Building Your Authority

Leading positive change in today's health and care system requires more than formal authority. Building Your Authority is designed to help leaders at all levels strengthen their influence and impact – particularly in complex, multi-stakeholder environments where positional authority alone is rarely enough.

What makes this programme distinctive is that the learning environment is the programme itself. From the moment you arrive, you become part of a temporary learning community whose dynamics mirror the systems you work in every day. How you show up, how you relate to others, how you use – or hold back – your authority: all of it becomes material for learning.

This is work that goes beneath the surface. A central question running through the week is a deceptively simple one: what is it like to be on the receiving end of me and my leadership? Over five days, a carefully structured mix of experiential group work and conceptual sessions will help you find – and act on – an honest answer.

Building Your Authority stands alone, but also provides a strong foundation for leaders wishing to continue their journey on our Top Manager programme.

What makes Building Your Authority different?

Building Your Authority stands apart from conventional leadership development. Rather than focusing on what leadership theory says should happen, the programme works with what actually happens when you try to lead,  the real resistance, the relational complexity that arises, the moments where your influence falters or lands differently than you intended.

Our BYA Alumni consistently tell us that this approach has changed how they understand these moments: not as obstacles to navigate around, but as important signals about themselves, their relationships and the systems they work within.

With support from an experienced programme director team, you will explore the emotional, relational and organisational dynamics that shape leadership in practice – building the self-awareness and confidence to lead more effectively in your day to day work conditions.

The approach:

The programme brings together four complimentary ways of learning:

• Experiential group work – learning emerges from live interaction within the BYA community itself, offering real-time insight into how you show up and lead as a leader.

• Conceptual sessions – practical frameworks to help you make sense of ideas like authority, power, and influence, and the deeper dynamics of organisational life.

• Structured reflection – individually and with peers, to deepen insights, test assumptions and consider how learning applies back in your workplace.

• Personal consultation – dedicated one-to-one coaching time with a programme director to explore your own leadership challenges and learning.

What will I learn on the Building Your Authority programme?

Building Your Authority is not a leadership framework or a checklist. It is a transformational invitation to develop deeper, more honest insights into how you lead,  and how your leadership is experienced by others.

You will leave with more than new ideas – you will leave with a clearer, more grounded sense of who you are as a leader and what becomes possible when you lead from that place.

Is Building Your Authority right for me?

Building Your Authority is for leaders who know that influence, not hierarchy, is what gets things done in complex systems – and who want to develop the skills, confidence and self-awareness to lead from that place.

The programme is designed to reflect the diversity of the health, care and wider system, and we welcome participants from:

• NHS organisations.

• Local government.

• Social care and housing organisations.

• The voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE)

• Private sector providers.

• Patient and community-based leadership roles.

Before enrolling, you will have a personalised conversation with a programme director to explore your role, you’re learning goals and what you are hoping to get from the experience.

Building Your Authority asks something special of you. It invites you to engage honestly with your own experience, sit with uncertainty and question assumptions you may not have examined before. For leaders willing to do that work, the rewards are significant and lasting.

To support you in carrying that learning back into your workplace, you will also be eligible for a free one-to-one coaching session with a programme director after completing the programme.

Programme structure

Building Your Authority runs over five intensive days, delivered either in person or online, depending on the cohort.

The programme brings together a carefully designed mix of learning opportunities:

• Large and small experiential groups – where the dynamics of the group itself become the primary source of learning about authority, influence, and how you show up as a leader.

• Conceptual sessions – focused on authority, power, role, influence and working in complex systems, offering practical frameworks to make sense of your experience on the programme and how to bridge leaning back in your workplace.

• Peer consulting and home groups – structured spaces for deeper reflection, sense-making and peer support, providing continuity and depth across the week.

• Personal consultations with programme directors – dedicated one-to-one time to explore your own leadership challenges and learning in confidence.

There is no fixed agenda in the traditional sense. The learning evolves in response to what emerges within the group, making each cohort's experience unique, dynamic, and relevant – while remaining grounded in a consistent and carefully held programme design.

Programme team

Building Your Authority is led by an experienced team of senior leadership development practitioners with deep expertise in health and care systems, organisational dynamics and group relations work.

Throughout the programme, the team work alongside your cohort – consulting to the live dynamics of the group, offering both challenge and support, and helping you make sense of what is emerging in real time. Their role is not simply to teach or facilitate, but to help you and your fellow participants get the most out of an experience that is, by design, unlike most leadership development you will have encountered before.

Pricing and dates

Online

The Building Your Authority 2026 programme runs across two intensive weeks, designed to give you the time and space to step away from day-to-day pressures whilst staying connected to your role and responsibilities.

Programme dates:

• Part 1: 30 September–2 October 2026

• Part 2: 5–7 October 2026

This structure allows learning to build over time, creating the space to reflect between the parts, test ideas in practice and return with real-world experience to deepen your learning.

Programme fee:

• £3,295 + VAT

The fee includes:

• Five days of intensive, facilitated leadership development.

• Access to highly experienced senior leadership development practitioners.

• One‑to‑one coaching with the programme director during the programme.

• Eligibility for further one‑to‑one coaching after completion, with the first session free.

• A 12‑month membership to ShiftWorks, The King’s Fund’s online learning platform.

Building Your Authority is a significant investment of time and focus. In return, it offers sustained, high‑quality development that supports you to build credibility, navigate organisational politics and lead more effectively in complex, real‑world situations. Many participants describe the programme as a pivotal moment in their leadership journey, with learning that continues to shape their practice long after the programme ends.

For any questions about dates, pricing or bursary places please email Megan Wilson.

Find out about our alumni

When you complete the Building Your Authority programme, you become part of our alumni network. A vibrant and supportive community of leaders who have taken part in the programme over the past nine years.

Your cohort will bring together experts from across health and care, spanning different disciplines, professions, sectors, systems and geographies. This diversity means you can draw on a wide range of perspectives and experience as you overcome real day to day challenges in your role and organisation.

Our Building Your Authority alumni network now includes close to 500 senior leaders. We support ongoing connection through annual alumni events, alongside regular opportunities to connect, share experiences and continue learning long after the programme ends.

Post-programme benefits

Completing Building Your Authority gives you access to a range of benefits designed to support your continued development and impact as a leader.

Frequently asked questions

If you have a question about the programme, please visit our frequently asked questions.

If you would like to speak to the team please contact Megan Wilson on the below:

• Email: [email protected]

• Phone: 020 7307 2567