Learn more about the LGMA Management Challenge

• What is the Challenge?
• Who Should Enter?
• Why is it right for your Council?
• Too small? Too far away?
• Getting started
• Challenge Dates
• Entry Fees
• Free Information Webinar
• Contact Details

What is the Challenge?

The LGMA Management Challenge is a sophisticated development programme that provides real life problem solving experiences and produces real outcomes that translate into relevant, tangible and enduring benefits for your people, your teams and your organisation.

It is a hands-on approach to leadership development with real workplace relevance.

Teams of five or six members from any level of local government undertake tasks alongside other participating councils. These tasks typify management in the local government environment. The challenge day is a one-day event in March (see below for more information)

With the aid of an in-house mentor and detailed preparation kit, the teams spend a few hours in the weeks preceding the challenge day to develop their skills, get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses and plan their strategies.

Detailed and targeted reports from professional facilitators provide the basis for debriefing and application of learning outcomes to the workplace. The team also receives a personal debrief from the facilitator at the conclusion of the challenge day.

The best performing team in New Zealand goes on to compete in the Australasian finals.

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Who Should Enter?

Everyone! The many thousands of council employees who have participated in the challenge have demonstrated that almost any local government officer with the right attitude will take away enduring benefits from their challenge experience.

Aimed at developing collaborative decision making and team competencies, the challenge is ideally suited to new and emerging managers.

Past participants have represented an extraordinary variety of disciplines and levels including librarians, work superintendents, IT specialists, community service professionals, experienced managers and even elected members!

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Why is it right for your Council?

The LGMA Management Challenge is designed to develop new and improved skills in effective team processes, issue resolution and situational leadership for all team members.

Everyone who participates in the challenge -- from experienced managers to emerging leaders, comes away with new and practical insights into excellence in leadership and management. The benefits of the challenge include:

• Forming on-going relationships between staff from different council departments
• Promoting collaboration and shared responsibility
• Attracting and retaining staff
• Improving organisational culture

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Too small? Too far away?

If you think your council is too small, think again. Councils can join up with neighbouring council or councils to enter a combined team.

A composite (combined) team will provide participants a wider range of experience and knowledge and will bring together strengths from two or more different organisations. The different perspectives from the participants may leade to a more robust and well thought solutions to the tasks.

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Getting started

Some simple steps to get you started:

1. Download 'Getting Started' from www.managementchallenge.com.au
2. Entries should be lodged by the entry date
3. Choose a team plus a mentor - to gain momentum for your team, someone needs to provide the stimulus. Sometimes (but not always), it is the CEO or General Manager who champions the formation of a team. Team members don't have to be senior personnel, they can and often do come from throughout the organisation
4. Learning begins - your mentor will receive a comprehensive Team Preparation Kit around late December.

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Challenge Dates

The New Zealand leg for 2012 is scheduled for one-day between 12-18 March 2012.

We will attempt to hold at least one event in the North Island and one in the South Island, depending on the local authorities who enter.

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Entry Fees

The entry fee is NZ $4,583 per team.

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Free Information Webinar

SOLGM is holding a FREE webinar 'The Temperature is Rising' on Thursday 1 December 2011 at 11.00am.

Everyone is invited and there are no strings attached!

Register for this FREE webinar by clicking here

 

Contact Details

For more information about the LGMA Management Challenge in New Zealand, contact:

Don Mackay
Manager Good Practice and Policy
SOLGM
dmackay@solgm.org.nz or 04 978 1258

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