Digital Leadership 2.0: A growth mindset in an AI-enabled world.

A Transformative Programme for Senior Leaders in Complex Systems

A Call to Arms: Why Leadership Must Evolve Now

Change is changing. The pace, nature, and unpredictability of change have accelerated beyond what we could have imagined just a decade ago. The world we live in today is uniquely different from the past, and the inevitability of even greater change over the next decade is almost incomprehensible. Our workforce is changing, our communities are changing, and our challenges are becoming more complex and interconnected. To navigate this rapidly evolving landscape, our strategies must also change. To do this effectively, we must reimagine and rethink what it means to lead—and how we lead.

This is not just a call to action; it’s a call to arms for leaders who are willing to step up, to grow, and to lead differently. Digital Leadership 2.0 is an imperative for every leader who wants to remain relevant, impactful, and capable of driving meaningful transformation in a world that is anything but static. It is a programme designed to push you to the edge of your leadership abilities, to inspire you to embrace new models, and to support you in making the difference your communities and organisations need.

Why Digital Leadership 2.0?

Senior leaders especially those in complex systems like public services and highly regulated sectors, are grappling with an unprecedented convergence of challenges. The world is not just volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA), it's also brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible (BANI). This backdrop challenges our ability to remain hopeful of a brighter, better future—which is the role of a leader today. Leaders are under pressure to deliver transformative outcomes amidst constrained budgets, shifting policy landscapes, rapidly changing technologies, and unique challenges around generational and economic nuances. Today’s senior leaders must be equipped to navigate these complexities and lead others through them, all while sustaining personal well-being and resilience. Today's senior leaders have a duty to embrace difference and be courageous enough to innovate and transform.

Research indicates that 70% of transformation programs in public sector organisations fail due to a lack of effective leadership and strategic direction (McKinsey, 2023). Moreover, 68% of leaders in the public sector cite digital transformation as a significant challenge, yet only 22% feel they have the necessary skills to lead it effectively (Deloitte, 2022). These statistics underscore the urgent need for a different kind of leadership—one that is adaptable, resilient, and equipped to leverage technology for the public good.

We've heard about Digital Leadership for the last decade as a leadership capability driven by technology to enable change, but it has struggled. Times have changed. Challenges continue to mount. Something different and more courageous is needed, something more action-orientated towards a hopeful future that embraces technology, centres around humans, and remains conscious of our planet and environment. We need a leap forward in our leadership thinking and practice. This is Digital Leadership 2.0: a growth mindset in an AI-enabled world. In Digital Leadership 2.0, we understand the nuanced challenges faced by leaders like you. This isn't just a training programme; it's a pathway of transformation for the leaders themselves. In this programme, we will deep dive into the world of strategic foresight, thinking and planning, understand how to practice adaptability and lead change with a human-centred approach within these complex environments—all while being mindful of key enablers like AI, and key challenges like Generation Alpha, time poverty, and a global workforce anxiety pandemic. Whether it’s managing transformational change, navigating policy shifts, integrating digital solutions, or fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, this programme is designed to push your leadership capabilities to the edge—the place where difference and innovation happen for real.

WHY: We need Courageous and Conscious Transformative LeaderS

The purpose of Digital Leadership 2.0 is to enable you to become a modern, adaptable leader capable of driving meaningful change in an AI-enabled world. By joining this programme, you’ll be equipped with tools, strategies, and insights, as well as supported with mentoring and collaborative working to:

Create Impactful Strategies: Develop and successfully communicate strategies that align with the vision and values of your organisation with trust and hope.

Lead Complex Change: Master the art of leading and embedding change across complex systems that are often resistant, empowering peers and teams while keeping them engaged and motivated.

Thrive Personally as a Leader: Design your own leadership pathway that supports your own well-being and authenticity, building mental fitness and creating space for strategic thinking—vital for sustained leadership effectiveness in today’s demanding environments.

Programme Overview

The Digital Leadership 2.0 programme is structured into six inspiring and interactive sessions designed to support you through both learning and application. The programme will be delivered over three days and will include:

Three Masterclasses: Deep dives into the critical areas of Leading Strategy, Leading Change, and Leading Self, designed to build your foundational knowledge and skills—all focused on modernity and what's emerging in the near future.

Profiling and 1:1 Mentoring: Each participant will receive a complete Digital Leadership 2.0 assessment and profile, followed by a 90-minute mentoring session at the end of the programme, focusing on refining your personal leadership pathway for success.

Community Access: You’ll gain access to the Digital Leadership 2.0 Community—a vibrant, ongoing space where leaders like you connect to share resources, collaborate, and innovate together.

Detailed Syllabus

Masterclass 1: Leading Strategy

Inclusive Strategic Design: Learn how to incorporate inclusive design and implementation into strategic planning, ensuring that all voices are heard and considered, leading to more resilient and effective strategies.

Strategic Thinking in a Fast-Changing World: We can't keep up with the speed of change, so how do we bring strategic thinking into our practice? This session will explore techniques for integrating agile strategic thinking into daily operations. 

The New Theory of Strategic Management: We will outline alternative approaches to traditional strategic planning, including emergent strategy, adaptive strategy, and scenario planning. Leaders must learn how alternative frameworks can better respond to today's fast-moving environments (Mintzberg, 2020). 

Non-Linear Leadership: A shift from linear, traditional methods that no longer work to a non-linear, more flexible approach. Embrace fluidity in strategic planning to navigate the unknown and adapt strategies as situations evolve. 

Considerations for Today’s Workforce: Addressing the ageing workforce, the rise of Generation Alpha, and the global anxiety pandemic. Understand how these factors influence strategy and decision-making in public services, health and social care and education. 

Diversity and Strategic Design: Recognize the value of diversity—particularly neurodiversity—using the PEPE Model (People, Environment, Processes, Engagement) to ensure inclusivity in strategic planning and implementation. 

Strategic Patience: Learning to balance speed with patience, fostering an ecosystem rather than a reductionist approach to problem-solving. 

Stakeholder Management and Discernment: Practical skills in stakeholder prioritisation, negotiation, and courageous decision-making to take action amidst uncertainty. 

Application Clinic 1: Apply the concepts of strategic foresight, adaptive strategy, and non-linear leadership to real-world challenges faced by the participants. Participants will use The Dilyn Way™ model in designing inclusive strategies. 

Masterclass 2: Leading Change

Inclusive Design and Implementation: Understand the need for inclusivity in change initiatives, ensuring that strategic implementations are accessible and equitable for all stakeholders, which leads to more successful and sustainable outcomes.

The Importance of Being a Role Model: Understand the power of role modelling in leadership. Leaders who embody the behaviours they want to see in others can inspire transformation and set a precedent for positive change. This discussion will serve as a natural segue into Masterclass 3, where we will explore the deeper aspects of leading from the inside out.

Letting Go to Create Space for New Ideas: Understand that letting go of outdated practices is as important as introducing new approaches. 

Preparedness for the Unknown: Strategies for preparing yourself and your teams for unknown future challenges. 

Coherence over Collaboration: Focus on building coherence in vision and direction as a driver of strategic success, moving beyond just collaboration. 

The 4E Model for AI-Enabled Leadership: Explore the 4E model—Everywhere, Enhancement, Ethics, and Evolving—to effectively integrate responsible AI into strategy and change.

Trust as the Foundation for Change: Explore leadership trust, team trust, and strategic trust as key pillars for leading successful transformations. 

Becoming a Continuously Changing Organisation: Techniques for becoming an organisation that evolves constantly rather than making sporadic changes that necessitate crisis management. 

Application Clinic 2: Participants will engage in exercises to build coherence, trust, and an ongoing culture of change. We will explore the implementation of the 4E model in participants' current contexts. During this session we will also leverage models like Moores Strategic Triangle to successfully negotiate courageous change at all levels.

Masterclass 3: Leading Self

Mental Fitness: We will explore the four key muscles required for mental fitness—Lean, Strong, Flexible, and Rapid —to lead in an evolving AI-enabled world.

The Seven Dimensions of a Modern Leader's Mindset: Gain insights into the seven mindset dimensions (e.g., digital native, datamindfulness™ and future-orientated) and reflect on how these dimensions relate to your practice and techniques to develop others.

Profiles for Leading Change: Examine the five profiles required to lead effective change in complex systems. Participants will assess their current leadership profile and identify where they want to be. 

Radical Prioritisation: Learn the art of prioritising effectively, including how to ringfence thinking time and create space for urgent matters. 

Responsive vs. Reactive Thinking: Techniques to foster responsive thinking rather than reactive thinking during times of change, enhancing decision-making and leadership presence. 

Negotiation and Power: Advanced techniques for negotiating within complex systems and engaging stakeholders effectively. 

1:1 Mentoring Session: Each participant will experience a 90-minute confidential session with mentor and coach Mel Ross to design a unique pathway for success, tailored to their individual goals and challenges.

OPTIONAL Bonus Session: A collaborative bonus session will be available to explore how to bring all this knowledge, learning, and practice into your current system as effectively as possible. We will also discuss ongoing support options to continue your leadership development journey. (*Additional Cost incurred.

Community and Collaboration

Participants in the Digital Leadership 2.0 journey will have access to a thriving community of forward-thinking leaders. In our digital community, you will find:

Asset Library: Access to recordings and audios of masterclasses and clinics for ongoing review.

Resource Hub: Toolkits, articles, and research to support your leadership journey.

Co-Lab Space: Virtual collaboration spaces where you can connect with leaders and organisations tackling similar challenges, share insights, and innovate collectively.

Guest Speakers

We are excited to also share that we have a line up of incredible visionary leaders and inspirational stories to share throughout the programme. These will be live interviews where participants will be able to attend and ask questions. They will also be recorded as podcasts for access after.

Don’t wait, now is the time.

“The urgency for effective leadership in public services has never been greater. Leaders must not only adapt to technological change but also steer it for the public good, ensuring no one is left behind.” 

— Adapted from OECD Public Sector Leadership Insights, 2023

“Leadership today demands courage, creativity, and resilience. We need leaders who can bridge the gap between the past and an unpredictable future, driving innovation with empathy.” 

— John Maxwell, Leadership Expert 

“Technology is reshaping our institutions, and only those leaders who are willing to innovate and take risks will thrive. The time to upgrade public service leadership is now.” 

— Adapted from World Economic Forum Insights, 2023

Your Key Challenges Addressed

Senior leaders in these sectors have identified key challenges: managing limited resources, achieving strategic outcomes amidst systemic change, engaging and motivating a diverse workforce, and keeping up with technological advancements. A report by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA, 2023) noted that 75% of public sector leaders believe they need to adapt their leadership approach to remain effective. Digital Leadership 2.0 directly addresses these needs, providing you with practical tools, a peer support network, and the space to innovate, reflect, and grow.

A Pathway to Success

The programme concludes with a personalised mentoring session aimed at crafting your unique leadership success pathway. With actionable insights, a supportive community, and renewed clarity of purpose, you’ll leave Digital Leadership 2.0 prepared to lead courageously and effectively, now and into the future.

Enrolment

Take the next step towards your success as a strategic leader. Enrol in Digital Leadership 2.0 today and join a community of leaders committed to making a difference inside and outside their organisations.

Ideal Candidate

This course is great for senior executive leaders who have an appetite for breaking free from the mould of tradition still lingering around many MBA programmes.
Leaders who want to find an effective way to lead in strategy and practice that fully embraces the world we live in today and the world that is emerging.

This course is great for anyone leading transformation or digital transformation who has been searching for alternative theories and models for strategic planning and change and wants to explore the power of SELF in leading effective change in any system.

This course is perfect for leaders and senior change professionals wanting to become future fit in their thinking and practice, bringing together who we are with what we do to drive effective change and success.

This course is great for any digital/change professional wanting to take that next step in their career into strategic leadership and strategic planning.

This course is great for any leader wanting to build their uniqueness and relevance in the marketplace through building strategic and practice capabilities fit for the world today.

This course is great for anyone leading the strategic agenda for the organisation.

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop Adaptive Strategic Approaches: Craft and implement strategic plans that respond dynamically to changes in the environment, using adaptive frameworks such as emergent strategy and scenario planning tailored specifically for public service challenges.

2. Champion Non-Linear Leadership: Implement non-linear leadership approaches that emphasize flexibility, creativity, and responsiveness, enabling you to break free from outdated linear processes and foster innovative solutions within your team.

3. Lead Change with Inclusivity and Impact: Utilize inclusive design principles to lead transformative change initiatives, ensuring that all stakeholder voices are valued and integrated, leading to sustainable and resilient organisational growth.

4. Enhance Personal Mental Fitness: Apply four specific mental fitness exercises designed to improve focus, adaptability, emotional regulation, and optimism, enabling you to maintain resilience and effective leadership during times of continuous change.

5. Embody the Modern Leader’s Mindset: Actively cultivate the seven dimensions of a modern leader’s mindset—including curiosity, empathy, and courage—and apply them to influence your daily leadership practice and enhance team effectiveness.

6. Master Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Influence: Develop precise skills in stakeholder prioritisation, engagement, and advanced negotiation techniques to build strategic alliances and achieve impactful outcomes that drive your organisation forward.

7. Demonstrate Courageous, Values-Driven Decision-Making: Make informed, courageous decisions that are rooted in your core values and inspire confidence within your team, even in the face of uncertainty and risk.

8. Design a Tailored Leadership Development Pathway: Create a customized leadership development plan that aligns with both your career aspirations and organisational needs, ensuring that you continue to grow as a leader while making a significant impact. 

Course Start Date

January 20th, a masterclass each day each lasting 5 hours. Total commitment in time is 17 hours over 3 days.

Costs: £1,200 + VAT payable in advance (payment options available upon request)

Places Limited to ensure psychological safety and effective thinking and application time.