Leadership development systems
Support, reinforce, and sustain behaviour change.
Behaviour won’t change unless the system evovles too
I help organisations stop spinning their wheels with traditional, one-off leadership programs by building a leadership development system (LDS).
An LDS is the sum of the deliberate choices an organisation makes about how leadership is developed in service of its purpose, values, and strategy. It’s all the initiatives, activities, methods, processes, and practices that leaders experience and engage with, not just as individuals, but collectively.
I can help you strengthen your system by auditing your current state, recommending and implementing targeted solutions, and supporting internal teams to achieve lasting results.
Get in touch to learn more.
The LDS Wheel™
I created the LDS Wheel™ for HR leaders and senior decision makers looking to maximise their organisation’s investment in leadership development.
Based on the latest research and more than 20 years of practice, the LDS Wheel™ visualises how effective leadership development systems come together. Like any wheel, each part matters:
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In an effective LDS, all dimensions interact, influence, and strengthen one another, with the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts.
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These provide the LDS with structure and balance (Adaptability, Coherence, Scope, Integration, Continuity).
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These two enablers (Sponsorship and Evaluation) hold the system together and ensure it moves forward.
Together, these parts promote a more holistic, integrative approach to leadership development than programs alone, weaving it into your organisation’s DNA to continuously shape how leaders think, act, and collaborate.
Diagnostic & conversation starter
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Based on the LDS Wheel™, this diagnostic tool will help you evaluate how well your current leadership development approach functions as a self-reinforcing system that produces lasting results, rather than a series of disconnected programs where improvements don’t stick. Use it to start conversations about your organisation’s strengths, gaps, and opportunities for greater impact when developing leaders.
If you don’t know where you are, how can you get where you need to go?
Leadership development audit
A Leadership Development Audit looks beyond individual programs to examine the structures, processes, and conditions that enable or block behaviour change and sustained impact.
The outcome is a clear, evidence-based picture of how well your leadership development system (LDS) is really working.
The audit process
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We begin with a desktop review of the documents that reflect the reality of your current LDS. Typical inputs include the organisation’s purpose, strategy, values, people processes and data, as well as leadership frameworks, programs, and evaluations showing how development is positioned, implemented, and experienced.
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Through interviews, workshops, or surveys, we listen to a cross-section of leaders and stakeholders. This phase captures both participant and sponsor perspectives to understand what’s working, what’s not, and why.
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We then bring it all together using the LDS Wheel™ as a practical evaluation lens. Each element - Adaptability, Coherence, Scope, Integration, Continuity, Sponsorship, and Evaluation - is assessed to give you a traffic-light snapshot of system health, strengths, and opportunities for improvement.
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We bring the findings back to you in a validation workshop, creating space to test and refine emerging hypotheses and recommendations. This collaborative step ensures the conclusions resonate with your context and builds ownership among key stakeholders before moving to final recommendations.
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The process concludes with a Leadership Development Audit & Recommendations Report. This is a prioritised roadmap showing where to focus effort for the biggest impact. It’s presented live to key stakeholders so we can walk through the findings and discuss next steps together, including both quick wins and systemic fixes to strengthen your ecosystem so that it delivers value for leaders and the organisation.
Want a taste test first?
Start with a Leadership Development Mini Audit Workshop that draws on the LDS Wheel™ to diagnose where your system is strong, where it wobbles, and where to focus next.
Download the Service Brochure to find out more.
Consulting & advisory support
A partner by your side, every step of the way.
Once we’ve diagnosed your system, I can help you address pressing leadership issues through follow-up advisory and consulting support.
Always right-sized to your specific needs, this might include shaping your strategic agenda or designing and implementing high-impact leadership development interventions.
Either way, you can be confident that, together, we will address root causes, not just symptoms.
Get in touch if you want to get to the bottom of your leadership challenges once and for all.
Create the conditions where leadership can truly thrive.
Insights & case studies
