Leadership in local
government: an eight-point manifesto
1. It’s about leadership, not just leaders
The talents of individuals are only part of the story.
Leaders work within teams which interact with other parts of the
organisation and externally. Their
effectiveness is shaped by those dynamics and by the processes, structures and
relationships of the whole. Developing
individuals is not enough.
We will address the setting within which leaders
work as well as developing leaders themselves
2. Leadership is of the place, not just the
organisation
The task of local government is more than to deliver good services – vital though
that is. It is to provide leadership of
locality, engaging many other organisations and people with the aim of making it a better
place for everyone to live.
We will help councils in leadership of their place
3. Respect difference
There are useful leadership principles but there are no useful off-the-shelf leadership
packages. Leadership work must be in the
context of a council’s legacy, challenges and way of being.
We will always start from the realities of the
organisation and its place. We will engage
with people on terms agreed by them, with interventions appropriate to them
4. Leading means telling a story
Strategies, budgets and action plans may speak to the head, but not to the heart. People want to be part of something they think is
worthwhile and want to feel their contribution is important. Stories help shape how people
see the world. But leaders must also be listeners.
We will help leaders not just communicate but
connect
5. Leading requires ‘reading’
Leadership changes things. Leading requires ‘reading’ the situation and
responses have to be tailored. Leadership requires a range of responses. Equally that very
context is in part created by leadership.
Our approach will have rigour but it will be
practical, helping people develop skills as part of a continuous evolution
6. Members and officers travel together
Executives and corporate management teams – like wheels on a bike – need each
other to go forward. The relationship is
evolving. What differentiates them is important but what unites them is more so.
Our focus will always be the senior political and
managerial group
7. Politics matter
There has been big investment in developing managers as leaders, and it has paid off. Developing politicians, different but equally
important, has been comparatively neglected on the unspoken assumption that it is
unwanted, unnecessary or too hard.
We will redress the balance
8. People
learn more from experience, not from being toldPeople learn to lead in different ways,
but it’s hard to beat experience in real-life situations as well as having the
opportunity to reflect with others on that experience and on yourself.
We will create opportunities and spaces for leaders
to learn over time in their organisation and with others
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