A live talent pool model for the future of council leadership
Like many councils, City of Wolverhampton Council was thinking hard about the future of leadership, succession and internal talent. This was not simply about running another leadership programme or offering people a few development days away from the day job.
The ambition was bigger than that. The council wanted to create a more meaningful way of identifying and growing future leaders from within, while also testing what modern succession planning could look like in practice. That meant thinking about talent management, leadership development and succession planning not as separate conversations, but as part of one joined-up workforce challenge.
From the outset, there was a clear appetite to do something bold: create a live talent pool model where participants would not just learn about leadership, but actively experience it in real work, with real expectations, support and visibility. The original design placed the programme within the council’s People Development and Experience service, with a commitment to backfilling roles so talented people could genuinely step into the opportunity rather than squeeze it around an already full job.
That foundation mattered. It signalled that this was not talent theatre. It was a real investment in growing the council’s future leadership bench.
Turning leadership potential into a real organisational pipeline
- How do you define potential in a way that is fair, modern and meaningful?
- How do you test it in practice, rather than relying only on interviews or written applications?
- How do you create a psychologically safe environment where people can learn, stretch and occasionally wobble without that becoming career-limiting?
- How do you ensure participants are not just learning, but contributing, delivering against live council priorities and being accountable for outcomes?
- And, crucially, what happens after the programme if individuals are not yet stepping immediately into their next substantive role?
Too often, organisations identify talent but do not create enough structured opportunity for it to grow. Or they run a strong programme, only for the energy to fade at the end because there is no clear approach to readiness, visibility, alumni support or onward progression.
WME was approached to work in partnership, help strengthen, shape and co-deliver the model.
Thanks to Workforce Priority Funding, WME invested a small amount of time to work alongside the council in shaping the pilot model and bring it to life with regional visibility. This included external challenge, supporting early design and capturing learning that could be shared more widely across the sector. In parallel, the council made an investment in WME to support delivery of key elements of the programme. Together, the work focused on several important design choices.
First, we helped sharpen the overall proposition so it was easier to communicate and easier to engage with. If people do not understand what they are applying for, what will be expected of them, and what the organisation is committing to in return, even the best ideas can become blurry. Simplicity mattered.
Second, we worked with the council to protect the thing that made this model distinctive: it would be a live team, doing live work not a classroom simulation. This was not just about learning, it was about doing, with participants working on cross-council challenges while actively testing new ways of leading.
Third, we brought a future-ready leadership lens. Rather than preparing people only for the roles councils have always had, the programme was shaped around the reality that leadership is changing. GenAI, systems thinking, complexity, influence, non-linear careers and changing workforce expectations all needed to be part of the conversation not bolted on as an optional extra.
Fourth, we helped hold attention on the bit many organisations overlook: the “after.” Early on, we identified the need for a post-programme phase that would keep people warm, visible, supported and ready for the next step, rather than allowing newly developed talent to drift, become frustrated or leave.
What made the model different
A number of features made this approach stand out in practice.
- Real work, not simulation: Participants learn through doing, contributing to cross-council priorities and testing their leadership in real time. • Backfill as essential infrastructure: In local government, one of the biggest barriers to developing talent is operational reality. By committing to backfill, the council addressed that barrier head on and made participation genuinely possible
- A broader definition of potential: Potential was not defined by confidence or prior senior experience alone, but by curiosity, adaptability, influence, systems thinking and the ability to grow into complexity.
- A different entry point: The recruitment process moved beyond traditional applications, giving people opportunities to demonstrate how they think, collaborate and respond to challenge, not just how they present themselves on paper.
- Support for all applicants: Through a regional coaching cohort, all applicants - not just those selected - were offered coaching support, reinforcing that potential is something to be nurtured widely and extending the reach of the programme beyond the core cohort.
- Executive leadership in practice: The Chief Executive and senior leadership team have been actively involved throughout, going beyond approval or sponsorship. They have participated in recruitment simulations, mentored individuals, shaped programme priorities and reviewed progress against live service delivery. This has provided participants with direct exposure to senior leadership thinking, while giving the executive team greater visibility of emerging talent and the strength of the future leadership pipeline.
Alongside these core features, a number of deliberate design choices helped bring the model to life and strengthen its impact. The programme has been intentionally designed to build a wider talent ecosystem, connecting the core cohort with others at similar stages of growth, including AI change agents and senior managers preparing for their next step.
This recognises that leadership pipelines are not linear, and that creating visibility and connection across the system is as important as developing individuals in isolation. There has also been a strong emphasis on leadership identity, not just capability. Participants are supported to think about how they show up, how they influence beyond their role, and how they build credibility across services reflecting the increasing importance of voice, presence and relational leadership.
A further deliberate choice has been to inject future-focused thinking, rather than reinforcing traditional models of leadership. Through the Shift Series, participants are encouraged to explore themes such as complexity, systems thinking, GenAI, non-linear careers and influence helping them make sense of the environments they are already operating within.
Core Shift Series themes have included, for example:
Together, these elements reinforce a core principle of the programme: leadership in local government is evolving, and those stepping into it need to be equipped not just with capability, but with perspective.
Defining potential and thinking beyond the programme
A key part of the work has been developing a more practical and shared understanding of what “potential” really means in a local government context. Rather than relying on traditional indicators such as confidence, visibility or prior senior experience, the programme has taken a broader view.
- Potential has been considered in terms of how individuals:
- learn and adapt in new or ambiguous situations
- work across boundaries and build relationships
- influence without formal authority
- make sense of complexity and competing priorities
- show curiosity, judgement and a willingness to grow
- understand people, demonstrating ability to respond to different needs and perspectives
- recognise and unlock the uniqueness in others, creating environments where others are at their best
Defining potential and thinking beyond the programme
A key part of the work has been developing a more practical and shared understanding of what “potential” really means in a local government context.
Rather than relying on traditional indicators such as confidence, visibility or prior senior experience, the programme has taken a broader view. Potential has been considered in terms of how individuals:
• learn and adapt in new or ambiguous situations • work across boundaries and build relationships
• influence without formal authority • make sense of complexity and competing priorities
• show curiosity, judgement and a willingness to grow
• understand people, demonstrating ability to respond to different needs and perspectives
• recognise and unlock the uniqueness in others, creating environments where others are at their best
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Michelle O'Neill
Principal Consultant
Leadership & Organisational Development