“…instead of starting leadership development with theory and then trying to apply it back into practice, it may be more effective to start with the practical challenges facing an organisation or network and then search for leadership theories and concepts which help the practitioners to make better sense of the complexity of the specific whole system” ...…[1]
[1] Benington, J. and Hartley, J. (2009) “Whole systems go!” – Improving leadership across the whole public service system, National School of Government, Sunningdale Institute, p.9
Leading for the Future is a development programme for senior leaders within social care, social work, health, third sector and partner organisations in Scotland.
There is no fee charged for participation in the course. To see where this opportunity sits in relation to others, see: Programmes | Career Development | Leading To Change | NHS Scotland. In total, you will complete 75 hours of Continuing Professional Development in leadership theory and practice on the programme, consisting of 55 hours of attendance across 9.5 days in 10 events, and 20 hours of pre-work/post-session reflection. If you are completing leadership qualifications for your sector, this programme will complement that work, without the requirement to complete an academic assessment.
This programme’s unique strength is that it fosters adaptive, cross-sector leadership capacity, capabilities, and confidence by focusing on “you in the system and how you effect change” (2025 participant quote). Participants strongly endorse Leading for the Future as a transformative, practical, and inclusive leadership development experience, which can be seen from the participant feedback and testimonials here.
The programme offers a safe, reflective space to explore leadership within complex systems, and it is valued for its adaptability, depth, and relevance. The learning is transferable across professions, helping participants apply leadership principles in diverse contexts.
The programme aims to support you to move beyond your current mental models and ways of thinking to make sense of and tackle the challenges and realities of your roles, working across boundaries and engaging systems in change. The emphasis is on enabling you to put public management theory into practice by applying it to your live leadership challenges in your Adaptive Learning Set (ALS), which requires participant openness and courage, and offers the opportunity to learn with others within a multi-disciplinary and cross-organisational group, as they tackle their challenges also. The ALSs are the most valued aspect of the programme, because of the deep reflection, peer learning, and real-world problem-solving offered, across diverse roles. Participants find the cross-sector value is discovering that challenges in NHS, local authority, and third sector contexts often mirror each other, which breaks down silos and builds empathy.
The option to attend wholly online on MS Teams, or to attend one or two events in person, assists accessibility and inclusivity, especially for participants balancing demanding roles or caring responsibilities. The programme is designed with structured materials, pre-session preparation, and a balance of theory and practical application.
Over 10 months this development programme will offer you an innovative and engaging learning experience that will equip you with insights into your leadership in a complex and changing system. For more details on the core concepts and requirements of Leading for the Future, go to the introduction.
Leading for the Future is inclusive and relevant to a range of senior leaders from organisations that intersect with health and health inequalities across the public and third sector system, including prevention and community roles.
The key thing is the difference you want to make and your openness to examine your mental models and ways of thinking and to try new tools and approaches to achieve this. We warmly welcome interest from senior leaders who are keen to be part of a vibrant and inclusive national cohort, whose members reflect the diversity of the population as a whole and the workforce of the target audience, and who will learn and work together to develop the qualities of leadership that bring the vision for their complex challenges to life.
Example roles of previous participants are Head of Service, Senior Manager, Service Manager and Associate Director, click here for more information.
Applications are sought in spring each year, see How to apply