“BRAVER AND BOLDER”
The Future Leaders Development Programme represents a ground-breaking, substantial and coherent approach to leadership development for middle to senior managers, initially in Education and Lifelong Learning and, in its second phase (in light of the outstanding success of the first 2 years), for participants drawn from across the whole local authority (SBC).The programme aimsat building and maximising the leadership potential of staff identified as aspiring or future leaders. The programme is innovative, firstly, in that it brings together into a mixed (or “blended”) approach a variety of non-directive yet challenging modes of learning, with coaching delivered by trained coaches at its core, over a 12 month period and, secondly, in that it brought together staff from all sectors of education in its first phase and, in the second phase, has brought together staff from virtually every sector of the local authority service into one learning community, where the emphasis throughout is on creating space, stimulation and opportunity for sustained reflection on leadership:
- professional and personal reflection with one-to-one monthly support from a trained coach,
- collaborative reflection at monthly seminars in small group discussions and in interaction with a variety of facilitators and presenters on aspects of leadership,
- solution-focussed reflection through group co-coaching in regular small group action learning sets,
- personal reflection through self-evaluation and leadership development planning
- personal reflection through journaling and professional reading,
- summative reflection for an oral presentation to fellow participants on leadership learning and in a final written report
A full evaluation of the first 2 years of the programme and of the on-going impact on participants’ practice has been carried out and can be accessed at . The third year of the programme is currently being evaluated. The initial report’s findings indicate that the blend of learning approaches has resulted in an excellent level of personal learning and professional development, with evidence of sustainable impact. Such has been the success of the programme that 70 staff applied for it this year (for 30 places) and SBC is now piloting a Strategic Leaders Challenge Programme for senior managers, based on a similar, but more in-depth, model with additional features such as partner shadowing and co-coaching). According to a double page article in the TES(S) of 14 January 2011, heralding the success of the coaching approach which underpins the FLDP, this leadership programme makes you “braver and bolder”.
PLANNING / · a clear rationale, defined processes and focus on stakeholder needs· contributes to organisation’s goals and addresses current or emerging challenges
The Future Leaders Development Programme (hereinafter referred to as FLDP) is a key element of the Council’s Leadership Pathways document which aims:
To ensure that the Council has high quality leaders at all levels who will ensure that an excellent service is provided for all customers, clients and citizens of the Scottish Borders
To offer development pathways so that staff are motivated, supported, prepared and qualified to take up enhanced leadership roles
To identify Council staff, at various levels, who have leadership potential and
to give them opportunities to develop professionally and to prepare themselves for more senior leadership roles in the future
To promote and develop coaching skills and a coaching culture as a means of developing staff leadership capacity**
**To date, the Council has invested in the training of nearly 200 coaches, many of whom are in senior leadership positions, such as headteachers, heads of service and other senior managers and officers, all of whom now use coaching techniques with colleagues regularly in their workplace. It is from this trained, experienced and committed pool that the coaches for the FLDP are drawn.
In addition to addressing the above Council aims for leadership development, the FLDP is being delivered (so far to nearly 100 staff in 3 years) at a time of major transition in all Council services and of reductions in budgets, which means that leaders at all levels are faced with substantial (and often emotive) issues of change where good leadership skills are paramount. The programme has, therefore, a deliberate focus on adaptive leadership, leadership of change, the role of emotional intelligence in leadership and resilience as a leader in challenging times.While the first phase of the programme took account of stakeholder needs across nursery, primary and secondary schools, the second phase, involving a mix of staff from all sectors of the Council’s services, has necessitated certain changes of emphasis and theme, in order to focus on the generic aspects of leadership and management which are common to most leadership situations, while also taking account of differences which sometimes obtain in specific sectors. As was anticipated, there has been a huge richness in the “mix” of staff participating and the cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences across the different sectors has enhanced the learning for the participants in many (sometimes surprising) ways.
DELIVERING / · implemented in all relevant areas and across all the required stakeholders· carried out in a structured and logical way , using robust and sustainable methods
The programme is based on the following principles and learning approaches:
The programme consists of a number of key elements which, when blended together, contribute to sustained and successful learning over a 12 month period
High quality professional dialogue is at the heart of professional development and the development of an effective coaching relationship is critical
Coaching brings professional benefits to both parties, coach and participant
The task and coaching sessions and the Action Learning Sets allow knowledge and understanding to be deepened and opportunities to develop skills to be identified
On-going personal reflection is an integral part of the programme and is fostered through journaling, reflecting on critical incidents and through prescribed professional reading
The seminar inputs, delivered by inspirational senior managers in SBC, form a comprehensive introduction to current thinking in senior leadership and management and encourage dialogue and collaborative reflection. The seminars focus on adaptive leadership, distributive leadership, leadership of change, the role of emotional intelligence in leadership, leading and developing peopleand on resilience as a leader in challenging times.
INNOVATION + LEADING PRACTICE / ·Demonstrates leading practice, and is capable of replication elsewhere·Achieves genuine innovation or new ways of working
While the FLDP uses certain approaches to delivering leadership development, which, taken separately, are acknowledged as being effective and progressive in themselves, the programme is unique in the way in which it blends successfully all those various elements into a coherent whole which leads to significant and sustained reflection, growth and personal and professional development.
The programme is therefore innovative, firstly, in that it brings together into a mixed (or “blended”) approach a variety of non-directive yet challenging and interactive modes of learning, with coaching by trained coaches at its core, over a 12 month period and, secondly, in that it brought together staff from all sectors of education in its first phase and, in the second phase, has brought together staff from virtually every sector of the local authority service into one learning community exploring leadership skills. As stated above, there has been a huge richness in the “mix” of staff participating and the cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences across the different sectors has enhanced the learning for the participants in many (sometimes surprising) ways.
Further unique features are that:
All the coaches involved have been trained on a Council-run 4-day Coaching Diploma course and have experience of coaching. The coaches also receive additional training and support prior to and during the programme from the Programme Team which includes experienced coaching and leadership trainers.
Many of the coaches are senior leaders within the Council, including many headteachers and heads of service.
All the presenters involved in offering input and stimulation for discussionat the leadership seminars are leading and often inspirational senior managers from within Scottish Borders Council.
RESULTS + IMPACT / · a convincing mix of customer and internal performance measures· clear line of sight to the delivery of better outcomes for communities
· a full range of relevant results– either already achieved or with potential to deliver over time
The evaluations of the FLDP to date have had the following aims: (seefor full report)
A. assess the effectiveness of the different elements of the programme
B. assess the impact of the programme on the behaviours, confidence and leadership skills of the participants
C. assess the impact of the programme on the career development paths of theparticipants
D. assess the impact of the programme on establishments through the actions of the participants
E. assess the extent to which the Aims of the Programme have been met
Sources of evidence
The first two cohorts completed detailed mid-session and final evaluation forms and completed written reports outlining their learning on the Programme. In addition, Cohort 1 (2008/09), 12 months after completing the Programme, were invited to comment further on the continuing impact of their learning and development through the FLDP. Evaluations from the latest cohort are being analysed at present and are indicating similarly positive responses. (Note: Examples of the evaluation questionnaires, collated feedback and a sample Written Report can be found in the Appendices of the full report at ).
Methodology and Context
Kirkpatrick model: The formulation of evaluation instruments and the collation of the evidence derive largely from previous work on such evaluation models, in particular that developed by Kirkpatrick (1983) as quoted in Simkins et al (2009). Kirkpatrick suggests four levels at which one can measure the outcomes of training and development activities:
the reaction of individuals to the training and development activities
the learning that occurs in various processes
the use of knowledge and skills/behavioural changes that occur for individuals as a consequence; and
the impact on organizational performance – on staff and on organizational outcomes
Evaluations and written reports by participants indicate the following impacts of the Programme:
Reactions to the different elements of the Programme were very positive and overall the average rating for the programme as a whole was 9.6 (Max 10).
Coaching was considered to be a major strength of the programme and key to its success
Most participants had found the programme motivational and inspirational
Almost all participants stated that they had grown in confidence in their leadership roles and had enhanced their skills and effectiveness as leaders.
Many expressed greater confidence about moving forward in their career development. A significant number have already moved on to more senior positions.
Although less measurable at this stage, there is clear evidence of considerable impact across a large number of establishments in the local authority.
In summary, the FLDP is currently fulfilling its aims successfully and at a level of considerable excellence.
What participants have said:
“I am braver now, more inclined to take leadership risks, more able to promote my vision and get others on board – thanks largely to FLDP.”
“I thought the course was excellent. Well organised, practical and thought provoking.”
“This was the best and most useful programme I have been part of so far. I got so much from it and know that many of the key learning points will stay with me for the rest of my career. What’s next?”
“I have found every session of this course as important as the other. The speakers have inspired me and the course has been essential to my development as a future leader.
“I would definitely recommend this course runs again and have already identified colleagues who would greatly benefit from it.”
“And Finally……Creating the space to think, be inspired, create new professional and supportive relationships has proven to be a sound investment of my time. It has given me an insight into the nature of leadership, both theoretical and real. It has reinforced the importance of learning, both personally and collectively in a way that has left me with; a set of practical leadership tools; an improved resilience; a greater knowledge of self and a greater belief in the leadership qualities that I can bring to bear. The challenge now is to build this knowledge into professional habits.” (Quotation from FLDP participant’s final reflective report, September 2011)
COSLA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2012 Page | 1
COSLA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2012 Page | 1