Andy Burnham has won fans online - but has he understood the system he inherited?

After years of political churn, there was hope for something different. Burnham offered a fresh perspective, energy and a markedly different style of leadership. Expectations were high.

Now, just over 60 days into his premiership, how has he fared?

I’m not interested in marking his political homework or judging whether individual policies are left or right-wing. As a leadership transition expert, I assess a new leader’s success through four interconnected lenses - Human, Relational, Systemic and Strategic.

Leadership begins with a deceptively simple question - what does this system need from me?

This requires meaningful introspection, humility and the willingness to let go of one of the classic derailers for senior executives - the need to prove mindset.

On the Human level, Burnham has made a strong start. He understood that Britain needed more than another list of policies. It needed optimism, visibility and the sense that someone was listening.

One of his clearest signals of this has been his use of social media. Rather than relying solely on formal speeches and carefully controlled television appearances, Burnham has shared regular updates about where he’s been, who he’s met and what his government is doing.

That has won him fans.

At a time when politics can feel remote, people can see how hard he’s working on their behalf. Whether he’s visiting businesses, meeting community leaders or standing shoulder to shoulder with other world leaders, he’s given the public a window into the everyday work of their Prime Minister.

That visibility matters. It creates connection and allows people to understand not only what’s being announced, but some of the work taking place behind it.

But whilst social media can show us that a leader is busy - it can’t by itself, demonstrate the system is changing. The challenge is ensuring that visible activity translates into meaningful progress.

The relational dimension of a successful transition involves understanding who influences what, building trust and spending quality time with the people who understand how the organisation really works.

I call these people the “knowledge keepers”. They hold the history that rarely appears in a briefing document. They know where previous plans became stuck, which relationships are fragile, what people have endured and why apparently obvious solutions have failed before.

During Burnham’s first week, 82 ministers took up new roles, with 24 entering government for the first time. He achieved gender parity around the Cabinet table and brought more regional representation into government. Those are significant signals of his intentionality.

But the speed and scale of the changes also raise a question. Did he spend enough time with the knowledge keepers before changing the team?

When leaders inherit a troubled organisation, there’s an understandable temptation to distance themselves from everything associated with the previous regime.

Yet inherited knowledge isn’t the same as inherited ideology. You can move away from your predecessor’s direction without dis-respecting all that it took to create the opportunity that is available today. You can engage and move the whole system forward without discarding the people who understand the terrain

The systemic lens requires a leader to dig beneath organisational charts and official processes to understand what they have truly inherited.

Every organisation contains what I describe as “invisible furniture.” This includes the debris from difficult or abrupt regime changes that have not been fully acknowledged. It includes the unspoken rules, historic loyalties, behavioural patterns and unresolved tensions that shape how things actually get done.

Burnham has established Number 10 North in Manchester and restructured the centre of government. Both moves signal his determination to redistribute power and change how British politics operates.

But systems don’t change simply because boxes are moved around an organisational chart.

Without clarity around the history, relationships, responsibilities and decision-making, restructuring can create another layer of complexity rather than removing one.

Number 10 North is a powerful symbol. The real test is whether it changes where and how decisions are made.

Only after understanding the human, relational and systemic dimensions should a leader move fully into the strategic stage.

A strong strategy is informed by what has been learned through the first three lenses.

By doing so - this wisdom can ultimately inform a plan that can be implemented more quickly and with less resistance.

Burnham has already created expectations around the cost of living, social care, housing, regional inequality, public services, national security and Britain’s relationship with Europe.

Many of these ambitions have merit. The difficulty is that no leader can transform every part of a complex system simultaneously.

If everything is presented as a priority, nothing truly is.

Optimism eventually has to be supported by choices. Leadership becomes real when competing priorities collide and someone must decide what happens first, what must wait and what can’t be afforded.

That’s why the upcoming Budget will tell us more about Burnham’s leadership than his first 64 days. It will reveal whether the activity we’ve witnessed is underpinned by a disciplined strategy and a realistic sequence for delivery.

My verdict isn’t that Burnham has failed. It’s too soon to reach that conclusion just 64 days into his premiership.

His performance through the Human lens has been strong. He’s changed the tone, created hope and made the work of government feel more visible. His Relational and Systemic approach is less certain, while the Strategic verdict remains open.

Burnham has shown us how hard he’s working. His next challenge is to demonstrate that all this movement is producing progress.

That’s the real test of any leader after their first 60 days.

Tess Cope is the Founder of The Transformation Agency and author of Your First 60 Days available now - www.yourfirst60days.com