By the end of the 9-month program, the selected employees have gained crucial leadership skills (and the ability to prac
Pasco County Board of County Commissioners Leadership Development Program (LDP) Abstract: The Pasco County BOCC has developed a Leadership Development Program (LDP) to ensure the consistent training and development of their workforce and to create an in-house pool of potential leaders. Employees from any department under the BOCC can apply to participate in the LDP. Applicants are interviewed and then a typical group of about 20 employees are chosen to participate in the 9-month program. Selected employees participate in focused training sessions, mentoring relationships, and the completion of a chosen organization-wide “Stretch Project”. By the end of the 9-month program, the selected employees have gained crucial leadership skills (and the ability to practice those skills through the facilitation of their “Stretch Project”), a broader exposure and knowledge of the organization and the services we provide to the county, and the ability to network with other employees outside of their respective departments. Since 2012, Pasco County BOCC has put 90 employees through the LDP. The average promotion rate of these employees has been approximately 39% (compared to the overall County’s average of approximately 8%), the average turnover rate has been approximately 11% (compared to the overall County’s average of approximately 15%). Problem or Need: Back in 2010 roughly 75% of Pasco County BOCC’s Leadership Team (i.e. County Administrator, Asst. County Administrators, Department Heads and Division Heads) had self-identified as retiring within the next 5 years. The need to mitigate the “brain drain” of that much organizational knowledge leaving was evident. The Training & Development Division along with a small team of employees from other departments devised the LDP to help respond to this issue. The team examined current employee training and development activities within the organization, as well as surveying the current workforce regarding skills needs, etc. It became apparent that a multi-faceted approach to leadership development would be the best approach in our organization. Description of the Program: The LDP is set-up in three distinct phases (Learn, Experience, Apply). Interested employees must apply to the program. They are then interviewed by a team of current leaders (and LDP alumni), and a class of about 20 employees are then selected to participate in that year’s class. The three phases of the LDP are as follows:
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1. Training “Boot Camp” (Learn): This is a 5-day, classroom-based training phase that occurs in early February. Participants have the opportunity to learn needed leadership skills such as; Conflict Resolution, Strategic Planning, Process Mapping, Effective Communications, etc. This is also the time where the participants (from various depts./divs.) get to bond with one another through group exercises, presentations, etc. 2. Mentoring Phase (Experience): Once the “Boot Camp” is complete the LDP participants are each matched-up with a mentor from our organization. The mentors are current leaders in the organization that have volunteered their time to help develop the current class members. Mentor/mentee match-ups are made based on skill areas that the mentees have self-identified and/or areas of development that may have been observed in their participation during “Boot Camp”. In addition, we purposefully match-up mentors and mentees from different departments, so that the mentees can be exposed to a new function of county government. Mentors and mentees are given monthly suggestions as to different activities and/or topics they can explore and discuss. In addition, a monthly Mentoring Meeting is facilitated by the Training & Development Division that allows mentors and mentees to participate together in a variety of group exercises and problem solving activities. The Mentoring Phase lasts 5 months (March – July). 3. Stretch Project (Apply): As the Mentoring Phase comes to a conclusion, the LDP class is introduced to their Stretch Project. The project is unique each year and it is typically a project that the organization needs, or wants to complete (past projects included; mapping of our permitting, payroll, and fiscal services processes, process improvement of our Emergency Management function, etc.). The Stretch Project requires the participants to function as a team to plan and execute the project. During this phase they must apply many of the leadership skills they learned in the previous two phases of the LDP. The project also requires them to research multiple departments and divisions within the organization, furthering their knowledge base of the County’s operations and services. The Stretch Project typically lasts 4 months (July – Oct), with the class capping-off their LDP “journey” with a final Stretch Project Presentation to the BOCC’s Leadership Team. After “graduating” from the program the LDP participants transition over to our Performance Development Team (PDT), which is a group of employees that voluntarily tackle new projects or challenges our organization faces. In the past, PDT members have conducted SWOT analyses, helped develop an Employee Wellness Program, facilitated training and/or mentoring for future LDP classes, etc. So the LDP graduates continually get the opportunity to develop their skills (and showcase their talents) by working with others throughout the organization on challenging and unique issues. Use of Technology: The use of technology in the LDP has grown over the years and is usually driven by the participants themselves. LDP participants have used some of the following to help them with research, presentations, etc.: Pasco County Board of County Commissioners
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Laptops/Tablets/Smartphones Projectors Internet/Intranet MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint Other misc. software programs
Cost of Program: The actual operating costs of the LDP are quite minimal (cost of making copies, student binders, etc.). The largest cost we incur could best be described as “opportunity costs”. We use in-house employees from various departments and divisions to serve as instructors during the Training Boot Camp and as mentors during the Mentoring Phase. The “opportunity cost” would be the time they are devoting to working with the LDP vs. the time they would be back at their normal job duties. The same thing can be said about the LDP participants…their time participating in the program vs. the time they would be back at their normal job duties. Our organization views both of these “opportunity costs” as investments in the development of our workforce. Results/Success of the Program: Since 2012 we have “graduated” 5 LDP classes, with a total of 90 participants. Our Class of 2017 is currently participating and has 24 employees (our largest class to date). Of those 90 employees that have successfully completed the program, we have seen a 39% promotion rate…with 6% promoting more than once since participating in the program. Approximately 10% of the participants have promoted into a position that would be considered part of the BOCC’s Leadership Team. This group of employees also has an approximate 10% turnover rate (compared to the overall County’s average of approximately 15%). Worthiness of Award: The biggest justification I can give for this program is its simple focus…people. The LDP has been designed to help people reach their full potential; by learning new skills, meeting new people, experiencing new events, and challenging them to step out of their comfort zone. As you can see in the previous section, our organization receives the benefit of a more knowledgeable, more engaged group of leaders, but this is really no comparison to the benefit our people receive in the increased knowledge and confidence they develop, and the lifelong relationships they make through the LDP.
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