Coaching & Learning Support

We provide coaching to anyone in the systemic initiative. This includes leaders, sponsors, members as well as backbone leaders, teams, chairs/members of leadership tables and funders.

The coaching focuses on

• Understanding the work and role required to make progress
• Framing, designing and planning systems change work
• Identifying the dynamics in the system that are challenging and how to respond differently
• Building reflective practice
• Problem-solving

Start-up support

We provide systems change start-up support to build the foundations of initiatives.

The need for learning and development can be particularly high in the beginning with a need for structured support that is part leadership development, part learning program and part action learning.

We work with the collaboration to design learning and experiences that enable participants in ‘start-up’ initiatives to:

• Understand what systems change is and why collaboration is needed
• Build sufficient trust to explore what long-term collective leadership might require of themselves and each other
• Set the conditions for First Nations and other multicultural leaders to lead together in new ways
• Learn to acquire or strengthen a systemic approach through systems mapping, forming and testing a hypothesis, and engaging in action learning that allows them to see and understand the system in new ways
• Build the leadership structures and ways of working that build the foundations for systems change and large-scale impact.

Catalytic support

No matter where you are up to, if your initiative is approaching a critical development moment we can provide intensive support over a short period of time.

Sometimes initiatives need an injection of significant and specialised support to make progress, at critical development moments. This often looks like:

• Processes to build a current understanding of the current state
• Processes to make explicit the aspiration for change and shared goals
• Facilitated process to support First Nations and other multicultural leaders to build collaboration to lead together
• Developing the next roadmap.

We provide catalysing support through a CFI Catalyst Team.  The Team typically work with an initiative over 90 days, providing customised support that can include:

• regular in-person and remote advice and guidance
• help with design and planning, rapid skill development through individual and group learning (in person or online)
• leadership coaching
• technical assistance
• Co-facilitation
• A final reflection and learning session with one of your CFI Catalyst Team and a member of the CFI Leadership Team.

One of the initiatives CFI has provided catalytic support to was Hands Up Mallee, in Mildura, Victoria.

“Without the support of CFI to build the approach and galvanise the need for a change in practice, nothing would have happened in our community. We simply wouldn’t be where we are today without that support” Executive Officer.

Leadership & Skills Development programs

We design and deliver tailored world-class skills and practice development programs to systems change initiatives. We know that for skills and practice to stick we need deeper learning opportunities and reflective practice outside our business as usual.

We design tailored programs in adaptive leadership, systems thinking and practice together with practical collaboration approaches enabling you to apply your learnings directly to the challenges or opportunities you face.

Embedded support

We walk alongside your initiative building capacity over the long-term. We provide highly responsive, tailored and flexible support 2 – 6 days per month that can be dialled-up or dialled-down based on need.

Support is provided by a CFI Systems Change Coach who learns your context with additional support and team members drawn from the CFI Network and strategic partners, as required.

The capacity-building support is tailored to the unique context of your initiative and is focused on enabling progress and impact. The people and collaborations are supported to learn by doing. Support typically takes the form of coaching, advising, mapping progress, developing skills, enabling cultural change, and facilitating learning and rapid adaptation.

We also roll up our sleeves and provide practical help when needed. This ranges from: community mobilisation, empowerment, leadership development, facilitation and co-design; through to data analysis, measurement and evaluation.

One of the initiatives CFI has provided embedded support to since 2014 is Maranguka in Bourke, NSW.

“CFI has shifted our thinking as a community. They guided our strategy and working groups, helped establish early wins and build momentum for change. As change began to happen, CFI led the team on the journey of establishing a measurement system to track progress of our community’s Project. I highly value the work of CFI and their unwavering support. It is one of the reasons that our Project is moving forward in such a positive way.”
– First Backbone Leader