The Issue

There were many objectives the organisation wanted to meet through a leadership development programme. Chief among the important objectives were:

• Establishing a high-performance director team
• Building a robust leadership pipeline to ensure great performance

In close collaboration with the client, Caret designed and facilitated Away Days for the top team which comprised eight people. Outputs of the sessions included a shared job description for the top team, a development agenda for the team, and a development agenda for each Director. They also discussed, clarified and decided what good would look like in terms of leadership in the organisation. As well as being developmental for the team and how it works together, the Away Days were driven by the organisation’s strategic agenda and priorities.

Each Director also had Executive Coaching support from a Caret consultant. Caret’s Executive Coaching is designed to provide cold clarity of thought on issues that matter. The approach is decidedly strengths-based although it ensures each Director also pays appropriate attention to the vital few weak points capable of undermining excellence. A 360° Review also informed the design and conduct of the Top Team development programme in general, and the Executive Coaching in particular.

The work with the Directors sought to distinguish between small ‘l’ leadership which focuses downwards and big ‘L’ leadership which deals with influence. A development programme was designed and implemented for the management layer just below the Directors. Key aspects of the programme included:

• Day Events for about thirty senior managers – Heads of Service. The Directors were invited to become present and visible sponsors of and resources to the programme.
• Business Improvement Projects (BIPs) used as a means of turning the key ideas of the programme into results.

Objectives for this included: making horizontal integration a daily reality in the organisation; exhibiting leadership behaviours most consistent with organisational priorities and values.

An Executive team even more focused on achieving greater benefit for the organisation and its customers by making intentional best use of their combined strengths.

In the words of Janice Smith, Corporate Services Director:
“One of the early challenges in building a strengths-based culture was in the Executive team.
We're largely a team of visionaries and ideas people - not great in terms of turning ideas into action. When Caret analysed the team we discovered that, out of eight, I was the only implementer! We changed the scope of my role to maximise my strengths, allowing me to take an overview of projects to make sure that things happen. Now we think more laterally about who needs to get involved and at what stage to ensure we can deliver something successfully.

My colleagues bring their vision, their connections and perspectives and we draw on my strengths in being able to ensure the challenges for implementation are built in right from the start. Pooling our strengths makes for a stronger organisation and what comes to the table is a much better product.”

A more integrated approach to leadership across senior management
Individuals are collaborating with greater effectiveness on issues critical to the organisation’s success such as harnessing talent; driving a consistent approach to customer service across the organisation; performance management; and developing and maintaining a high performance culture.

Individuals challenged to respond intelligently and thoughtfully to the role and responsibilities of leadership
Caret’s approach emphasised valuing leadership as the day job rather than it being seen as an interruption to work. While new skills have been acquired the focus has been on leadership transformation and as such senior managers have been personally challenged to develop and adapt effective leadership behaviours as evidenced by the feedback of their colleagues.

As one leader put it: “I’ve been on many management development programmes and this has been by far the best and most effective.”