Session 3: Leading from Where you Stand

Description

Pre-requisite: Must have completed Session 1 & 2 to attend this session  

*** This session is part two of a three-part series: To learn more, visit Leading through Complexity in BC Post-Secondary for the full course description. 

A practical leadership series for navigating uncertainty, making difficult decisions, and carrying institutional strain.

BC’s public post-secondary sector is navigating one of the most disruptive periods in its recent history. Funding pressures, international enrolment declines, layoffs, program suspensions, labour tensions, and structural uncertainty are reshaping institutions across the province.

For leaders inside these institutions, the challenge is not simply operational. It is relational, ethical, and human. Leaders are being asked to make difficult decisions with incomplete information, support teams through uncertainty, navigate competing interests, and move institutions forward when there is no clear map.

This three-part online series is designed specifically for leaders working in BC post-secondary institutions who are carrying responsibility in conditions they do not fully control.

Session three's topics include:

• Circle of control, influence, and concern
• SCARF model as a lens for understanding varying and competing needs
• Alliance building
• Strategic action in uncertain conditions
• The ground you stand on: staying rooted while you do this work. 

Please note: Participants must have completed Sessions 1 & 2 to register for this session. 

For more information on sessions 1 & 2, visit the course descriptions linked below.

1.  Seeing the Whole Picture: Developing a Systems-Thinking Lens for Challenges (Nov 12, 2026)
2.  Deciding Well in the Grey Zone: Making Good Decisions When the Path Isn't Clear (Nov 19, 2026)

Facilitator(s): 

Georganne Oldham is a seasoned educator, curriculum designer, and leadership development specialist with over two decades of experience in post-secondary and organizational contexts. She holds a Master's degree in Organization Development and is currently a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Social Sciences program at Royal Roads University. With a background as an Assistant Professor in the Master of Industrial/Organizational Psychology program at Adler University and a longstanding role as a Senior faculty member at the Justice Institute of British Columbia, Georganne brings deep expertise in facilitating reflective, inclusive, and transformative learning. Her work focuses on developing educational programs grounded in values-based and relational approaches. Georganne has supported change initiatives in various complex systems, guiding individuals and organizations through uncertainty with clarity, compassion, and insight.