The Ambition
To develop a collective leadership community across the department and its seven agencies to take it into the 21st century.
Our Response
Three Talent Management programmes: one for members of the SCS with the potential to go higher; one for those aiming for the SCS and one for AO to SEO grades with the potential to reach Grade 7.
Faraday was invited to consult with the department on its Talent Management strategy. After discussions with a number of internal would be users, the HR director and Director of leadership and talent management, we proposed and designed three programmes. These included 360 feedback and other psychometrics; briefing workshops; a Development Centre; one-to-one coaching; progress reviews; action learning and core skills modules in the first year.
The programme has gone from strength to strength and has now been separately bought in by three of the department’s executive agencies. Each agency has its own specific needs, such as engineers who need to transition to managers and leaders. In each case, we have consulted with key personnel in the agencies and tailored the programme accordingly.
Talent development can generate some internal creative conflict as participants begin to challenge the way things are done and offer alternative approaches to leadership. We wanted our client to anticipate the changes, creativity and new thinking, which would result from the intervention and be equipped to respond. In this case they invited participants to lead new cross-cutting corporate projects.
Outcomes
Now that the programme is in its fourth year, the benefits the department is experiencing are on two levels. First, on an organisational level the department is developing a resource of motivated, enthusiastic and energised people to help lead and change the department in the 21st century. It now has a mature and functional resource pool.
On an individual level, people are having personal successes, gaining confidence and developing opportunities to learn and grow.
Performance outcomes relate to successes in current posts, short-term attachments and projects, and contributions to corporate initiatives. Half of participants in the first two cohorts have achieved promotion.
Independent evaluation finds the overall picture extremely positive. The programme significantly improves participants’ focus and progress on those competence areas that have the greatest relevance. It equips them with the skills to manage their own career development, as well as the knowledge and enthusiasm to accelerate their development. Other outcomes cut across a range of competences and underpin heightened performance and accelerated development. The most significant of these include: greater confidence as a leader; stronger personal presence and impact; a greater sense of personal responsibility; and contributions to corporate leadership aligned with greater awareness of the organisation as a whole.
Feedback
“We needed to bring on people within the organisation; to give accelerated development to selected individuals to lead the department in the future. We needed to strike the right balance between buying in talent from outside and not doing enough to leverage our own capability.”
“A worthwhile investment!”
“It is an opportunity to have thinking time, time out, a safe space to build confidence, to learn from others and also to leverage other development opportunities”
“What is it like working with Faraday? They strike just the right balance between recognising and delivering our needs and challenging us. We have a genuine partnership and a trusting relationship. We work together to try and make things better.”
“Other consultants are often either too compliant, and do just what we ask without really understanding our needs. Or not compliant enough and do what they think is best.”
