private and public sector organizations. The goal was to develop
a fun and engaging approach to leadership that would
achieve lasting results.
Involving York Region’s HR department was an important step
to ensure integration with centralized leadership development and
reduce duplication of effort. An HR representative who had been
working closely with the department for a number of years and
who had a strong rapport with the management team joined the
program as a coordinator.
Having an HR professional involved in the leadership training
provided an opportunity to gain a greater, hands-on understanding
of the Environmental Services department’s business and
training needs while directly supporting HR’s desire to create
more on-the-job learning and stretch opportunities.
“While the program is still in the first year of rollout, we’re already
seeing some impacts on the culture of our department,”
said Wendy Kemp, manager, Business Support and Continuous
Leadership is paramount
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Improvement for Environmental Services. “It’s sending a strong
signal that leadership does matter.”
WHAT NEXT?
“To say we are pleased with how things have unfolded is an understatement,”
said Mahoney. “I am proud of everything the team has
accomplished. The foundation is set; all we’re doing is providing
the tools and framework to maximize the team’s strengths.”
Building on strengths within the organization is a key testament
to the approach taken with the Environmental Services’
Sustainable Leadership Program. As the program moves toward
the second year of implementation, social media and other collaboration
tools may be included to further enhance leadership
impact in York Region. n
David Szeptycki is head, Strategy, Liaison and Policy Implementation and
Lauren Edwards is the sustainable leadership coordinator at York Region.
training & development
THE PLAN IS CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH LARGER
CORPORATE PROGRAMS, SUCH AS PERFORMANCE
OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIC HR GOALS.
60 ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL