confidence in understanding and using EDI terminology, data and lived experience intelligently
  • – Explored power and privilege in organisational life
  • – Developed skills and approaches acting as an ally to excluded groups
  • – Explored the emotional experience of giving and receiving feedback
  • – Develop an understanding of trauma and psychological safety in relation to marginalised groups
  • – Made the connection between individual and systemic issues of inequality and population health
  • – Considered the use of resources and the waste of resources in relation to discrimination
  • – Developed a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making

Who is the workshop for?

The workshop, and the series, is for the NHS South East Aspiring Chief Executive Talent Pool and Board members in the South-East region.

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The workshop will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitator – Dr Sandie Dunne

Dr Sandie Dunne has been advising senior leadership teams and individual leaders on how to reflect on and improve their ways of working for more than 20 years.

An experienced and accredited coach, Sandie supports leaders to become more mindful in their approach to whole organisational development. Her work includes a focus on developing organisational structure and culture, with the aim of achieving improved outcomes for staff and communities.

Sandie brings deep knowledge and experience of facilitating group dynamics and systems thinking, based on psychodynamic approaches, and a finely tuned equality, diversity and inclusion lens. Her work has global reach – she has worked with clients on every continent, creating work which has global impact, from climate policy influencing and activism to women’s rights.

E, D and I and Health Inequalities Series Session 5: Social determinants of health and population health and structural inequalities – understanding and applied practice group exercise  

About the workshops

This is the fifth and final workshop in a series designed to develop your individual knowledge base ‘self as an instrument’ or agent of transformational change, understanding difference as intersectional through your lifelines exercise and to put this reflexive learning into the context of system power and privilege, allyship in order to develop systemic and action-orientated interventions and outcomes related to the social determinants of health and their impact on structural inequalities.

The series consists of 5 workshops, each with a different focus, which can be attended independently or as a full programme, which is highly encouraged allowing participants to develop a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making.

Previous sessions in the series include:

Session 1: EDI and your role as a CEO – Introduction – 27th November 2025​

Session2: Power and Privilege working across difference – 11th December 2025​

Session 3: Allyship – developing inclusive allyship in practice – 22nd January 2026  ​

Session 4: Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion ‘difficult conversations’ – 2nd February 2026 ​

Objectives and Outcomes Workshops 1 – 5

The objectives of the workshops are to understand:

  • – Your role as an ‘instrument of change’
  • – Your intersectional relationship to others, including your health populations
  • – How to develop skills of allyship
  • – Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion
  • – Understanding trauma and psychological safety through the lens of inclusion
  • – The relationship between the social determinants of health and structural inequality
  • – How to develop an approach to the intelligent use of data to inform decision-making

At the end of the series you will have:

  • – Developed confidence in understanding and using EDI terminology, data and lived experience intelligently
  • – Explored power and privilege in organisational life
  • – Developed skills and approaches acting as an ally to excluded groups
  • – Explored the emotional experience of giving and receiving feedback
  • – Develop an understanding of trauma and psychological safety in relation to marginalised groups
  • – Made the connection between individual and systemic issues of inequality and population health
  • – Considered the use of resources and the waste of resources in relation to discrimination
  • – Developed a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making

Who is this workshop for?

This workshop, and the series, is for the NHS South East Aspiring Chief Executive Talent Pool and Board members in the South-East region.

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The workshop will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitator – Dr Sandie Dunne

Dr Sandie Dunne has been advising senior leadership teams and individual leaders on how to reflect on and improve their ways of working for more than 20 years.

An experienced and accredited coach, Sandie supports leaders to become more mindful in their approach to whole organisational development. Her work includes a focus on developing organisational structure and culture, with the aim of achieving improved outcomes for staff and communities.

Sandie brings deep knowledge and experience of facilitating group dynamics and systems thinking, based on psychodynamic approaches, and a finely tuned equality, diversity and inclusion lens. Her work has global reach – she has worked with clients on every continent, creating work which has global impact, from climate policy influencing and activism to women’s rights.

E, D and I and Health Inequalities Series Session 2: Power and Privilege working across difference

About the workshops

This is the second in a series of five workshops designed to develop your individual knowledge base ‘self as an instrument’ or agent of transformational change, understanding difference as intersectional through your lifelines exercise and to put this reflexive learning into the context of system power and privilege, allyship in order to develop systemic and action-orientated interventions and outcomes related to the social determinants of health and their impact on structural inequalities. 

The series will consist of 5 workshops, each with a different focus, which can be attended independently or as a full programme, which is highly encouraged allowing participants to develop a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making.

The full workshop series includes:

Session 1: EDI and your role as a CEO – Introduction – 27th November 2025​

Session2: Power and Privilege working across difference – 11th December 2025 (this session)​

Session 3: Allyship – developing inclusive allyship in practice – 22nd January 2026​

Session 4: Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion ‘difficult conversations’ – 2nd February 2026​

Session 5: Social determinants of health and population health and structural inequalities – understanding and applied practice group exercise – 5th March

Objectives for Workshops 1 – 5

The objectives of the workshops are to understand:

  • – Your role as an ‘instrument of change’
  • – Your intersectional relationship to others, including your health populations
  • – How to develop skills of allyship
  • – Giving and Receiving Feedback through the lens of inclusion
  • – Understanding trauma and psychological safety through the lens of inclusion
  • – The relationship between the social determinants of health and structural inequality
  • – How to develop an approach to the intelligent use of data to inform decision-making

Outcomes from Workshops 1 – 5

At the end of the series you will have:

  • – Developed confidence in understanding and using EDI terminology, data and lived experience intelligently
  • – Explored power and privilege in organisational life
  • – Developed skills and approaches acting as an ally to excluded groups
  • – Explored the emotional experience of giving and receiving feedback
  • – Develop an understanding of trauma and psychological safety in relation to marginalised groups
  • – Made the connection between individual and systemic issues of inequality and population health
  • – Considered the use of resources and the waste of resources in relation to discrimination
  • – Developed a reflexive approach to individual and Board level decision-making

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop, and the series, is for the South East Aspiring Chief Executive Talent Pool and Board members in the South-East region.

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

The workshop will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitator – Dr Sandie Dunne

Dr Sandie Dunne has been advising senior leadership teams and individual leaders on how to reflect on and improve their ways of working for more than 20 years.

An experienced and accredited coach, Sandie supports leaders to become more mindful in their approach to whole organisational development. Her work includes a focus on developing organisational structure and culture, with the aim of achieving improved outcomes for staff and communities.

Sandie brings deep knowledge and experience of facilitating group dynamics and systems thinking, based on psychodynamic approaches, and a finely tuned equality, diversity and inclusion lens. Her work has global reach – she has worked with clients on every continent, creating work which has global impact, from climate policy influencing and activism to women’s rights.

Speaking Truth to Power: How power silences; Developing psychological safety

“I want everyone to speak up…even if it costs them their job!”  Samuel Goldwyn, US film producer

Every day, at home, at work and in our communities, we make decisions about when to speak up and when to stay silent. We also choose who to listen to and whose voice to discount. These ‘conversational habits’ have enormous consequences. They define our relationships, our careers and our leadership practice. Collectively, they determine an organisation’s culture and impact reputation, ethical conduct, innovation, agility, inclusiveness and more. In some cases, they save – or cost – lives.

Megan Reitz’s research suggests that ‘speak up’ and ‘psychological safety’ initiatives can fail when they focus too much on the individual courage required for speaking up. This is because speaking up should rather be understood as relational and systemic – we speak depending on how those around us show up and whether we think they are truly interested in hearing us. Leaders are often unaware of the consequences of their power and how it silences others and research findings show that they are likely to overestimate their listening skills as well as how approachable they are perceived to be.

A leader’s job is to invite and listen skilfully, to proactively encourage truth speaking and create a culture of psychological safety. Doing this in practice will require them to change some habits – unfortunately, whilst many of us want to support change, we often prefer to believe that others need to change more than we do. Megan’s work aims directly at this myth and guides leaders to pragmatic habit change.

Who the session is for

For the South East Aspiring Chief Executive Talent Pool.

About the workshop

Participants at Megan’s masterclass will learn:

  • – The personal and organisational imperative to speak and listen up
  • – To be aware of their own ‘conversational habits’ of speaking and listening and the consequences on themselves and others: when they speak up and when they stay silent; when they listen and when they don’t
  • – How perceptions of power, status and authority affect conversations
  • – Using survey data, how they perceive their own personal preferences in speaking and listening up and their organisational culture
  • – Using the TRUTH framework that she has developed, how we can change conversations, relationships and performance.
  • – How senior leaders can proactively encourage truth speaking and create a culture of psychological safety

The masterclass is interactive from the very beginning and includes a blend of research, survey findings, stories and small and larger group discussions and reflections.

Book your Place:

Please book your place via the green RSVP ‘Going’ button below. Places are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Although we will be able to see your name and email address upon submission, once extrapolated the demographic and protected characteristics data will be anonymised. We appreciate your support in providing this information, which will help us to ensure our talent and leadership development interventions are widely accessible and inclusive.

To enable successful delivery of our events, we need to share details, including name, role and/or organisation details, along with any motivations/aspirations included in the RSVP booking form, with facilitators to enable effective and inclusive preparation for the event.  For some events we will also share contact information with all participants to enable connection and ongoing collaboration. By completing and submitting the RSVP booking form you agree to this data being shared as required. Please see our Privacy Notice for further information.

The session will be delivered virtually. Links to join the workshop will be emailed to those who have booked, along with full joining instructions, one to two weeks before the workshop date.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to making our training as accessible as possible (please see our accessibility page), we are aware that there is more that we can be doing. Please do contact us if there are any reasonable adjustments that we can make to support you to be able to attend this programme by emailing us at [email protected]

About the Facilitator – Megan Reitz

Megan is Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford University and Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School. She focuses on how we create the conditions for transformative dialogue at work and her research is at the intersection of leadership, change, dialogue and mindfulness. She is on the Thinkers50 ranking of global business thinkers and is ranked in HR Magazine’s Most Influential Thinkers listing.  

Megan has written Dialogue in Organizations and Mind Time and, most recently, Speak Out, Listen Up which is the second edition of her bestselling book Speak Up, with Financial Times Publishing. Speak Up was shortlisted for the CMI Management Book of the Year 2020.  

Megan is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. She has presented her research on the BBC, CNBC and Deutsche Welle and she writes for numerous academic and practice-based journals. Her research on employee activism was nominated for the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award 2021 and her TED talk on the topic has been viewed more than one and a half million times. 

Her latest research focuses on ‘spaciousness’; how, whilst attending to the task, we can also create, hold and value the space to innovate, reflect, learn and develop relationships, in workplaces that are increasingly experienced as instrumental and addicted to busyness.  Examples of her work can be found at www.meganreitz.com and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/meganreitz.