Leadership, good and bad, is rarely out of the spotlight. Be that Gareth Southgate bringing together a team of footballers, the performance of our national politicians, or a sad example of historic leadership in local government exposed as a shocking failure. As we emerge from the pandemic, leaders of all public sector organisations are facing challenges both new and old.At the same time we are hearing the desire from many to take on senior roles dwindling. The conversations Solace has with other public sector leadership academies all point to increasing challenges in filling senior positions across the public sector, and local government is no different. It's worth pausing to ask what we will need from the leaders of the future.Traditionally senior management was focused upon setting standards and ensuring those standards were met. In most workplaces it is, however, no longer possible to achieve excellence by inspecting individuals, the 'widgets' they produce or even processes they operate. We operate in a context that is too volatile, unpredictable, and complex.Excellence cannot be measured simply along the way towards a long-term objective. This does not mean such objectives are not important, just that they are not sufficient. This makes it difficult to determine whether people have failed to reach the highest possible standards. It takes time for results to be achieved, and in the meantime the world has moved on and numerous variables have had their own independent impact, good or bad.
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