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10 Tips for Creating a Public Sector Leadership Development Program

The most recent edition of Public Personnelor community. The format involves a
Management, Winter 2004, focused solely oncontinuous process of learning and
one of the hottest issues facing today'sreflection, built around learning groups of
public sector human resource professionals:colleagues, more often with the aim of
workforce and succession planning. During thegetting work-related initiatives
2004 IPMA-HR International Trainingaccomplished.The City of San Jose is using
Conference, numerous sessions focused on theaction learning as part of their new
growing need to implement workforce andleadership development effort. The program
succession planning systems in order toparticipants are divided into six,
address the mass exodus of workers that isfunctionally-diverse teams. Each team is
anticipated in the next five to ten years. Inassigned one of the city's corporate
both Public Personnel Management and at thepriorities which include:- Performance-driven
conference, the issue of leadershipgovernment
development was cited as a primary tool for
preparing the workforce for the- Support for effective council
future.Numerous agencies are incorporatingpolicy-making
leadership development as an element of their
workforce planning efforts. Notable-  Effective  use  of  technology
leadership development programs that have
been documented include those implemented in-  Customer  service
San Diego County, CA; Henrico County, VA;
Hennepin County, MN; City of Las Vegas, NV;-  City  as  an  employer  of  choice
City of Phoenix, AZ; and City of San Jose,
CA. In my observation, many of the best- Neighborhood-focused service deliveryTeams
practice elements in public sector leadershipare guided by team sponsors, who are all
development are consistent between agencies.members of the City's executive team. Over a
The purpose of this article is to share tenperiod of six months each team is expected to
practices that appear to be common threadsidentify a City issue or project that needs
among agencies that are developing leadersattention. The teams research the issue,
internally to fill anticipated vacancies inbenchmark approaches with other
the future.The following tips are provided asjurisdictions, propose solutions the City
guidance to public sector organizations thatcould consider, develop a formal written
may be interested in developing their ownreport, and make a formal presentation in the
leadership development programs.Tip One: BaseCity Council chambers as part of their
the program on a competency model.Before anyprogram conclusion. The City Manager and
training or development activities can takeother top executives will receive their
place, it is critical to identify the skillspresentations and provide feedback to each
and competencies that will be developed as ateam. Whenever possible, the team will be
result of the effort. As discussed in thegiven the authority to implement or
Public Personnel Journal, Winter 2004,participate in the implementation of their
Henrico County developed 20 core leadershiprecommendations which may have citywide or
competencies including communication,regional implications. As a result, the
critical thinking and decision making,participants are able to practice their
organizational astuteness, and personalcommunication and team skills as part of the
integrity. These competencies provided theprocess, receive feedback on their report
framework for their development efforts.writing skills, and practice making
Other agencies, including the County of Sanpresentations in a forum that is new to many
Diego base their leadership academy on theof them. They also have the opportunity to
same model as the multi-rater, 360-feedbackshowcase their skills related to issues that
tool that is used in the program.Whether yourthey may not otherwise have the opportunity
organization has an established competencyto explore.Tip Six: Use internal and external
model that is used throughout your humanresources.As mentioned in Tip Two above, it
resource programming or not, it is criticalis important to make full use of your
to spend some time defining the skills thatorganization's executive leadership team
leadership program participants are expectedsessions that directly relate to the
to develop. For example, the City of San Joseorganization's strategic plan, culture, and
conducted a survey of top managers, followedexpectations. However, other concepts may be
by round-table discussions to determine thebetter presented by individuals outside of
competencies to be developed in theirthe organization, who provide an outside or
leadership program called The Art andneutral perspective. You may also find that
Practice of Leadership.Tip Two: Allowyour organization does not have the capacity
participants to self-select.Each agency mustor expertise to address all the competencies
determine for itself the best method forincluded in your model. A balance of internal
selecting leadership development programand external presenters provides participants
participants. Factors including collectivewith the opportunity to compare and contrast
bargaining influences, time, and the intendedthe agency's approach with practices and
target audience may impact the process youmethods used outside of the organization.Tip
use to identify participants. SomeSeven: Maximize internal publicity.In every
organizations are targeting potential futurecase, leadership development program
executives only while others are offeringparticipants dedicate a great amount of time
leadership development opportunitiesand energy to these kinds of programs. Not
organization-wide.In my experience, theonly is it a commitment of the participant's
highest levels of success in terms oftime, it is a commitment of their manager and
participant commitment result from astaff's time that cover for the participant
competitive process where interestedwhen they are attending program activities.
participants apply to be involved. ByYou can communicate the goals and outcomes of
self-selecting, rather than by beingthe program and recognize the importance of
appointed, participants are more likely tothe effort by using internal communicating
clarify their purpose for wanting to taketools like email, newsletters and Intranet
part in the program. When participants arepostings. Everyone who is touched by the
mandated to attend a leadership developmentprogram should understand its importance to
program, they are often reluctant to committhe organization's goals.Prior to the start
the time and energy into their development,of the program, formally introduce the
and oftentimes, they do not fully understandparticipants to the organization and
why they are being asked to participate.Theencourage each organizational member to
selection process you choose will depend uponsupport them. After the program, each
the target audience for the program (entiregraduate should be recognized using the same
workforce vs. middle managers). You maycommunication tools (email, newsletters,
choose to use a written application, managerIntranet, etc.) and their managers and staffs
nomination, personal interviews, assessmentshould be thanked for supporting them.
centers, or other means by which participantsInternal publicity can help garner support
compete for entrance into the program.and enthusiasm for the program and its
Nevertheless, it is highly recommended thatgoals.Tip Eight: Continuously adjust.The
participants have a choice in whether or notfirst version of any comprehensive program
they participate in your leadershiplike this is rarely perfect. It is important
development efforts.Tip Three: Involveto continually modify the program based on
executives and elected officials in thethe feedback received not only from the
development and implementation of theparticipants, but from their managers as
program.It has been said in numerous articleswell. By continually improving the program,
about employee and leadership developmentit will meet the needs of the organization,
that without the full support and involvementeven as the organization changes. In every
from the executive leadership team, theleadership development program I have
program will fail. Top management must bedeveloped and managed, the agenda and
involved in the development of thecurriculum is modified during the program and
curriculum, the selection of the attendees,after graduation to reflect the changing
and in the presentation of the program. Theirneeds of the participants and the
support is critical for the success andorganization. It is critical to be flexible
long-term viability of any leadershipand to listen to the program participants and
development program.Likewise, many agenciestheir managers in order to ensure the program
are finding that involvement by an electedcontinuously improves and maintains its
official can also supplement the curriculumcredibility and relevance.Tip Nine: Celebrate
of a public sector leadership developmentthe achievement.A learning opportunity such
program. For example, the City of Las Vegasas a leadership academy or leadership
invited a councilmember and the City of Sandevelopment program requires a commitment of
Jose invited the Mayor to address theirtime and resources, not only on the part of
recent leadership academy programs. Thethe coordinators, but on the part of
official in each case addressed the class ofmanagement and the participants. A graduation
leaders for up to one hour. They were askedor other public celebration is critical to
to give their expectations for public sectorrecognize the achievements of all the parties
leaders, and program participants wereinvolved. The graduation does not need to be
allowed to ask questions. The dialogueelaborate or lengthy. A brief lunch with
created in these forums allowed theinformal presentations will do the trick.
organization's future leaders to see theNevertheless, finishing a program like this
organization through the eyes of an electedwithout some recognition is like going to a
official. A facilitated conversation thatmovie that doesn't include the credits at the
followed the presentation encouraged theend.Tip Ten: Measure and track outcomes.While
participants to identify meaningfuleach organization determines the level and
"take-aways" from the elected official'sextent to which the results of a leadership
comments. Because program participants havedevelopment program are measured, a variety
not likely interfaced extensively with anof tools can be used to determine the impact
elected official, but will likely be expectedof the program. Such measures include:-
to as their leadership responsibilitiesKnowledge of leadership concepts as measured
increase, this has become a critical elementvia a pre- and post-assessment tool-
in public sector leadership developmentPerceived change in selected leadership
programs.Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback,skills as measured by a multi-rater,
individual development planning, and coaching360-degree  feedback  tool
as the core around which other development
opportunities revolve.360-degree survey toolsadministered at the beginning of the effort
provide feedback enabling leaders to realizeand again one year later- Number of
strengths and areas for development based onparticipants retained over one, three, and
their own and other's perceptions. Typicallyfive years- Number of participants promoted
such feedback comes from the participant'sover one, three, and five years- Perception
direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers.of participant's supervisor related to the
Today, such processes can easily beparticipant's change in behavior after
facilitated on-line and feedback reports areattending the leadership development program-
comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendorsReaction to the leadership development
can now customize survey tools to reflectprogram curriculum as measured by end of
your organization's competency model (see Tipsession evaluationsHowever your organization
One above).The feedback process, however, isdecides to measure the outcomes of your
only the start of the development process. Itdevelopment efforts, it is recommended that
is recommended that the feedback be deliveredthe measurements be established prior to the
in conjunction with opportunities forstart of the program and that they be
one-on-one coaching, as many participantsmonitored closely. Such measures will allow
find the feedback difficult to translate intoyou to make appropriate adjustments to future
everyday behaviors. A trained coach canprograms and will assist you in showing the
assist the participant in making sense of theimpact of the effort on your organization's
data. In addition, the participant should bestrategic objectives.If your organization has
expected to develop their own individualnot yet embarked on a leadership development
development plan that addresses competencieseffort, it is likely that you will in the
that are highlights in the feedback report.near future. Changing demographics, an
The individual development plan, onceimpending "brain drain," and a need to
endorsed by the participant's directenhance retention levels are driving public
supervisor, should then become the blueprintorganizations of all sizes to explore tools
for the participant's leadership developmentfor ensuring the stability of their
efforts.Because the feedback process can beworkforce. And, while many organizations are
so powerful, it is recommended that anyexploring these efforts, each must find a
leadership development program begin withsolution that works best for their
this element, as it will provide theorganization's culture and goals. The
direction that each participant will need aselements presented in this article reflect
they pursue the program. With their feedback,the common practices in public sector
the participant can customize theirleadership development efforts today.Marnie
leadership development experiences to addressE. Green is Principal Consultant of the
the identified needs. Because of thisArizona-based Management Education Group,
flexibility, 360-feedback is a highlyInc. She is the author of Painless
recommended and popular tool.Tip Five:Performance Evaluations: A Practical Approach
Implement action learning through projectto Managing Day to Day Employee Performance
teams.Another popular tool for enhancing the(Pearson/Prentice Hall). Green is a speaker,
leadership skills within public organizationsauthor, and consultant who helps
is the use of action learning. Actionorganizations develop leaders today for the
learning is a typical educational approachworkforce of tomorrow. Contact Green at
where participants learn by addressing issuesoffer this article on a nonexclusive basis.
that are unique to their own organization and



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