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Public service
I would like to start by talking about Leadership Development, because it so effectively integrates concepts around attracting the best and the brightest, and perhaps even more importantly, it addresses the development and retention of our existing people in order to ensure organizational leadership and renewal at all levels into the future. The long term objective is to develop “in depth” organizational capacity.
Leadership, in my view, is not a “phenomenon”. While it is true that some will have more aptitude than others to effectively discharge leadership roles, it is my experience that leadership can be developed in those that have a fundamental aptitude, and as such, it is at the core of organizational renewal.
Rather than just stating a personal conclusion however, I would like to illustrate my point with a fairly detailed description of Leadership Development at the Region of Waterloo. Again, just to emphasize, strong leadership characteristics should not be viewed as simply a “charismatic happening”. The elements of leadership can and have been identified and it is productively possible to train around these fundamentals.
But let me turn to the Waterloo example.
Like most public service environments, change is an integral part of the Region of Waterloo’s current climate. Our organization’s viability and growth depend upon our ability to anticipate, learn and adapt. To be effective in facilitating organizational change, leadership development measures must form an integral part of the larger plan, rather than consist of a series of “stand-alone” programs. This morning I will give you a snapshot of how we have developed and implemented our leadership strategy, what we have learned, and how we have linked our leadership initiatives to a larger plan; our corporate vision and values and our human resource strategy and systems.
The 7 core leadership characteristics that have been established for our organization are: • Being self aware and focused on one’s own development
• Initiating and implementing change
• Fostering a citizen centered culture
• Building and maintaining internal and external relationships
• Achieving organizational objectives
• Motivating and developing people; and
• Being politically and organizationally sensitive In closing, I would like to make a few general comments on leadership.
According to Stephen Covey, leadership deals with direction and vision. The basic role of the leader is to foster mutual respect and build a complementary team where each strength is made productive and each weakness is mitigated. The key is providing the context for success in terms of resources, systems and empowerment.
Publications on leadership abound and most are worth reading, if only to broaden one’s perspective on the subject. Some are prescriptive, containing lists of things to do or attributes to acquire; some are contemplative and philosophical, while still others are written from a motivational point of view. It’s noteworthy that personal mastery is a recurrent theme. Some advocate quick “fixes” and these may be of more limited value. Some contain case studies or anecdotal references; some do not. The Harvard Business Review is an absolute treasure trove of insightfully excellent articles on literally all dimensions of leadership. Their work on leadership styles and the pivotal role of emotional intelligence and self awareness has defined current thinking. It is “must” reading for anyone seriously interested in the topic.
Everyone agrees that leaders need vision, energy, authority and strategic direction, but I think it is equally evident that the ability to inspire people – to capture their hearts, minds and souls, and empathize fiercely with the people they lead, is the alchemy that determines the difference between average and spectacular success as a leader.
At the end of the day, the leader must rally the team and “take the hill”. After all, the qualities of leadership are of limited use unless we do something with them.
You and I are so fortunate. When the interests at stake are the well being and future of our communities, our province and our country, it’s easy to be excited and full of energy. It only makes sense to be a visionary. It’s instinctive that excellence is a minimum requirement. And it is so much fun to work with others similarly inflicted with a passion for public service
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