Leading From The Balcony gives you the skills to lead with ease, understand the dynamics of growing a social movement and develop the leadership qualities necessary for such endeavours.
Written by Hayley Lever, CEO of GM Moving, drawing on her 30-year career, Leading From The Balcony brings together more than 200 blog articles, learnings from GM Moving, and wider reading in an inclusive and accessible format that will engage and inspire.
Leading from the Balcony is available now in many online bookshops
All proceeds from the sales of Leading From The Balcony will go to support the charity Greater Manchester Moving.
About Leading from the Balcony
Leading From The Balcony is highly practical and actionable and will support you in your daily life and work.
It brings people, voices, and stories from Hayley’s work within physical activity and sport together for an authentic story of leadership and change in a complex system.
Leading From The Balcony will be a valuable resource for a wide range of readers, offering practical guidance and inspiration for leading and effecting positive change.
It combines practical leadership techniques and reflective practice opportunities, with human stories and insights into social movement building and change management.
Leading From The Balcony will inspire aspiring and developing leaders, activists and social entrepreneurs, organisational leaders and managers, and educators and trainers.
What readers said about Leading from the Balcony
Hayley’s compassion, curiosity and energy connect with her exceptional capacity for learning, experimentation and practice in such unique ways and yet create accessible and truly inspiring ways of practicing leadership. Her generosity in sharing, and in supporting others to thrive is a vital part of her leadership. And this book captures that heart and that spirit beautifully with much for us to reflect on and take with us on our own journeys.
Professor Carolyn Wilkins OBE; Birmingham Leadership Institute
Hayley has a remarkable gift for making leadership feel human, authentic and within reach. Her wisdom and stories will both inspire and encourage. I’m certain you’ll leave feeling energised and more confident than ever in your own journey.
Steven Pleasant MBE; Trustee, GM Moving, Healthy Lives Adviser, South Yorkshire Combined Authority, Chair, National Centre for Sport and Exercise Science)
This book provides a fountain of useful hints, tips, and approaches for leading in the real, and wonderfully complex, world. It’s written to be used and useful! But, for me, what makes this book fascinating are the personal stories and examples intertwined throughout. Hayley is an exceptional leader and one that we can all learn plenty from.
Dr James Nobles; Public Health Researcher, Leeds Beckett University
Often the hardest thing to do as a leader is making time to think, reflect and learn. As a CEO Hayley is excellent in this regard, combining her constant curiosity and commitment to improvement with an engaging, positive, and inclusive manner. I’ve no doubt that ‘Leading from the Balcony’ will bring this vividly and entertainingly to life and be of benefit to everyone who reads it.
Tim Hollingsworth OBE; Professor of Practice University of Bath, Former CEO Sport England.
Hayley is an extraordinary leader who combines real experience of leading in a complex environment with deep reflection and understanding of theory. Rarely have I worked with someone who can translate their learning into words with such depth and elegance.
Liz McQue – Executive Coach and Leadership Facilitator
About the Author: Hayley Lever
For 30 years, Hayley has played a leadership role in physical activity, sport, policy, and community development; currently as CEO of GM Moving. Hayley is a committed community volunteer and charity trustee where she lives in the Peak District.
Hayley has always believed in the power of an active life for health, happiness, friendship, and community. She is a passionate advocate of this agenda.
Hayley’s role involves leading for change and shifting culture and systems in Greater Manchester. She believes that a whole system approach to supporting active lives is the only way we will succeed in designing moving back into life and addressing health inequalities.
Hayley leads with humility and curiosity and has an open approach to learning and connecting others. She recognises that working in complexity is challenging, and practices what she preaches as she unwinds, and makes sense of the work, whilst walking, swimming, running.
