Veredus Debate

How will school leadership continue to evolve, what will be its key characteristics, and what skills will be required to meet the challenges of successfully managing a high learning environment in the 21st century?

Lauren Davey — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:15:42 +0000

The 21st century will continue to present new and ever more unpredictable challenges. An education system that equips children and young people with the skills they need to rise to these challenges is vital if we are to maintain our long-term competitiveness. What skills are required by leaders in education to meet the challenges of successfully managing a high level learning environment in the 21st century?

How can head teachers maintain their own skills, in order to prepare students for a world of work that will be far removed from their own experiences?

Lauren Davey — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:10:43 +0000

The worlds of work and careers have changed beyond recognition over the last generation, and that rate of change seems likely to accelerate. Children entering school today will have careers in jobs that don’t exist currently, and even current school leavers will enter a rapidly changing job market, and their career patterns are likely to be far removed from those of their parents or teachers. So how can headteachers maintain and develop their own skills, and those of their teaching staff, to ensure that the next generation of school leavers is equipped for a new world of work?

Why aren’t more CEOs ex-HRDs?

Lauren Davey — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:49:56 +0000

In a recent survey carried out by Veredus, almost 70% of organisations surveyed said they now have HR board representation, with 80% stating that having an HR board seat was critical to the success of an organisation.

In contrast however, only 3% of CEOs surveyed came from an HR background, with only 20% of those HRDs surveyed even aspiring to reach the top job. Why do you think this is? It would seem HR is recognised as having an important function on the board, so why aren’t there more CEOs from an HR background and why do so few actually aim to reach CEO level?

Succession planning and skills development – are universities doing enough to develop the next generation of HE leaders?

Lauren Davey — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:47:34 +0000

There is little doubt that leaders and future leaders in higher education need to constantly update their skills and competencies in a complex and increasingly competitive HE sector. But are institutions doing enough to develop those skills in their employees, and actively developing the next generation of leaders?

Where should the responsibility for succession planning and skills development lie - with the institution or the individual? And what will the most important skills be for senior managers in HE over the next decade?

The role of the board trustee – enlightening and fulfilling or taxing and time-consuming?

Lauren Davey — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:02:45 +0000

There is little doubt that trusteeship can be a highly rewarding experience, one that not only provides the opportunity to ‘give something back’ but also encourages development, both personally and professionally.

But at what price? In this current climate, boards are increasingly finding themselves faced with tougher, more arduous decision-making than ever before.. Some may argue that however satisfying the role, the commitment - no matter how large or small - can just get ‘too much’ in these challenging times.

So how do you (or should you) find the balance? Is it our moral duty to take on these types of voluntary roles, regardless of the constraints they may place on our professional or personal lives? Do the development opportunities and sense of fulfillment make it all worth it?

What are the key challenges for an executive crossing over from private to public?

Daniel Moll — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:21:06 +0000

At Veredus we have been directly involved in numerous appointments of people with private sector backgrounds to the public sector. We have teamed up with the Sunday Times to start an online debate over the issues surrounding attracting private sector executives to the public sector.

Executives entering the public sector from the private sector can experience a considerable degree of culture shock. Any senior position can involve a degree of risk, but this can be exaggerated when the organisation is alien to the incoming executive.

The process of decision making can be different, a wider range of interest groups are involved in decision-making, the motives of the people that you are working with will can be different and the outcomes of your decisions can affect a far wider range of people.

What are the key challenges that people should expect when they take on a public sector role from a private sector background?

How can these challenges be mitigated?

What are the incentives for people to cross over to the public sector?

Daniel Moll — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:20:21 +0000

A recent report sponsored by the New Local Government Network suggested that there is a looming crises in local government as a third of the workforce are set to retire over the next ten years, with authorities set to lose significantly higher proportions of senior managers.

This has a number of implications for public sector organisations as a whole. In particular, public sector organisations need to widen their talent pools and attract people from other sectors in order to ensure a more rounded pipeline of people for top team succession.

How to attract this talent is a major challenge for the public sector. How important are the differences in financial reward? Are public sector organisations doing enough to try and recruit senior talent? Are there issues of perception that public sector organisations should be doing more to address to attract the best people?

What qualities and skills are needed by the public sector?

Daniel Moll — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:19:38 +0000

The drive to achieve greater efficiency out of public sector resources has led to a perceived need for recruiting individuals with important commercial skills such as an ability to innovate, effective resource management, project management and risk management.

Trends such as the drive towards partnership working in local government, a need for tighter financial management in the health sector, and a focus on driving value in central government are all creating a growing requirement for many behaviours that are associated with senior management in the private sector.

What are the most significant competencies required in the public sector? How do these requirements vary across different parts of the public sector?

Most importantly - is the public sector attracting people with the skills that they need?