When times are tough you need great people around you. And these are incredibly tough times for local authorities, so you need your already great people to be on their A game.
And that’s why here in Shropshire, with the agreement of cabinet, we’ve invested in a programme designed specifically for our council officers called Getting Leadership Right (GLR).
Hundreds of participants from across the organisation have gone through a series of workshops developing their leadership skills to help them understand that empowerment and innovation is a good thing, rather than a risk. It’s given them practical skills as well as showing them that working together towards a common, ambitious goal of transformation and change is both necessary and achievable.
I’m absolutely clear that in these days of significant financial challenges a top-down approach just doesn’t work. The leadership team can’t be remote and autocratic. It’s vital that the whole of the council works together, exploring options and finding solutions to how we best deliver services in straightened times, just like we did so successfully during the pandemic.
That’s one of the reasons why I participated in the first cohort of the programme. I might be the Chief Executive here but at the end of the day I’m the same as everyone else. People might just watch me a little bit more closely! Hopefully I demonstrated the kind of leadership behaviours we need to instil at the same time as picking up tips and advice from council colleagues. The whole of the executive team have also completed the programme demonstrating that everyone, including senior leaders, can always develop and improve.
To date 253 people have completed the course (delivered by a Shropshire based training provider). Over 100 people are now beginning the second phase. Feedback from respondents said that 98% felt it was a new and innovative approach to learning, with 88% saying they are committed to developing as a leader. 76% said they now feel more confident. A suite of GLR tools plus ongoing masterclasses and training courses complete the programme.
I hear too often that learning and development are the first budgets to be reviewed when times are tight. To me that’s short sighted. As Chief Executive of a confident and capable council I know it’s our colleagues who will ultimately deliver transformation and culture change, so we must continue to invest in and believe in them.