Free advice from learners at Royal Roads University is helping the City of Port Alberni deal with a potential budget shortfall in excess of $3 million.

Program offers chance to exchange ideas Teams presented their savvy leadership strategies to a panel of representatives from the City of Port Alberni.

Combining personal experience and new knowledge, 15 public and private sector professionals delivered a mix of recommendations, creative ideas and fiscal measures to city managers in early spring.

“The innovative strategies devised by these talented individuals stress the importance of diversification, change management and public engagement,” said Ken Watson, city manager. “Many can, and will, be implemented immediately while others are of a longer term nature.”

The altruistic advisors were enrolled in Developing Leadership Impact, a six-day executive program held on campus twice yearly.

It's a program with a two-fold benefit.

Developing Leadership Impact gives people looking to advance their leadership skills an opportunity to hone their ability to work in teams while addressing genuine real-world organizational challenges.

Developing Leadership Impact

The Developing Leadership Impact executive program offers an opportunity to exchange ideas and insights with peers, gain a set of tools to assess effective leadership styles, and enhance leadership competencies. Participants work in small learning teams to apply their personal experience and their new knowledge to generate leadership strategies for a real-life leadership challenge. The teams present their savvy leadership strategies to a panel followed by a discussion. Download the Program Brochure. Read another case study.

And it gives public, private, or not-for-profit organizations a week of no-charge analysis and advice to help them tackle complex, unresolved leadership issues.

“We were really interested in knowing what some objective senior public and private sector managers would come up with and we are grateful that Royal Roads University made this collaboration possible," says Mayor Ken McRae.

The city’s economic development manager, Pat Deakin, also welcomed the enthusiasm of participants and indicated some have already provided follow-up and offers of support.

“We believe Port Alberni showed a great deal of courage and foresight in asking our program participants to assist them in coming up with innovative ways of dealing with their challenge,” says Ed McKenzie.

With fellow associate faculty members Cathy McKenzie, Dave Whittington and Tammy Dewar, McKenzie helped facilitate the spring program.

Organizations wishing to propose a leadership challenge for future Developing Leadership Impact programs can visit www.royalroads.ca/calm to learn more or call Zoë MacLeod, manager, Centre for Applied Leadership and Management at 250 391-2600.

The next program is scheduled to take place November 21-27, 2009.

RRU also offers an MA in Leadership. This two-year, interdisciplinary program focuses on helping leaders develop problem-solving skills to manage complex organizations.