Public sector organizations are rarely viewed as drivers of innovation. However, with adversity comes innovation—and those in the business know that we’ve never been under greater pressure to do more with less.  

When the budget axe falls, it’s often training and conference dollars that are sacrificed.  This can have long-term consequences on the resiliency of an organization and its ability to drive and sustain a culture of continuous improvement.   

Borrowing concepts typically used in the private sector, York Region’s Environmental Services department implemented a leadership program that builds on in-house talent, reinforces personal accountability, and integrates an element of friendly competition to sustain interest. Using leading-edge learning and development best practices, the department has rolled out its new Sustainable Leadership Program, which is unlike most existing in the public sector today—proving that when it comes to employee skills development, there is plenty of room for innovation. 

Leadership development is a critical element to the future success of any organization, even when it comes to already high-performing teams. A sustainable plan for developing leadership and management talent provides ongoing opportunities to enhance existing skill sets and promote continuous growth that improves workplace morale and employee retention. It also facilitates better succession planning and drives alignment through the organization to focus on achieving strategic goals.  

For York Region’s Environmental Services department, it was important to incorporate effective and innovative resources to support its program. This included leveraging technology to create a customized website where staff participants complete small leadership themed challenges, engage in discussions to brainstorm solutions on business related issues, and view thought-provoking articles, videos, and newsfeeds. 

Participation in the program is supported by a gamification element, which uses an awards and point based system to sustain engagement, while adding fun and friendly competition.  To enhance sustainability and encourage collaboration throughout training, a peer mentoring model has also been implemented. 

In addition, a number of notable learning best practice models were built into the program, including the 70:20:10 learning model, which emphasizes on on-the-job learning and the 3:3:3 follow-up approach.  To really enhance leadership development, York Region uses the 3:3:3 model to issue leadership challenges three days, three weeks, and three months after each semi-annual leadership session, reinforcing learning and encouraging peer coaching and development. 

It’s been an exciting journey so far. Feedback and energy from staff participants indicates a successful outcome is in the team’s future.

To learn more about the sustainable leadership program at York Region’s Environmental Services, you can view our October 3, 2014, webcast The Journey to Sustainable Leadership: Creating a Leading-Edge Leadership Plan. This webcast walks listeners through initial steps for shaping and designing a leadership program, considerations for aligning the delivery of the program with your organization’s development needs, and highlight the innovative and successful delivery techniques, including use of technology, gamification, and adult learning best practices.