Step Up Step Across
Step up with confidence. Lead across and beyond with clarity.
Step Up Step Across (SUSA) is a six-month modular programme designed for ambitious mid-career professionals leading in complex environments and challenging times. It blends leadership theory with hands-on practice to develop wise, collaborative leadership through deep inquiry, reflection, and practical experimentation.
By aligning personal values with purposeful action, participants build the inner clarity and outer capability to lead with intention, developing themselves, their teams, and their organisations to drive meaningful and lasting change both within and beyond their organisation.
Who is it for?
If you're working in a fast-paced, complex environment and want to build your resilience, sharpen your leadership capabilities, and raise your performance, Step Up Step Across is for you.
This programme is tailored for mid-career leaders ready to take the next step or embrace new leadership challenges with renewed confidence. It’s ideal for public sector leaders at Grade 6–7, heads of departments, service managers, and those in equivalent roles across all sectors.
How will you benefit?
- Build confidence and resilience to lead effectively in complex, fast-paced environments ·
- Strengthen practical leadership skills—collaboration, decision-making, innovation, and team development
- Deepen your understanding of wise leadership and how to navigate organisational and cultural change
- Gain real-world insights through cross-sector organisational visits and hands-on learning
- Work on live leadership challenges within a supportive, cross-sector learning community committed to lasting impact
- Improve systems thinking in complexity, with innovation and creativity
"SUSA provided me with invaluable leadership skills, against the very real backdrop of an uncertain and complex world and working environment, with the added bonus of providing networking opportunities with peers across various sectors. This allowed positive discussions to flourish where unique industry or public viewpoints around leadership were challenged in a collegiate manner conducive to self-growth."
Mark Hammill
Programme Manager, BAE Systems
- Programme introduction
- Understanding the value of appreciative inquiry
- Scanning your environment in a complex and volatile global setting
- Developing self-awareness and personal leadership through psychometric profiling
- Strengthening our emotional intelligence and adapting our leadership style
- Developing strategies to increase well-being and resilience
- Expanding our capabilities of inspiring and motivating people
Alongside the learning modules, participants visit host organisations to explore leadership practice in a real-world setting. Through these visits, participants gain insight and fresh perspectives into management challenges they are facing.
Participants also benefit from two coaching sessions to support them on their personal learning journey.
- Shaping our leadership approach and authenticity
- Developing a confidence and growth mindset
- Turning reflection into action
Programme team
Dr Jane Gaukroger is a very experienced leadership development consultant who has spent her whole working life in the field of organisational, leadership and people development. She is an EMCC qualified executive coach working with clients at board level and in senior leadership roles from across public and private sectors.
She holds a doctorate in organisational wisdom and brings a strong focus to enabling leaders to work with their strengths and to expand their use of multiple intelligences to lead in complexity and uncertainty.
Clients have included Defra, the Department of Health, BEIS, the Home Office and she has worked in many different parts of the NHS on leadership development and transformation. She has extensive experience in Higher Education and her private sector clients have included global manufacturer PPG, and technology firms IPC and Indra. She coordinates a multi-sectoral development community interested in cultivating wisdom at work.
Earlier in her career she worked for global consulting firms leading the people development elements of complex transformation programmes. She now specialises in development of wise leadership in the face of global challenges including inequality and climate change.
Johnny is an accredited European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) leadership/ mental fitness coach and facilitator. His career started in higher education before he moved into the Civil Service. He has over 10 years’ senior leadership experience within the public and charitable sectors.
Johnny uses a strengths-based approach, helping clients to understand their strengths and identify small steps they can make to overcome challenges. He has coached more than 230 people and delivered learning programmes for over 70 organisations including American Express, DB Schenker, Goodyear, Merck, 17 civil service departments/ Local Authorities, Delaware North, Societe Generale, KPMG, Notting Hill Genesis and L&Q. He is an experienced facilitator, having designed and delivered hundreds of events and workshops- ranging from focus groups to conferences for over 350 people. He is highly proficient in online delivery.
Johnny has worked with clients across all levels of organisations but specialises in working with leaders and emerging leaders. Alongside coaching and facilitation, Johnny creates innovative games and events and develops staff engagement/ learning strategies. He prides himself on helping people to think in a different way- collaborating with organisations and individuals from NASA and Olympic athletes to startups and social enterprises.
As Leadership Programmes Manager, Hannah is responsible for the management and continued development of WIG’s leadership programmes.
Prior to joining WIG, Hannah designed and delivered programmes for executive leaders in the education sector, and has also produced learning and development programmes for the wider public sector.
Hannah holds a BA (Hons) degree in History and Political Science from the University of Birmingham. Outside of WIG she enjoys baking and is a volunteer for Homeless Action in Barnet.
Fees
- WIG member fee: £5,899 + VAT
- Non-member fee: £7,669 + VAT
- Civil Servant participants: As WIG’s leadership programmes are part of the Government Campus, please check the latest fees on their portal, noting WIG membership fees have been applied.
Our programmes are delivered through a blend of virtual and in-person modules, creating a stimulating and collaborative learning environment while prioritising participant wellbeing. Fees include all learning modules, programme materials, and membership to the WIG Alumni Network.
How to apply
For more information and to apply for a place on the Step Up Step Across programme, please get in touch with our leadership team here.
Application deadline:
Early: 14 July 2025
Final: 15 September 2025
For Civil Service participants: WIG’s leadership programmes are part of the Government Campus and Civil Service Learning and can be booked using the OTS (Off The Shelf) process via the helpdesk. Get in touch (via the 'Register my interest' button below) if you need help or advice. Or use our Civil Service Learning link for further information.
If you're from a not-for-profit organisation and would like to discuss fees or bursary options, please contact us at [email protected]. Learn more about WIG membership here.