Kate and her colleagues design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes across all levels of organisations.

Programmes are grounded in applied psychology and combine facilitated learning, reflection and practical application. The focus is on building leadership capability that translates into improved performance in real organisational contexts.

Case Study - System Leadership Development 

Context
As part of the Welsh education reform agenda, the National Academy for Educational Leadership Wales commissioned a programme to build system leadership capability across the education sector.

Approach
Kate Williams, working with Sally Evans, designed, delivered and evaluated an 8-month System Leadership Programme for a cohort of 18 education leaders.

The programme combined:

• System leadership development and applied learning.
• Action learning and peer collaboration.
• Psychologically informed frameworks.
• Practical application to real leadership challenges.

Delivery took place during the pandemic, requiring a shift to predominantly online facilitation. The design incorporated co-creation with stakeholders, enabling broad engagement and relevance across the system.

Kate has also contributed more widely to the Academy’s work, including facilitating team development, leadership skills workshops and presenting Leading Change at the Head Teachers Annual Conference (2023).

Outcome

• 100% of participants rated the programme as excellent.
• Increased confidence and capability across all key areas of system leadership.
• Creation of a strong, cross-regional leadership network, continuing beyond the programme.
• Evidence of increased collaboration across localities and leadership levels.

Participant feedback highlighted the depth of engagement and trust developed:

“The way we were supported into a position of openness and trust has led to the collaboration of leaders across regions and leadership tiers.”