National School of Government

"Leaders need to understand how their decisions and engagement affects the people they lead. Jonathan provides a learning experience that balances theory with real life examples, allowing the group to draw from their own experience. His balanced delivery carefully opens up the subject and allows participants to make an honest assessment of their approach to emotion and change. We have built on his work and have also asked Jonathan to return at the end of the programme and help participants reflect on the learning throughout the year, and open themselves up to the personal challenges and changes that are likely to take place in the near future.” Malcolm Horwill, Programme Director Strategic Leadership, National School of Government, Sunningdale

Preparing for Top Management

The Civil Service has traditionally attracted some of the country’s best and brightest minds, who bring a combination of strong intellect and a desire to make a difference. Strong analytical skills are a necessary but not fully sufficient pre-condition for effective leadership, and the National School of Government’s Preparing for Top Management Programme is designed to round out broader people skills and self awareness. Four residential modules, action learning, and coaching over the course of a year provide a clear transition pathway for civil servants about to enter the Senior Civil Service. The first module is critical because it must set the scene for the rest of the programme, positively engaging people in their own development journey and establishing open relations for peer learning and coaching.

Over several years Jonathan Males has helped shape and deliver this module, bringing to life topics such as emotional intelligence for critical-thinking high achievers. This has been through a combination of theory, practical exercises, reflection and application to working experience. This is followed by a powerful session on competing commitments that provides real insight into the reasons that people find change difficult – and what to do about it. Jonathan’s experience as an Olympic coach also brings credibility into a highly practical session on coaching skills, in which participants help each other to address pressing work issues.

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