Building leadership capacity to drive change: lessons from a new program

Abstract

This paper provides guidance on how to customise a leadership development initiative for a particular context and target audience (e.g. a leadership development program). It begins by explaining the importance of leadership capacity to sustainability practitioners, and the need to customise tools to build this capacity. The paper outlines a six-step process for building customised tools. It then uses a new leadership development program (i.e. the International WaterCentre’s Water Leadership Program) as a case study. This program targets emerging, non-executive water leaders at a project to middle management level. It aims to help them to be more effective at exercising influence, driving change and advancing more integrated and sustainable forms of water management. The design, research basis, content and preliminary evaluation results from this program are discussed. Finally, the paper shares some lessons learnt from designing and delivering this program.

Publication

Taylor, A., and McIntosh, B. (2012). Building leadership capacity to drive change: Lessons from a new program. Proceedings of the Enviro 2012 Conference, 24 – 26 July 2012, Adelaide, South Australia