Government Leadership Training Course: Influence, Team Direction and Decision Making

Programme Summary

Government leadership is the subject of this one-week training course for senior managers, directors and heads of units in public organisations, ending in a leadership plan for one unit. Public leaders must set direction, win support across institutions and decide under scrutiny, often without full control of resources. The programme links role and authority, influence, team direction and decision making, then applies each tool to one unit. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme on government leadership to mixed-organisation cohorts.

The Business Case

Weak leadership in a public body shows as unclear priorities, decisions that are reopened and teams that wait for instructions. Leaders who build government leadership practice around clear authority, deliberate influence and recorded decisions keep teams moving.

• Decision Reversals: Fall as decisions are recorded with options, risks and consulted parties.
• Escalation Volume: Reduces as delegation and direction are set with clear decision rights.
• Team Engagement: Improves as feedback and coaching follow a planned routine.

Principles and Evidence Base

• OECD Recommendation on Public Service Leadership and Capability: It treats leadership as a driver of performance, trust and adaptability in the public service, and it frames Sessions 1 and 5.
• OECD leadership capabilities for a high performing civil service: They cover setting direction, working across boundaries, managing people and acting with integrity, and they shape Sessions 2 and 3.
• OECD work on public sector leadership and innovation: It describes leaders creating the conditions in which teams deliver and experiment, and it informs Sessions 3 and 4.

Intended Participants

• Senior managers who lead several teams within a ministry or agency.
• Directors who set priorities and answer for results to oversight bodies.
• Heads of units who must influence colleagues over whom they have no authority.
• Programme leaders who direct staff drawn from different institutions.
• Advisers who prepare decisions for senior officials.

Typical functions include health, education, transport and municipal administration.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to define the authority and decision rights of a leadership role in a public body.
2. Participants will be able to diagnose the influence needed for a decision across institutions.
3. Participants will be able to evaluate team climate and leadership style from feedback.
4. Participants will be able to construct a direction statement and delegation plan for a unit.
5. Participants will be able to prioritise options in a decision made under public scrutiny.
6. Participants will be able to justify a leadership plan to a line manager or board.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Government Leadership Role and Authority

What does leadership in a public body require beyond management, and where does its authority end?

• OECD Public Service Leadership Reading Guide
• Leadership Role and Mandate Map
• Public Values and Integrity Checklist
• Leadership Capability Self-Assessment
• Decision Rights and Authority Chart

Day 2: Diagnosing Influence and Team Climate

Who must be influenced for a decision to hold, and how does the team currently work?

• Stakeholder Influence Map
• Power and Interest Grid
• Team Climate Survey Sheet
• Cross-Boundary Dependency Chart
• Leadership Style Feedback Summary

Day 3: Setting Direction and Directing Teams

How are direction, roles and expectations set so that a team can act without constant escalation?

• Direction Statement Template
• Team Charter Outline
• Delegation Ladder
• Performance Conversation Guide
• Feedback and Coaching Planner

Day 4: Decision Making Under Public Scrutiny

How are decisions made, recorded and explained when many parties are affected?

• Decision Options Matrix
• Public Interest and Risk Test
• Consultation and Escalation Protocol
• Decision Record Template
• Conflict and Resistance Response Plan

Day 5: Applying the Tools to One Leadership Plan

Do the role, influence, direction and decision tools hold together in one leadership plan?

• Applying the Session 1 Role Map to the Participant's Unit
• Using the Session 2 Influence Map on a Live Decision
• Drafting the Session 3 Direction Statement for the Team
• Testing a Decision with the Session 4 Matrix
• Completing the Leadership Plan

Methodology

The programme uses a case analysis method built on anonymised decision papers, stakeholder maps, team feedback summaries and short written cases from health, education and municipal bodies. Participants work in small peer groups on their own unit, rehearse difficult conversations and receive facilitator feedback on every map, statement and record.

• Suggested activity: Mapping the influence needed for one live decision and ranking the three hardest relationships.
• Suggested activity: Practising a delegation conversation in pairs and recording the agreed expectations.
• Suggested activity: Writing a decision record for a contested case and defending it to peers.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a leadership plan for one unit. It holds a role and authority map, an influence map for a live decision, a direction statement, a delegation plan, a feedback routine and a decision record. The plan is used at work to agree expectations with a line manager, brief the team and guide the first quarter of leadership action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is training in government leadership suitable for managers who have not led across institutions before?

Yes. The programme assumes experience of managing staff in a public body and builds government leadership from role, authority and influence upward.

Which models does government leadership rest on in this programme?

It rests on the OECD Recommendation on Public Service Leadership and Capability and OECD work on leadership capabilities in a high performing civil service.

How is the leadership plan for government leadership used at work?

You use it to agree expectations with a line manager, brief your team and guide leadership action in your unit.

How does learning government leadership differ from a programme on public value creation?

It centres on influence, team direction and decisions of a leader, while public value creation centres on defining the outcomes a public body should deliver.