Systems Leadership: a practical toolkit to help you create positive schools and MATs — Angela O’Brien OBE and Ian MacDonald (12.45-3.45pm)
Whether you’re a school leader, executive leader, or CEO this interactive workshop offers an introduction to Systems Leadership Theory and a set of practical, proven tools to help you create the conditions where people willingly give of their best.
You’ll explore:
How to create a productive culture, behaviour and outcomes
Practical tools for diagnosing and improving systems
How to clarify what is the work and whose work is it
By the end of the session, you’ll leave with insights and strategies you can immediately apply in your own leadership context — whether that’s a school, a trust, or a wider organisational setting.
About the speaker
Angela O’Brien OBE is the Managing Director of MAC, and Systems Leadership CIC, a global consultancy group helping organisations with the application of Systems Leadership Theory. Prior to this, Angela was Director of Primary at the Spencer Academies Trust for 8 years. She developed a collaborative approach across all 18 primary schools which resulted in significant improvements for pupils, a culture of innovation and development of new effective leaders.
Many of the schools serve disadvantaged communities including Wyndham Primary Academy, which Angela took from a bottom 200 school in the country to Outstanding in three years by transforming the culture to one that places a shared vision and Systems Leadership at the heart of everything. Wyndham is now an EEF Research School and one of the 25 schools nationally that works to support other schools in the system.
Angela is an Associate Senior Leader at UCL’s supporting educational leadership, was a panel member of EEF’s Implementation Guidance report and was awarded Mentor/Coach of the Year at the Women in Change awards 2024.
About Systems Leadership
Systems Leadership is a coherent approach to understanding and more importantly predicting how people are likely to behave in different social and organisational contexts. Systems Leadership integrates what are often considered to be separate subjects such as leadership, teamwork, capability, structure, systems, roles and role relationships, authority and power. If implemented holistically, with discipline and commitment Systems Leadership can provide the conditions where people willingly give of their best.
If you’re attending this session, we recommend taking your lunch between 11.55am-12.45pm. Alternatively a light lunch can be provided for those that would to prefer to have a working lunch.
