Leading for Place, a new report from Collaborate and Solace, draws on insights from Ignite, the systems leadership programme for chief executives that we have delivered together since 2016. Through interviews with nine Ignite chief executives (eight from local authorities and one from a Mayoral Strategic Authority), it explores what it takes to lead a place today and what will be required of leaders into the future.
Their insights bring to life the leadership needed to deliver on Rewiring the State: public services working together as a single coherent system built around the priorities of people and places. Realising that ambition will demand deep shifts at every level of the system, in leadership and culture as well as structures.
The interviews are clear that organisational management is necessary but no longer sufficient. The greatest potential for impact now lies in leading for place beyond formal authority: convening partners, bridging and translating across difference and conflict, and building long-term ambition for people and place, alongside developing organisations ready for this future. Each interview includes a practical example of what systems leadership makes possible, from Sheffield’s Gleadless Valley to child poverty in the North East.
The report closes with a call to action outlining five key shifts to ensure leaders are supported and held accountable for achieving the best outcomes for communities, especially those most reliant on public services. These shifts include appointing for the role as it truly is, making continuous development essential, and strengthening member standards.
The report will inform the review and update of the LGA and Solace’s Chief Executive Development Framework in early 2027, and we hope it serves as an illustration of and inspiration for the leadership we need in places now and into the future.
Read the full report here:
See our previous 2018 Ignite report: Keeping it personal: System leadership in local government
Find out more about the Ignite leadership programme for local authority chief executives here: https://solace.org.uk/learning-hub/leadership-management-programmes/ignite/
To learn more about Ignite or Collaborate’s wider work supporting place leadership, please contact Dawn.