Consulting Services

Coaching and mentoring the next generation of municipal leaders provides an opportunity to help shape the future by imparting the knowledge of the past. There is great value to those of who are willing to invest the time and energy in collectively supporting the work of our young and aspiring leaders. The objective of a coach/mentor is to be the life raft for a new and aspiring leader when venturing out into untested waters. 

OMLI’s expert facilitators of the Ontario Municipal Leadership Program provide mentoring throughout the entire program. They are available and accessible to provide guidance, advice and tips and tools to help develop your leadership skills. They are available to assist walk you through those tough-to-make decisions and will provide you with sound advice on a wide range of practical challenges (staff, council, public and the media). Regardless the scale of your challenges, complicated or sensitive in nature, our legacy experts and mentors are available to assist you in a confidential manner.

Because at OMLI, we help you to quickly understand and recognize that in order to be a high performing organization, and to operate at the highest level of effectiveness, we need to support those who are willing to take on the leadership roles. Through our Expert Coaches, we provide executive coaching and mentoring that can help employees and employers to discover hidden potential and achieve it.

To register to become an Expert Coach and or to find how our Expert Coaches are matched with your emerging new leaders contact OMLI today! Our Experts Coaches are available to provide guidance and support to help you as an organization to transition your outgoing leadership or to support your future leaders of your organization!

At OMLI we have launched an experiment to explore, “what if?” What if we gave you direct access to our Expert Coaches? What if we said to you that for a nominal investment, your emerging leader(s) had direct access to one-to-one candid discussions (in-person or otherwise) that provides:

• valuable feedback on strengths and weaknesses (can also include personality profiling, behavioural assessments, pre-hire assessments)
• advice and suggestions which are aimed at both specific areas of improvement and or professional development
• non-direction experiential-based training, tools, tips and techniques that develops skills and fosters a supportive and encouraging relationship
• advice on an expansive range of issues, challenges and opportunities
• focused discussions and emphasis on leadership skills development
• in-person audits of individuals in action

Efforts to “Plan Forward” have been minimal or are somewhat non-existent. Who will take over, when our existing leaders retire in the next few years? What are we doing as progressive organizations to ensure that we have a plan in place?

In 2025, Ontario could face a shortage of 364,000 workers.

Over the past 25 years, the Canadian labour force grew by 48%. In the next 25 years, it will grow by only 16%.

How can I prepare myself for a leadership role?

Did you know that there really are three key ingredients to developing your leadership? Passion… yes the emotion that creates that desire for or devotion to a certain activity – do you feel it? Do you have it?  Can you use it to your advantage? Commitment to achieving your success. Remember no one really is an overnight success – hard work and commitment to your goals is the path to success. Personal Development – what have you done in the past week, month, year to “up your game”? To take you one step closer to attaining the goals you set for yourself. Personal development means setting out a game plan that improves your self-awareness, your self-knowledge your personal growth plan.

I’ve been asked by the CAO of my municipality to take on the leadership role of a major project which will be transformational for our organization and in the manner, we will be delivering our services. I’m quite excited but at the same time nervous about taking on such a significant assignment.

Do you have some suggestions for me?

That’s great news that you have been asked to take on the lead role in this transformational project. There are many things, which I can suggest, but unfortunately, we only have a fixed amount of space so let me provide the following perspective for you.

Stay focused on the objectives of the project. Make sure that you and your team members have a clear understanding on what the picture of success looks like. Be clear about the intended outcomes and make sure you return to those objectives on a regular basis to avoid getting derailed or from straying off course.

Get clarity on process – how much authority for making decisions do you and your team have – who is your project champion that will be there to offer guidance and direction or approvals as the project takes shape.

Make every effort to determine if you have the skills or members of your team have the required skills to complete the project. If not is there a willingness to bring some external help to the project to “skill-up” the team as necessary?

Show me the MONEY!!!

Make certain that you and your team feel confident that the project can be delivered for the budget that has been allocated. Determine early in the process by asking questions to other organizations who have championed similar change initiatives. Find out what it cost them to execute their project. Do your homework. If you have any flexibility and negotiating ability you are in a much stronger position before the project is launched.

As I said earlier this sounds like a vote of confidence in you but remember to stay grounded and make certain you are satisfied that you have the complete bill of goods to execute the project and feel proud of this work.

I’ve just accepted my first assignment as a Chief Administrative Officer.

I’ve been a senior manager for 10 years and spent another 10 years working my way through several technical positions in two different organizations. Is there any advice you can offer me as I set out in this new position?

I’ve walked in your shoes and surprisingly asked a mentor of mine a similar question when I stepped into the same role. The advice that was offered to me is the same I would suggest that you consider following:

1. During the first 30-60 days take your time and avoid making any drastic decisions without the benefit of sufficient information or data.
2. Take the time to observe the interactions of the people in your organization – gather as much information through the process. Ask questions – but make them open ended questions – be personable – demonstrate the fact that you are genuinely interested in the people and the work they do.
3. Above all avoid the crutch of trumpeting how things were done in your last place of employment. Really do you think the folks are going to embrace being preached about how great the last place you worked at was and how you plan to duplicate that same environment here? It won’t happen so don’t even attempt that approach.
4. Finally, once you have taken the time to listen, reflect on what you heard – note what makes this organization such an attractive one – determine how you can work collaboratively with your team to help them be successful. Take it slow and don’t push a large change agenda – remember that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time! (It’s an expression – seriously no elephants were harmed in the preparation of this article)