I’ve just returned from an incredible start to my year — serving on the faculty of the WYSE International Leadership Programme in Brazil. It was 12 days of deep connection, courageous inquiry, and cross-cultural leadership learning with 24 emerging leaders from around the world. What struck me most wasn’t just the richness of the programme itself — but how urgently this kind of leadership development is needed in today’s world. 

WYSE International is a global educational charity, affiliated with the United Nations, that has been supporting young people to develop leadership grounded in human values for over 30 years. Its flagship International Leadership Programme brings together people from many cultures, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds in an intensive 12-day journey of exploration — into self, into leadership, and into the systems that shape our shared future. 

Why this matters now

We live in a time of paradox: remarkable innovation and connection, but also widening inequality, social fragmentation, and environmental uncertainty. Leaders are being expected not just to manage change, but to shape it with courage, clarity, and compassion. However, often we are seeing the opposite leading to a rise in conflict and more inequality.  The ILP’s intentional design — diverse perspectives held in community, structured reflection, and embodied learning — cultivates exactly the kind of leadership required to address the global context we are in.

Participants come not merely to learn skills, but to reimagine leadership itself:

  • What does it mean to lead from a place of purpose rather than ego?

  • How do you hold complexity without shutting down?

  • How do you co-create solutions when the problems we face are systemic, not isolated?

These are not theoretical questions. They are lived realities for a generation inheriting unprecedented global challenges — from climate breakdown to fractured democracies — as well as unparalleled possibilities to mobilise collective intelligence across borders.

A community, not just a classroom

What makes WYSE’s approach remarkable is the human dimension. The programme weaves experiential learning, personal reflection, and dialogue across difference into a fabric that fosters trust, curiosity and adaptive thinking. Participants don’t just absorb frameworks — they live them. 

And it doesn’t end when the 12 days are over. WYSE offers a six-month alumni coaching programme designed to help graduates apply their insights back home — working with personal objectives, project goals and real-world challenges. This post-programme coaching is not an add-on: it’s a bridge from inspiration to impact. 

Leadership that starts from within

At the heart of WYSE’s philosophy is a simple but profound insight: before you can lead others, you must learn how to lead yourself. That means understanding your values, knowing your strengths and limitations, and holding a clear sense of purpose — even when answers aren’t obvious. This is exactly the kind of leadership the world urgently needs.

What I brought back — and what we all can take forward

From Brazil, I came home reminded that leadership isn’t a title, a position or a checklist. It’s a practice of presence, grounded in curiosity, courage and care. It’s about creating spaces where people can show up as their best selves and contribute to the collective good — wherever they live and work.

As leaders — whether in health systems, communities, organisations or networks — we face daily complexity. What if we held that complexity not as a burden, but as an invitation to listen deeper, act with intention, and lead with both head and heart?

The ILP reminded us that leadership is not a destination — it’s a lifelong journey. And when we walk that journey together, the potential for positive change becomes exponentially greater.

If you would like to find out more about the program or explore coaching on how to lead yourself in a complex system – please contact me.