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Talking Point - LGR, Supporting Organisational and Political Change in Local Government - Now more than ever!

Wiz have developed a programme of workshops specifically to support organisations and their managers in the next few years through Local Government re-organisation

The overall aim is to put Managers in the best position to support staff and present the best version of themselves through the changes. These workshops have been developed after discussions with many Local Authorities, HR teams, L and D and OD professionals

Whilst it is made up of a number of areas you would expect to find in a Leadership programme it is intended to be a complete package to equip those taking part to be successful in the run up to, through and beyond Local Government Re-Organization. The programme should also mean that staff generally feel well supported and equipped to navigate the transition because of confident and skilled Managers.

Approach

Given that time is always precious each of the suggested workshops is 3 hours. These can be run individually or by running two sessions in a day (a more cost-effective option). The workshops are supplemented by some light touch pre-work and activities between sessions to enhance learning and maximize practical transference. Each training session stands alone but collectively forms a Local Government Management and Leadership Development Programme.

The training will be broad enough to be applicable in a wide range of situations but specific enough to be relatable to Local Government and specifically LGR.

Whilst referencing appropriate theory and models the emphasis will be on personal reflection and practical application. In short making a tangible difference to those taking part and their teams. Training will be interactive and designed to engage and motivate.

Sessions can be run face to face or in line (or a blend) based on the topic and managing costs. 

Proposed workshops and content:

Maintaining Your Teams Moral and Motivation

In a period of uncertainty for people that may last several years developing an awareness of the issues and the skills to positively address them will be vital

• Exploring the issues that may arise
• Identifying what, as a manager, you can affect
• Treating people as individuals and creating an open and trusting culture
• Providing or acting as a conduit for people to get the support they need
• Being emotionally intelligent to recognize and address issues
• Practical actions to improve motivation
• Taking steps to retain staff through LGR

 Thinking Strategically about LGR and Your Service

Thinking strategically and longer term is always important particularly given the challenges faced by Local Government in whatever structure it exists. The current organizations will still exist, in some instances for a number of years, and it would be unfair on the public and the staff if a sense of direction and purpose is not maintained.   

• Understanding strategic thinking as part of the strategic management process
• Barriers to strategic thinking in a climate of change
• Overcoming barriers and maintaining a strategic approach
• Maintaining organization values and behaviours
• Strategic thinking tools and techniques
• Staying customer focused throughout the change
• Embracing digital opportunities where possible
• Staying relevant and avoiding a ‘lame duck’ culture

Maintaining Your Moral, Confidence and Building Resilience

Whilst looking after the needs of your team you also need to be mindful of looking after yourself in what are also uncertain and perhaps pressurized times for you. This course is a chance to step back and reflect on this and build a toolkit that can help

• Being aware of your own emotions and their impact – recognizing warning signs
• Confidence – what is it and how can you maximize it
• Making behavioural choices to boost confidence
• Understanding stress and its impact   
• Actions to enhance and build personal resilience

Developing Your Personal Impact

Equipping yourself for maximum positive impact is again always important. However, going into a situation where you may be preparing to complete for a new role in a new organization make this vital and may give you the edge.

• Understanding the ‘parts’ of personal impact
• Review feedback and reflect on personal impact
• Identify strengths and areas and contexts in which you could develop
• Day to day impact and using emotional intelligence techniques
• Impact in meetings
• Impact in presentations
• Impact in writing

Personal Development and Career Planning

This is a chance to think practically about the future and how you may need to equip yourself to achieve your goals.

• Clarifying your personal and career goals
• What skills and knowledge will be required?
• Auditing your current level of skills and knowledge
• Exploring options to achieve required development
• Considering career options and possibilities
• Creating new options
• Creating a personal development plan

Managing the Projects Arising from LGR

Change means projects and projects mean change! This is always going to be the case but particularly through LGR and beyond into a new organization establishing its services and ways of working. This course is based on our Practical Project Management training and will give you a foundation that you can apply and scale to suit any project.

• What projects will LGR generate for your service area
• Avoiding project pitfalls
• The 4 elements and the 8 key parts of Practical Project Management
• Applying your Authorities project methodology 
• Using project tools
• Monitoring and review

Political Awareness and Sensitivity

Again, a key skill for Managers who need to regularly work constructively with Councillors. Particularly important when the Councillors themselves will be going through a period of potential political tensions and uncertainty.

• What this means in practice
• Coming to terms with the ambiguity of the relationship
• Being sensitive to Councillors uncertainty
• The particular issues generated by the run up to LGR and being prepared
• Developing your knowledge and Awareness
• Building strong and effective relationships with integrity
• Appropriate influence
• Dealing with issues that arise
• A reminder of the constitution and codes of conduct