We developed a Leadership programme for the City Council's management team and through a series of workshops facilitated both individual and organisational development. Using 360 degree feedback, focus groups and self-assessment questionnaires the organisational and individual focus was honed to meet each manager's needs aligned to those of his/her Unit and the organisation. As the programme has developed it has led to working with Unit Managers to cascade the development to their teams and to working with them to ensure that there is a clear output and outcome focus on their customers. Elected members were involved in two workshops to create and build the vision for the future of the City aligned with the community's expectations.

To facilitate this process we developed, with the organisation, a Value Planning process that aligned each individual's and team's goals to those of the organisation's business plan. This effectively established an outcome based performance management system in many Units. This system additionally incorporated leadership capabilities, an output of the Leadership workshops.

We also developed a criterion based recruitment method using the capabilities referred to above, as well as the culture statement of the organisation. This method provided recruiters with a more objective and consistent process. The anticipated outcome is that new recruits will be more culturally aligned from day one and that people who would not fit easily into the culture would not be selected.

The continued development of the leadership team uses a Coaching Learning and Development Centre and mentoring. The managers have clearly identified the need to focus increasingly on developing their personal capability to enable others to operate at their full potential. This is seen as a key success factor for the Council, as it continues to deliver a wide range of services within tight budgets and growing consumer and politician demands for change.
The most recent initiative from Centell has been the development of an 'Achieving Mastery' programme for key leaders and influencers in the Council to power it forward to meet the challenges of the year 2000 and beyond. Particularly as central government's agenda is significantly impacting the way the council is organised and the assumptions and practices that need to change to fit with the new agenda.

Key Achievements

These were:

• Increasingly competent managers coaching and delegating to their teams
• Raised standards of performance across the organisation in team working, individual skills and personal clarity of purpose
• A more objective appointment process and objectivity in the selection decision leading to an increased likelihood of more suitable people being appointed, internal and externally
• A strengthened and adaptive approach to managing local government services within a changing political and social environment
• Better understanding and alignment between officers and members
• A significant number of colleagues in the organisation sharing and implementing the organisation's vision and values in very practical day to day ways.