Leadership, Resilience & All Those Anxious People! Insights from Family Systems Theory
Course Introduction
How to lead well in the face of reactivity
Wherever people gather, emotional processes occur, sometimes bringing the joy of support, co-operation and friendship, but also bringing the potential for reactive, anxious behaviour. That’s true in families, churches and in any other groups. Family systems theory offers a lens for understanding how and why that reactive behaviour occurs and recognising where our own reactivity and patterns of anxiety come from.
As leaders, we are often the focus for reactivity. Anxious people want quick fixes, and someone or something to blame. This places demands on our own resources and resilience and can push us into unhelpfully reactive behaviour. Learning to lead well when anxiety is high is not a matter of tools and techniques (though these can be useful), but more about how we show up and where we lead from.
Recognising patterns and understanding our own reactivity is one step in being able to make different choices – to respond from a deeper, more centred place rather than being hooked by the anxiety flowing and pulsing in the systems of which we are part.
Drawing on insights from the work of Murray Bowen and Edwin Friedman, this online workshop will both serve as an introduction to some of the ideas of Family Systems Theory and delve deeper into its application for church leadership today.
Book for this workshop if you wish to develop your understanding of emotional processes and how less reactive leadership can bring wider transformation in relationships and communities.
Programme
Overview
Running from 9.30am to 4pm, the programme includes presentation and an opportunity to reflect with others on practical examples and personal experience.
Main elements of the workshop:
- Exploring how an understanding of systems and emotional processes might provide insights into the tensions we see around us
- Developing strategies for understanding our own responses and functioning under pressure
- Reflecting on how insights from Family Systems Theory can inform into our own leadership practice and the choices we make
- Opportunities to work on practical examples and to share experience with others
Course Pre-work
Prior to the workshop it would be helpful to identify a situation from your own context you would be willing to reflect on with others in a small group – more details will be given prior to the workshop.
Cost and Location
Cost £65. The workshop takes place online via Zoom. Details of the Zoom link will be circulated shortly before the event.
Booking and Cancellation
To apply, add a ticket to your cart below below. If you are subsequently unable to attend, please do let us know as soon as possible, in order to release a place for someone else.
If no more places are available and you would like to be added to a waiting list, please contact us on 020 3752 3050 or email bb@bbministries.org.uk.
If you experience any difficulty logging into our website, please contact us on 020 3752 3050.
What You'll Learn
Attend this course if you want to:
- Explore how an understanding of systems and emotional processes might provide insights into the tensions we see around us
- Reflect on how insights from Family Systems Theory can inform into our own leadership practice and the choices we make
- Develop strategies for understanding our own responses and functioning under pressure
- Have opportunities to work on practical examples and to share experience with others
Book for this workshop if you found you wish to develop your understanding of how a system lens can inform your own leadership and help to develop greater resilience in the face of reactivity and challenging contexts.
Presenters
Liz Griffiths is Director of Training for Bridge Builders. She is an Anglican Priest and has a broad experience of both parish ministry and adult education. Liz has worked in city centre and urban estate parishes, and as Vice-Principal of the Eastern Region Ministry Course, helping to train ordained and lay ministers.
Sue Haslehurst lives in Oxford where she has trained as a restorative justice facilitator and community mediator. Sue previously led a Mennonite Church in London, where she first came across the work of Bridge Builders, and she has also been a lay leader in the small Baptist church to which she now belongs. Sue has been part of the Bridge Builders team since 2015, first as a Training Partner and now as a member of staff.
Course Timings
Accommodation
Costs & Booking
Fees
Cost: £65
Booking & Cancellation
To apply, add a ticket to your cart below below. If you are subsequently unable to attend, please do let us know as soon as possible, in order to release a place for someone else.
If no more places are available and you would like to be added to a waiting list, please contact us on 020 3752 3050 or email bb@bbministries.org.uk.
If you experience any difficulty logging into our website, please contact us on 020 3752 3050.