Blog Posts
Feedback isn’t a skill. It’s a survival strategy.
In a disruptive world, feedback isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s oxygen. When markets shift, technology reshapes how we work, and uncertainty becomes the norm, feedback is the core mechanism for agility, at both the leadership and organisational level. The ability to give, receive, and act on feedback quickly is what allows teams to stay responsive, aligned,…
Read MoreThe death of traditional team development
Let’s be honest: most traditional team development doesn’t work. Trust falls. MBTI colour wheels. Escape rooms. Two-hour “alignment sessions” in hotel conference rooms. They have the best intentions, but they rarely change how teams operate when the pressure’s on. At Living Systems, we’re not against connection. We’re against illusion. And there’s a big one hiding…
Read MoreWhy virtual learning isn’t working (and what might)
Let’s face it: digital leadership development hasn’t lived up to its hype. Sure, it’s scalable, it’s efficient, it’s measurable. But let’s be honest—it’s not working. Virtual learning is great for distributing information, but terrible for developing actual leadership capability. The most critical skills for modern leadership—adaptability, presence, trust, collaborative decision-making—don’t emerge from clicking through a…
Read MoreConnection is a capability, not a personality trait
Some teams click. Others don’t. And too often, we write it off as chemistry. Personality mix. Shared values. “We just get each other.” But here’s the truth: connection isn’t magic. And it’s not luck. It’s a capability. And like any capability, it can be developed. Or it can be neglected. Under pressure, connection isn’t a…
Read MoreLeading through questions, not answers
In a complex world, the illusion of certainty is dangerous. Leaders who feel pressured to always have the answer often end up narrowing the field of vision. They solve for the immediate. They miss the emerging. They unconsciously silence dissent. But what if the highest form of leadership today isn’t clarity, it’s curiosity? The age…
Read MoreHow to run an offsite with lasting impact
How to run a team offsite with lasting impact IIf the words “team offsite” send a shiver down your spine and conjure up images of cringe-worthy trust exercises, hours of PowerPoint slides or incessant navel-gazing and psychological mumbo-jumbo, you’re certainly not alone. We’ve all experienced the horrors of a poorly planned team away day, resulting…
Read MoreWhole System Change: what it looks like in practice
Whole System Change is a holistic approach for tackling complex change. It enables whole ecosystems to take collective responsibility for collective problems, with collective purpose. Over time it builds the collective agility needed to stay resilient in an age of disruption. It is built on the recognition that the best way to solve a problem…
Read MoreTeam Development: what it looks like in practice
The basic approach Each group engagement we undertake is unique and different. Whether preparing for a strategic offsite or team effectiveness or for conflict mediation, however, we always seek to conduct interviews with each team members to rapidly pinpoint the key issues. These findings are then summarised early during the event, in order to accelerate…
Read MoreExecutive assessment and coaching
At Living Systems we are able to draw on a broad network of expert coaches and psychologists, across a range of modalities. Because we are certified in many major psychometrics, we are able to tailor our assessment recommendations to each client’s specific need. Broadly, we deploy three different types of psychometric tests in our work…
Read MoreHow escape rooms inspired a new approach to experiential learning
We explore how escape rooms have inspired a new category of learning and development: immersive development experiences
Read More