How to take your trust governance from good to great
In CST's Next-gen governance paper we set out our theory of change for taking trust governance from good to great. This course is designed to give you a deeper understanding of the concepts and practice underpinning this theory of change - especially around two key domains of board leadership and structures. We will explore what shifts are required to build high performing stewardship and equip you with the ideas and inspiration to take them forward in your trust.
By the end of this masterclass, you will understand what a more relational approach to trust governance looks like in practice, how to get there, and how to assess its impact.
Who is it for?
- Chairs of trustee boards and committees
- Trustees
- Governance professionals
- Executive leaders
What you will gain
This course will give you:
- Insights into stewardship, and how it changes decision making and helps build a longer term vision
- Ideas on how to design your governance community and streamline your processes
- Guidance on how to take a relational approach with each stakeholder group
- An understanding of how to lead effectively through complexity
Course overview
Session one: Next-gen board leadership: Stewardship and leading through complexity
The first seminar will provide an overview of the psychology of leadership and decision-making and how to lead through complexity. You will hear from a ‘centennial’ – an organisation that has lasted over 100 years – about how they have achieved their long-term sustainability. We will also explore ‘how you know’ whether your trust has the right culture to enable it to unleash greatness.
Session two: Next-gen structures and mechanics: Solutions-focus and eliminating fluff load
The second seminar will explore how trusts can intentionally design a governance community that is coherent and effective. We will consider different structural models to understand how they might better serve decision making by amplifying stakeholder voice and creating strong accountability and information feedback loops. Having considered structure, we then turn to accompanying mechanics such as board reporting and meetings and hear from a trust that has sharpened its practice and eliminated fluff load.
Session three: Next-gen relational approaches: Storytelling, active listening and community anchoring
The final seminar will develop your understanding of how to shift practice from transactional to relational, to rebuild mutual trust, respect and understanding between trusts and their stakeholders in order to prevent friction points. We will hear from a trust about how they approached community anchoring and the benefits it has yielded.
Course speakers
05:00 pm
04 Feb 2026 03:30 pm to
05:00 pm
19 May 2026 03:30 pm to
05:00 pm
- CST members £270+VAT
- Non-members £330+VAT
