Preparing for the Public Launch of the STRLDi Executive Systems Foundation Programme
Meeting Date: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Venue: STRLDi Programme Office
Present: Sheila Damodaran, Monty, Rea (Virtual)
Apologies: Brunoh, Coach
Purpose of the Meeting
This meeting marked an important milestone in STRLDi’s journey towards launching its first public Executive Systems Foundation Programme.
While STRLDi continues to pursue its primary mission of supporting national leadership through The Fifth Discipline and Systems Thinking, the Institute recognised the need to build a wider community of capable leaders across society who share a common language for understanding persistent and dynamic complexity.
The meeting therefore focused on two objectives:
- clarifying the purpose and design of the public Foundation Programme; and
- establishing the Programme Office that will support participants throughout their learning journey.
A Shared Understanding Emerged
Throughout the discussion, the team progressively arrived at a common understanding of what STRLDi is building.
What are we building?
The Executive Systems Foundation Programme is the public gateway into STRLDi’s work.
Participants will journey through the Foundation Programme to Session Three, where they will have established the intellectual foundations of The Fifth Discipline and Systems Thinking before progressing into further STRLDi learning pathways.
The Foundation Programme is therefore not an end in itself. It is the beginning of a much longer leadership journey.
Who is the Programme designed for?
The programme is intended for leaders who influence the future of organisations, institutions and sectors.
These include leaders from:
- Government.
- Business.
- Professional bodies.
- Universities.
- Community organisations.
- Development institutions.
- Civil society.
The programme is not designed for consultants. Its purpose is to strengthen those responsible for leading organisations, shaping institutions and stewarding change within society.
Why are we launching the Programme?
The public Foundation Programme runs alongside STRLDi’s work with national leadership.
As conversations with national leaders continue, the Institute believes there should also be a growing community of leaders across different sectors who understand Systems Thinking and can contribute to transformation within their own organisations and spheres of influence.
Over time, these two streams reinforce one another.
National leadership provides direction.
Sector leadership provides capability.
Together they contribute towards long-term institutional and national transformation.
When will the Programme commence?
The Programme Office agreed to work towards a September 2026 launch.
The proposed delivery rhythm is:
- Wednesday evening sessions.
- Sunday sessions.
- Conducted during the first three weeks of each month.
This establishes a predictable operating rhythm for both participants and the Programme Office.
How will the Programme operate?
The discussion confirmed that successful delivery depends upon much more than classroom facilitation.
The Programme Office is responsible for creating the complete participant experience, including:
- participant enquiries;
- communication;
- registrations;
- online payments;
- programme preparation;
- venue readiness;
- participant support;
- programme delivery;
- follow-up after each programme.
The Programme Office therefore becomes the operational heart of the Executive Systems Programme.
Programme Office Responsibilities
The meeting also clarified several immediate priorities.
Monty
- Develop the Programme Office process flow: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fDQ2uiHAnUTvIY2TXJl7uO2eX3F9y5vv/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118296191434136709075&rtpof=true&sd=true
- Map responsibilities and handovers.
- Document programme milestones.
- Prepare the meeting record.
Monty and Rea
- Identify leadership communities and professional networks.
- Compile communication channels.
- Build a database of potential participant communities.
Sheila
Continue developing the institutional infrastructure required before launch, including:
- Programme Office communication systems.
- Dedicated business SIM.
- Landing pages: https://strldi.weebly.com/executive-systems-programme.html
- Blog.
- LinkedIn.
- Facebook.
- Develop Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduxvrqy4bRtgkKlnKxPlkL3cNNEye0ktL9jNevN34D1uCKDg/viewform
- Supporting public resources.
- Participant materials.
The Emerging Public Message
The team reflected on the experience participants should have when encountering STRLDi.
Several statements captured that aspiration.
If not us, who will provide focus on dynamic complexity?
Unlike anything you have heard before.
We are here to hold your hand through the process.
Once you see it, it is not possible to unsee it.
These are not intended as marketing slogans.
They express the transformation in perspective that STRLDi hopes participants will experience as they begin learning to see organisations, institutions and persistent societal issues through a Systems Thinking lens.
Reflections
Although Brunoh and Coach were unable to attend, the meeting represented an important step in the Institute’s development.
The discussion brought clarity to the purpose of the Executive Systems Foundation Programme, the role of the Programme Office and the work required before the September launch.
Perhaps most importantly, it confirmed that STRLDi is not preparing to deliver a series of workshops. It is building an institutional capability that can steadily strengthen leadership across organisations, sectors and, ultimately, nations.
Next Programme Office Working Session
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Two hours of the scheduled workshop will be dedicated to:
- Launching the public communications campaign;
- Reviewing Programme Office readiness;
- Progressing the institutional infrastructure;
- Preparing for the September launch.
I would integrate them naturally into the document rather than simply listing them. That reinforces that these pages are now part of the Institute’s growing body of work.
Programme Office Resources
To support the work discussed during the meeting, the team was asked to familiarise themselves with two key documents that together define the public Executive Systems Programme and the role of the Programme Office.
STRLDi Executive Systems Foundation Programme
This page introduces the public Foundation Programme, its purpose, intended participants, learning journey and its relationship to STRLDi’s broader work with national leadership.
Leadership Roles within the Programme Office
This page outlines the structure of the Programme Office, the stewardship responsibilities of each team member and how the various roles work together to create a seamless participant experience from first enquiry through to post-programme follow-up.
Read here: https://sheilasingapore.blog/portfolio/leadership-roles-within-the-programme-office/
Looking Ahead
The meeting also recognised that these pages represent only the beginning of the Institute’s public presence. Over the coming weeks, additional resources will be developed to support the September launch, including:
- LinkedIn, Facebook and Blog landing pages.
- Thought leadership articles for national, corporate and community leaders.
- The Executive Programme Engagement Pack.
- The Programme Office Engagement SOP.
- Participant resources and supporting programme materials.
Together, these resources will provide a consistent institutional voice while enabling every member of the Programme Office to engage prospective participants and partners with confidence and clarity. Rather than relying on individuals to explain STRLDi from scratch, the Institute’s published work will increasingly speak for itself, allowing conversations to begin from a position of shared understanding.
Core Core STRLDi Hashtags
These should appear on almost every STRLDi post.
- #STRLDi
- #ExecutiveSystemsFoundation
- #SystemsThinking
- #TheFifthDiscipline
- #LeadershipDevelopment
Learning Philosophy
- #LearningOrganisation
- #MentalModels
- #SharedVision
- #TeamLearning
- #PersonalMastery
Leadership & Institutions
- #InstitutionalLeadership
- #ExecutiveLeadership
- #OrganisationalLearning
- #LeadershipLearning
- #PublicLeadership
Systems & Transformation
- #DynamicComplexity
- #SystemsLeadership
- #SystemsChange
- #InstitutionalTransformation
- #NationalTransformation
Cross-Sector Learning
- #CrossSectorLeadership
- #CollaborativeLeadership
- #LeadershipForChange
Recommended set for the Executive Systems Foundation Programme page
#STRLDi #ExecutiveSystemsFoundation #SystemsThinking #TheFifthDiscipline #LeadershipDevelopment #LearningOrganisation #SystemsLeadership #InstitutionalLeadership #DynamicComplexity #NationalTransformation
Event Banners:
Systems Thinking Research & Leadership Development Institute (STRLDi) 