The challenge

The Trade Union Congress brings together 48 member unions, representing 5.5 million working people. In the last few years the work of each of these Trade Unions has undergone rapid change, with technology redefining the expectations in terms of how they communicate with members, the services they provide and the way they promote their agenda across the broader political landscape.

Many leaders find themselves deploying analogue leadership methods in a digital world, and so the TUC Leading Change programme was born. The intention was therefore to up-skill senior leaders across the 48 member unions, building the confidence and skill-set to navigate the complex landscape they find themselves working in today.

The programme

We created a programme designed to equip participants with the confidence and skills to lead through ambiguity and complexity. We included a range of simple tools and methods that they could utilise on a day-to-day basis, including how to identify complex leadership challenges, systems thinking, developing Emotional Intelligence and our unique Adaptive Coaching methodology.

The programme was exactly what was needed – igniting debate, strengthening relationships and increasing confidence across the senior leaders from many of the 48 member unions.

Many thanks for the workshop, as well as the coaching material and all the links. The feedback was extremely positive, and everyone to whom I spoke found the day to be exceptionally stimulating: definitely one of the highlights of the programme! I wonder if CoCreate would be interested in doing the same session for next year’s programme?

Professor John Kelly – Department of Management, Birbeck, University of London