Lake Macquarie City Council is an organisation that proactively cultivates learning within a framework of personal accountability and working together to shape the community. With more than 1300 employees, the organisation, introduced the SAIL Emerging Leaders program in 2020. The program was designed to build leadership capability across Council focusing on their “leading at all levels” value.
The program ran for six-months and was targeted at all levels of leadership and offered exciting experiential learning opportunities based on how they lead at Lake Macquarie City Council.
The SAIL program objectives were to:
- Develop and grow leadership skills
- Emphasise self-discovery to identify their authentic leadership styles
- Improve understanding of others to better influence and engage stakeholders.
Integrating a common language, consistency and The Predictive Index Insights into Leadership Development.
Red Wolf Group supported Lake Macquarie City Council to integrate the Predictive Index (PI) insights and methodology into the SAIL Emerging Leaders program. Whilst Lake Macquarie City Council had previous exposure to numerous psychometric tools, they were keen to explore Predictive Index and were impressed with the simplicity of the tools application, language and level of accuracy PI provided. As a result, PI was embedded into the emerging leaders program.
Self-awareness and discovery through hands-on, interactive workshops and one-on-one sessions
In 2020, 42 participants came together with Red Wolf Group to enhance their skills and understanding through a range of hands-on workshops and one-on-one activities.
The workshops were focussed on workplace behaviours, motivations and communication styles. They were run in person, were practical and based on adult learning theory, and emphasised interactive learning and collaboration across teams and functions.
Red Wolf Group debriefed each of the 42 participants one-on-one, including all managers in the SAIL program and all senior managers and executives. These debriefs highlighted individual strengths and provided insights into personal and team dynamics, so all participants emerged with a heightened sense of self-awareness of themselves and their natural leadership styles and behaviours.
Predictive Index at every layer of the employee lifecycle
Supporting Lake Macquarie in expanding the Predictive Index to additional layers of the organisation, Red Wolf Group trained members of the People and Culture team to become Predictive Index certified. This certification allowed the People and Culture team to fully embed PI in the employee lifecycle – from recruitment and onboarding processes, coaching and ongoing team development workshops – ensuring consistency and effectiveness across the organisation.
The Impact
Through the SAIL Emerging Leaders program and PI, emerging leaders and senior managers have developed a deeper understanding of their behavioural needs and drivers. The PI methodology has also provided a common language for managers to use with their team members when discussing performance and behaviours.
The organisation regularly conducts ‘dream team’ workshops, bringing together multiple teams to improve collaboration and communication across the organisation and foster a culture of continuous development and collective growth. Lake Macquarie City Council’s commitment to leadership development and the strategic integration of PI has created a robust framework for nurturing future leaders. The ongoing use of PI tools and methodologies ensures that Lake Macquarie’s leaders are well-equipped to drive the organisation forward, maintaining a focus on personalised development and effective team dynamics.