Leadership development for a commonwealth government education agency

A Commonwealth government agency was changing its focus from policy, program and standards development to implementation, influencing and change management. The executive wanted to support and develop the agency’s managers to lead and drive this functional change and to work together effectively as a high performing team.

Process

We worked with the executive and management teams to agree on the goals, priorities and key content for the program. The five-month program led the senior managers through a combination of workshops and peer learning group sessions to:

  • Explore individual leadership styles
  • Learn about contemporary leadership theory
  • Build leadership skills such as coaching and motivating, negotiation and leading change
  • Share experiences and demonstrate specific managerial skills
  • Learn how to work effectively together to deliver the organisation’s vision.

Underpinning the program’s aims was the construct of ‘learning agility’; that is ensuring the organisation’s managers were willing and able to lead the organisation through ambiguous and uncertain times.

Using psychometric leadership diagnostics our program facilitators guided the participants to greater insights about themselves as leaders and promoted constructive dialogue and team building. The program materials included an extensive learning reference manual, a learning journal, pre-work, program handouts and a professional development plan that was completed by each participants during the program.

Outcome

The program had a positive impact on individuals’ professional development and on team dynamics and effectiveness. The participating managers valued the opportunity to operate as a collective and with agreement from the executive established an ongoing mechanism of regular leadership fora to facilitate critical conversations. The managers were empowered to lead the organisation through its functional transformation.

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