The most valuable Leadership Exchanges do not end when delegates return home. They continue through the relationships, ideas and collaborations that people take back into their organisations, systems and communities.

That was certainly the experience of GLE’s 17th Leadership Exchange in Canada in June. More than 600 of our members came together for a week of learning, networking and problem-solving, with more than 30 immersive Matches taking place across Canada before the main Network Meeting in Ottawa.

The theme, Ideas to action: inspiring leaders to mobilize collective solutions, captured something fundamental about GLE. International leadership is not simply about sharing what works. It’s about creating the space for people to question established approaches, learn from different contexts, unpick what didn’t work so well and then turn insight into action.

The power of an interconnected leadership community

One of the most encouraging aspects of Canada was the breadth of conversations taking place across countries, sectors and perspectives. Mental health, disability, substance use, suicide prevention, veterans’ wellbeing, Indigenous leadership, workplace wellbeing, lived experience and community inclusion were explored not as isolated issues, but as interconnected themes requiring more joined-up leadership.

The online conversation around and after #LE26 reinforced this. Delegates from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere continued to share reflections, ideas and opportunities for collaboration long after the event itself. The strongest themes included practical implementation, international learning, trusted relationships, lived experience, inclusive leadership and the value of learning through storytelling.

This matters because leaders increasingly need opportunities to learn with, rather than simply from, one another.

As eMHIC members will know, challenges facing mental health and social systems are complex, fast-moving and rarely confined by organisational or national boundaries. No single organisation has all the answers. But a connected community of leaders brings together different forms of knowledge, experience and perspective to develop better solutions.

Growing momentum through our leadership community

Our events in Canada prompted an important question for GLE: how do we make the value of the Leadership Exchange available throughout the year and build momentum through our leadership community?

GLE is beginning a renewed focus on refreshing our strategy and considering how we can build on the strengths of our global community while creating even greater value for members. A key part of this will be strengthening the opportunities for online knowledge exchange and leadership development between Leadership Exchanges.

The aim is not to replicate the in-person experience online. It is to create complementary opportunities for leaders to continue conversations, stay connected, explore emerging issues, and share practice that are formed at our Exchanges and in our collaborative groups.

Our members tell us they are seeking more regular opportunities for:

• international knowledge exchange around emerging policy and practice;
• practical leadership development and peer learning;
• sharing tools, resources, research and examples that can be adapted across jurisdictions;
• smaller thematic communities and collaborative networks;
• opportunities to turn shared learning into practical action.

This builds on what has always been at the heart of GLE: creating informal, safe spaces where leaders can share experiences, develop their leadership and find new ways to improve mental health and wellbeing.

A strategy shaped by our global community

The strategy refresh will therefore be about more than organisational priorities. It will be an opportunity to sense check what the GLE community needs next. Much of this will be relevant to the eMHIC community too, given the emerging influence of digital platforms and tools, alongside apps and the growing impact, both positive and negative of AI. 

It will be an opportunity for us to engage with our established partners, like eMHIC, in a dialogue about a global future in which collaboration and partnership will be more needed than ever to ensure effective knowledge exchange that enables leaders to take forward transformative change in systems.

Key questions we will be tackling include: How can we make international learning easier to access? How can we support leaders who may not be able to participate in every physical Exchange? How can we convene our community to share challenges between set-piece events? And how can GLE help emerging and established leaders develop the relationships, confidence and knowledge they need to influence change?

GLE continues to explore how we evolve to better support our members to be part of a year-round global leadership and learning community where the Leadership Exchange is an important focal point, but not the end point. Canada has given us considerable energy and inspiration to build on. The challenge now is to turn that energy into an ongoing cycle of connection, learning, development, collaboration and action.

Because the real measure of a successful Leadership Exchange is not just how good the week was. It is what happens next. So, watch this space.

View GLE’s #LE26 highlights video here. Stay informed and connect to our work here.