Richmond and Wandsworth are reaping the benefits of an intergenerational leadership approach which is ‘nurturing and encouraging the future’, says Liz Bruce
Setting politics aside, the late and well-regarded MP Tony Benn, in an interview in his later life said: ‘The role of older people is to encourage the young.’
We can apply this saying to experienced and older directors and the intergenerational relationship with younger future leaders.
Some of the people I am leading were born in the 1980s. I was born in the 1950s .
A large generational gap and cultural change has occurred over 30 odd years and this must affect style and knowledge.
This doesn’t mean being older always equates to being more experienced or being younger means being less experienced, but it does mean the partnership between leaders and direct reports can be very complimentary and beneficial.
If the stage of your career means your motivation is to encourage and support future leaders, it can be transformational and rewarding.
Encouraging experienced directors – particularly women, although I admit I am biased – to resist the temptation of retirement and to work for longer must be on chief executives’ and cabinet members’ priority list these days.
In social care we recognise the value and focus of developing intergenerational work across older residents, children and young people – often groups who use our services.
We know there is good evidence in the UK and in Netherlands of the value of intergenerational relationships and its positive impact on loneliness and isolation and improved self-esteem.
Recently, as part of our strengths-based approach – enabling people to find the best solutions for themselves – and within our adult social care and public health culture and practice change programme, I realised the importance of older experienced leaders supporting and growing younger, developing leaders on the learning curve cannot be underestimated.
We are modelling the strengths-based definition in our leaders – ie support and empowerment – to make independent decisions and good solutions.
The feedback from those younger leaders, particularly after a spell away from work, tells me how important it is to have an experienced leader to go to for support and measured advice, but also in ensuring enough space to develop and grow.
Delegation should enable leadership to have the authority to act and once delegated we should resist interference or taking back the delegated tasks.
In addition, as an experienced older leader I have the confidence now after 10 years in three different director roles to be humble. I don’t need to be in charge all the time and can share my own mistakes and learning.
I have nothing to prove but a lot to give to my very able developing senior managers who will be the future leaders when I do decide to retire.
Over the last two years across Richmond and Wandsworth, I have taken a small team and developed it into a diverse group of six men and women, including two black and minority ethnic leaders.
It is a great feeling when your age and experience comes together and into its own for the team and the organisation, and where you no longer need to prove anything and can enjoy watching people flourish.
Alongside me are two experienced senior management team members who provide a sound anchor and further experience to the team. This balance is important. One of these managers leads the transformation programme for adult services, focusing on culture change and leadership development.
The younger people flourishing in my senior management team include a female assistant director leading the operational arm of the business. This is the high risk end of the business and where much of the statutory activity is focused.
When I approached her to check if she would like to try out the assistant director’s role in an acting position she didn’t consider herself ready. She had not ever been measured against the external market although she had worked in different roles in Wandsworth for a long time. Nine months on, she is showing she is ready. With the right support and the right conversations she is leading challenges very ably.
We brought in Gatenby Sanderson to support her in a leadership assessment that enables benchmarking against top candidates in the external recruitment market. Just completing this and feeding back the analysis and evaluation to me has created increased confidence and esteem and a leadership plan for her future career.
Another younger developing leader is the head of health and care strategy. Previously, they had not been in a strategic role. They came into a role that was new and still largely a blank piece of paper, very much open to shaping.
Moving from an operational role with reablement and hospital discharge teams to this strategic role is a big step up. How you are measured is different, the pace of what you deliver is different – no longer task- based and fast delivery but more tactical, strategic and more alliance-building.
After the initial adaptation time, not sure whether what she was delivering was what was required, she is making a significant difference to relationships across health and care systems, developing plans and co-ordinating parts of the system to benefit residents using health and care.
Another leader is in the director of public health role, taking the transition and integration of adults and public health to fruition this year and building new relationships across the two councils and different political administrations – working with a director of adult services rather than the chief executive and together developing a systems leadership approach across health and care.
This is just a snapshot of future leaders. They are all leading across the two boroughs in the Shared Services Agreement and they are all part of a successful local government future.
The experienced leader of our transformation programme knows better than anyone that connecting younger developing leaders with potential solutions, empowering and building teams, strengthening our support to middle managers is all part of our intergenerational leadership approach which is nurturing and encouraging the future.
Liz Bruce is director of adult social services and public health for Richmond RLBC and Wandsworth LBC