A Model of Leadership Development

• Author: Jill Goski,Gail Blackstone,Jules Laing
• DOI: 10.1177/009102600203100407
• Published date: 01 December 2002
• Date: 01 December 2002

A

Model

of

Leadership

Development

Jill Goski

Ramsey County, Minnesota successfully implemented

an

innovative and

effective leadership training program. The county includes the metropolitan

St. Louis area and serves

a

diverse population. The leadership academy

is

an ambitious endeavor that includes traditional and non-traditional training

and

is

available

to all

employees through

a

rigorous selection process.

The

outcomes included reports from eight teams

on

leadership challenge

projects where participants were asked

to

apply what they learned

to

real-

life situations.

E

mployee development serves a variety of purposes and is accomplished in

myriad ways. Ramsey County has created a comprehensive leadership devel-

opment program, The Leadership Academy, that incorporates several learn-

ing methods. Some of the approaches utilized include

group

activities and

experiential

learning; reading, reflection, and writing on leadership topics and issues;

interactive presentations by experts from within and outside Ramsey County; indi-

vidual and

group

exploration of Ramsey County communities; concepts learned

applied to county projects; and individual and small

group

coaching. The Ramsey

County Leadership Academy is an innovative, goal-oriented program that provides

practical

leadership tools within the context of the "big picture."

This

program seeks to further organizational goals

through

strategic planning

and education. It asks the question: What can our employees do to make Ramsey

County a more

effective

organization in delivering high-quality services in ways that

have value for our diverse citizenry? "With an organization this size and the challenges

we are asked to solve with limited resources, we have to use all the available talent

we have," says Ramsey County Manager Paul Kirkwold.

The

Leadership Academy is

part

of

a

larger Model Employer Initiative

(MEI).

The

countywide

MEI

program strives to improve the image of Ramsey County both inter-

nally

and externally, so the county will be able to better respond to changing demo-

graphics. Ramsey County is large, with a population over a half-million, and includes

the metropolitan area of the capitol city

St.

Paul.

In

October

2000,

the County Board approved the

MEI.

The goals for the MEI

include: to be seen as an employer of

choice,

to have a reputation for promoting a

welcoming

work environment to all people, to have a reputation for providing and

aggressively

promoting a respectful work environment, and to provide professional

challenges

coupled with growth opportunities for all employees.

Public Personnel Management

Volume

31 No. 4

Winter 2002

517